A Long Night

They were awakened by the movement of their child, tossing and turning in the night. It was getting hot and humid. The night was quiet, not a sound could be heard. She looked at the clock, next to her bed. The time was 1 minute to 1. "Strange" she thought. "Almost 1 am but it seemed that I've slept for ages."

"Turn on the aircon" he whispered as he turned his body against her. Her fingers moved in the dark, searching for the remote control and turned it on. She tried to go back to sleep. Tomorrow would be another early day for her and she couldn't afford to be late. She closed her eyes but her mind was not able to relaxed and let her sleep. It drifted to many places, many events.

He opened his eyes and looked at the watch. It showed 5 minutes past 1. He turned his head towards her. It was dark. He thought he saw a shadow next to the bedroom window. "Ah, I'am just to tired" he thought. But as his tired eyes focussed on it, it looked more like an apparition, a woman of some sort in a long veil - he just couldn't make out her features. He noticed that it noticed him. As it glided towards him, he tried to recite whatever verses from the Quran that he could remember. "Auzubillahi minassyaitanirrojim", he recited it over and over again as fear crept it.

As it moved nearer, he become paralysed in fear. He called for Allah to help him. He felt that he was in a trance, his lips couldn't move, neither could his body. He tried to get away. He felt its head next to his, on the pillow. Slowly, it crept on top of him. Overpowering him with its strength. He tried to regain whatever strength he could to overcome it. "Auzubillahi minassyaitanirrojim!" he tried to shout but nothing came out from him. He struggled to fight it but could not. He felt helpless.

She heard an eerie sound, like someone wanting to cry out but couldn't. She did not dare open her eyes. She knew she had to do something. "Abang! Abang!" she barely shouted as she vigorously shook his body, opening her eyes slowly. He stared at her with a piercing look - looking hard at her. His mind wondered - Was this really my wife or was it that creature?

She shook him again. Was that just a dream? he thought. The setting did not change. He was not transported to another world. It happened in this room. He saw his wife next to him, he saw his daughter next to her. He looked around him, stood up and switched on the lights. The watch showed 30 minutes past 1.

He looked at his wife and said "I just had a nightmare. That's all. You go back to sleep. You have an early morning tomorrow." As she tried to go back to sleep, he went into the bathroom, took his wudhu', performed his solat. He tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep but he couldn't. Did it really happen, he thought. His heart was still thumping fast, his hair stood at their ends as he recalled the haunting 'dream'. Maybe he was just too tired. He closed his eyes once more, reciting ayatul kursi. Only then, he managed to get some peaceful sleep.