Night Terrors

3 am rolled around and he was still awake. Sitting up in bed he looked out into the hallway. It felt as if someone was watching him from out there, and no matter what he did he couldnt shake that feeling. He could imagine these horrible yellow eyes, much like that of a bug, staring at him and never blinking. Staring at him as if they were ready to take his life away in an instant. The blanket on his bed was pulled up high, almost as if he was using it for security. His heart seemed to race as this feeling he had grew stronger and the image of the yellow eyes turned into a shape. This figure stood very tall and menacing. It wanted to take him, to feast on his life, to engage in his thoughts and read them. It wanted to be him, to make him what it wanted him to be. These thoughts kept pouring into his head like a flood. Somehow, someway, he knew this thing would manifest and take his existance away; but what was he to do? No one would believe him that this feeling was real, that this menacing monster actually could appear. So he did what he knew was the only safe thing. He climbed up out of bed and closed his door, turning on his closet light to feel some sort of security while he slept.1

Suddenly, the lights in his closet started to flicker and eventually went out. The door crept open and he was staring into those big yellow eyes. Despite the total darkness, the being that stood there seemed to be darker than the darkness itself. He watched as it came closer to him and his heart felt like it stopped beating in his chest, almost like it was turning into a cold and dead stone. He didnt know what to do; his body was paralyzed in fear of this creature and his head thumped from pressure. Was he going to live out the night? His mind raced at the thought that he might not live through the night, that he might not ever see daylight. His life began to flash before his eyes and memories he had long forgotten began to surface and he felt tears stream down his face. These were his final few moments of life and they seemed to tick by as if every second lasted a lifetime. The fear manifested itself and was going to kill him for being unable to surpress it. He knew now what this creature was. It was a demon of fear he had manifested because of his lack of trust in himself and everything he believed in. These final moments ticked by and he found himself screaming out to the God he thought he believed in. His cries seemed to feel empty and void, as if God himself turned his back on him in his most desperate time of need. The man cried harder as he felt this creature envelop his very being and choke the life out of him.2

Abruptly he awoke; the nightmare had ended. He sat up drenched in sweat and tears, knowing full well that he was given a good reminder that all is not well with his lack of faith in what he believed in. Before he could think anything else, he found himself kneeling at his bed and praying to his God. He was hoping to find forgiveness for his lack of faith. In those moments as he knelt there, he could feel the loving arms of Jesus wrap around him and comfort him. He heard an audible voice call out him, Whether your faith is strong like a rock, or weak like a reed. I will never leave you to the wolves my beloved. After he heard those words, his heart skipped a beat and he began to cry once more; but it was not a cry of sadness. He felt like he was crying because from that dream his faith was restored to him, he knew now that what he believed in was the truth and there was no mistaking that. Finally, he was able to crawl back into his bed and rest. Fully relaxed he fell asleep and awoke the next day, knowing that manifested fear was gone forever.3