Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The HORROR that roams the night...

This last Monday's sleep time was rather spooky.

Husband and I had a long day, and were both bushed, called it a night, and went straight to bed, I think we were both simultaneously snoring before we hit the pillows.  This isn't so unusual on Monday, it seems to be the busy day of the week for us.

Husband, however, has an odd sleep pattern.  He will drop like a rock, then wake up around 1 or 2, get up for a bit, then go back to sleep, and get up around 5, give or take.  I tend to sleep all the way through, or I wake up at one or two, and that's pretty much it for the sleep thing...

I guess he must have been awake at 12ish, going on one, as I woke up.

I felt something crawling on my arm!  I think I was too groggy to scream (my default action when something startles me), but I sat up instantly.  No eyeglasses, and the light was out.

"Hon, did you have a bad dream?"  Still groggy, I snorted slightly, then tried to figure out an answer.

"I felt something on my arm.  It CRAWLED on me."  Husband rubbed my back, and said,

"It was a bad dream... Lay back down, relax."

This should have been my first clue.  When Husband has said "it's a bad dream", things are usually not good.  This is, in fact, a running joke at our house, as the first time he said 'it was a bad dream', THIS happened...  I have been reminding him of this fact at various times, usually when some major disaster occurs.

Anyway, I tried to clear my head a little.  Well, I didn't feel anything crawling on me now.  I was awake, and in the gloom that is a dark bedroom, everything looked okay.  Or at least as okay as I could see...  So I laid down, and put my arm over Husband's back, to scratch his neck.

THAT'S WHEN I FELT THE THING CRAWLING ON ME AGAIN!  And this time, I was awake!!  Nearly instantly, Husband jumped up, swatting at his neck, and said, "There IS something here!"

I started bellowing for him to turn on the light.  Still didn't have my glasses on.  He ran over to the overhead switch, hit it, and in a blaze of light, I looked over at his pillow.  I saw something moving, a large black something, wiggling, and moving off the pillow.  Astoundingly, I still didn't scream, but I started bellowing at Husband, "thereitisthereitisTHEREITISGETITGETITGETIT!!!!"  I just knew it was some black widow spider and we were going to die of spider feet poison, or some such.  (I am a weenie in the spider area, yes.) (BIG weenie, I might add...)  Husband came over, and scowled at the intruder, which was motoring along quite quickly off the pillow.  He grabbed a sock, and picked it up, then left the room.  I kept looking around for the massing hordes of evil arachnia ready to invade.  Husband came back, and sat down on the bed with a disgusted snort.

"What was it?" I asked, looking timidly at him.
"It was a big black beetle, 'bout the size of my thumb.  I put him outside."

I guess that was a happy ending for the bug, but I must say, I didn't sleep much after that...


16 comments:

Sally said...

Yikes! I think I would have needed a stiff drink to get me back off to sleep.......

messymimi said...

Live and let live, where beetles are concerned.

And supposedly the actual sleep pattern of a normal human is supposed to be sleep a few hours, get up for an hour or so, then sleep a few more. Our ancestors called it "first sleep" and "second sleep", and it was the normal pattern before the industrial revolution and the light bulb made us a "get sleep over with in one stint so we can get more work done" society.

Carolyn said...

OMG, I would have FREAKED! Oh, wait, I have done that and freaked. Imagine that but with a centipede in the blankets; I almost passed out!

Isn't if funny how upset we get about a little bug getting in our sleeping arrangements? Can you imagine how THEY feel?! Well, actually I don't care how they feel, just get them the heck out of my house!

Cat said...

I should have had SOMEthing...

Cat

Cat said...

I think that might be somewhat age related, (or maybe it's just me), but my sleep patterns have changed as I age. My "first sleep" when I was a teenager would have been about 10 hours, the "second sleep" would have been another 4 or 5... If I could have gotten away with it. I did envy the cats so much at that age... ;) But yes, I wonder if I "need" to sleep at certain times for so long. I wake at times, and sleep at times, as long as I feel rested, I really don't worry about it much. It's just when I have things not invited joining me when I sleep that is the problem!!! YIPE!

Cat

Cat said...

Ok, that would probably have had a similar reaction. I just couldn't see what it was, I just saw big, and it had crawled on me. I would have had the reaction had it been a spider, beetle, mouse or even just something that had fallen from my endtable on my arm... It's just that when I can't see, if it's big enough for me to notice, it's bad!!!

Cat

John Going Gently said...

I would have freaked too!
nice to hear fro you x

Cat said...

:) Now that I can get on here a bit more regularly, I hope not to be such a stranger!

Cat

Jenny Woolf said...

|Thanks for your comment on my blog and I'm glad I found yours. What a revolting experience. Think I'd have shot across the room to the light switch BEFORE I was awake!

Jenny Woolf said...

Ha! Just followed your link about the earthquake. Yes, your hubby's assessment of situations doesn't seem as if it is to be trusted....

Sharon said...

Gees, Cat! I would have the willies for a week and refuse to sleep in that room. What if it had "friends" or "relatives"?

You gave me the best laugh of my day! Sorry!

stephen Hayes said...

Your husband earned some good karma.

Cat said...

Problem is, I get nightmares quite often, so I just figured the brain had cross wired again, as it stopped when I woke.

Meh...

Cat

Cat said...

He has his moments... ;)

Cat

Cat said...

Believe me, I checked!!! And I am glad it was worth a chuckle!

Cat

Cat said...

He's earned a LOT of good karma, the way I react to spiders. Well, any bug that decides I am a climbing spot...

Cat