That Night...

The clock struck 2 AM, signalling that it was time to retire for the day. Standing sluggishly, I stretched and picked up the books on the wooden table.

With my head still bent over the reading table, and eyes focusing on the dog-eared books before me, I barely noticed when the crickets took over the arena. Neither did I see the hand on the wall.

"Wait! A hand?"

It was dark, long and thin. The shadow of human-like hand moving from the bottom of the wall upward.

_{Photo by Wassily Höfer on Canva}

Something in me crawled up. The books in my hands crashed on the floor as I crawled behind the bookshelf.

I tried in vain to wake my sleeping roommate, but the more I reach for my phone, the further it seemed to move away from me.

Then a face emerged. No eyes. No nose or mouth. Just a silhouette of a face. With a head and body as large as that of a full-grown human. A phantom! It looked as if it was walking in through the wall and right into the house — my room.

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“Noooooo!” I tried screaming when it moved past me, heading to where my roommate laid peacefully. Then the panic set in. I could feel my body go numb when it sat on the couch by her side of the bed.

My voice ceased. I felt hot tears trickling down my cheek. I thought of the many months we've spent together and the reality of never seeing her again if anything drastic happened.

She must have felt a presence because she woke up with a start. Her tired eyes scanning the room and resting on the apparition that seemed to be feeling very much at home.

"I rebuke you! You have no power over me!” Then I saw it moving away quickly. Past the lantern that was burning slowly at the centre of the room into the kitchen.

First the frying pan tumbled over. Then the kerosene stuff turned on.

I heard it cooking! Why was it touching our plantains? Why was it frying it? Then there was singing and dancing. I could hear drumming. Big obodom. This time behind our room. Right outside.

_{Photo by Leolintang}
We rushed into the kitchen but saw nothing. Not even the hand or its head. I could feel a chill air sweep round the room, towards the direction where I first spotted the hand.

We were petrified. Shocked to the bones that we could barely stand any longer. Then we heard a whisper behind our ears. And I felt intense fear again.

Everything that happened that night came flooding my mind again. From the moment I saw the hand. Until that moment I heard its hushed voice.

"Your mother needs you. You must go to her".

"Who?"

But it had moved past us. I clutched my roommate's hand tightly as we inspected the walls again. There was no hand. Only an imprint to remind us that what happened was real.

My roomie led me back to the room. I could hear her praying softly while I led under the duvet. That was enough to lure me back to sleep.

_{Published 30 June 2025}