Dracula in the desert
“Let me tell you this” Mohamed started his story “Some things in the desert you can only believe after you see them – otherwise you will laugh and call them old-wives’ tales. This is true. But at times, your imagination plays with you. It could be a trash bag flying through the night or the reflection of animal eyes in the dark. Let me tell you my story about how coincidences and your imagination can trick you:
At times, your imagination plays with you
A stray dog used to spend the nights in the lobby of a hotel in my village, until on a hot summer day the owner had enough and chased him away. The now homeless dog went on his search for a new home, which he found in my house under my bed. All while I was at work. You wonder why I don’t close my door. The reason is simple, everyone knows each other in the village.
The summer heat of that day had turned into a cool windy night and I came home late from work oblivious to my new roommate. In my belief that I was home alone, I decided to watch the old Dracula movie, you know it? The really scary one. At around 2 am I finished the movie, closed my laptop and went to sleep. Keep in mind I am not a person who gets afraid, but that was a really scary movie and sometimes your brain plays with you, you know? Anyhow, the door in my room can’t be closed, if you close it opens again and stays half-closed and half-open.
Lying in my bed, I could hear a strange sound outside of my room, a clinking sound as if someone hit a bottle that is now rolling on the floor. I ignored it and fell asleep. A bit later the dog came back to his new home under my bed, while I was already in dreamland. A strong gust of wind and the clinking sound woke me up again. Trying to fall asleep again, I heard something growling . “GRRRRRR”. I thought I left my computer with the movie on. I got up. The PC was turned off. And not only that, there was no power to turn on the light. “GRRRRRR” again. Everything was pitch black.
I carefully walked back to my bed. “GRRRRRR” again. I picked up for my phone for some light. The moment I opened the folding phone I caught a glimpse of the red 1% before the battery died. Motionless in my bed and listening to a symphony of wind, a clinking sounds and “GRRRRRR”. The longer I listened the more anxious I got. I was sweating.
Dracula was coming for me.
I said my last prayers and the Shahada. Dracula was coming for me. I was sure. But I reminded myself that I am not a person who is afraid of anything. I took a deep breath and decided to get up and face Dracula.
I threw my blanket away and got up to see what was in front of my door. The moment I got up, I stepped on something that was poking out under my bed and tripped. It was the dogs head. Immediately, he started yowling. I got scared and started running towards the door in the dark. But I forgot that the door was only half open - I smashed my face in the door and fell backwards and stepped again on the dog. The dog stared yowling again. I was trying to escape as well as the dog and neither of us understood what was happening. I ran and hit the door and fell again on the dog. Four times this cartoon scene repeated itself. Until I finally got out running and screaming. The neighbors heard my voice and came to my aid. Luckily the the power came back. When I went back to my room I couldn’t find anything besides a glass bottle in front of my door that was the source of the the clinking sound.
The next the morning I saw the poor dog on the street limping and I finally understood what had happened. This sounds like some Tom and Jerry stuff – but it is a true story. I thought Dracula was real and was now coming for me – but at the end it was a stray dog under my bed. This is how your imagination can trick you.”