Dracula in the desert
The desert is full of stories, especially while sitting around a campfire stories come to life. Farafra, Egypt, January 2020
“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.”
“How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams”
