THE BOOGEYMAN

This was a challenge/prompt given by #TellOAU, an online writing group of my university, in commemoration of the 2022 children's Day celebration.

PS: This was my real life experience. 

Also, I want to dedicate this chapter to my beautiful kid sister who features in this tale, Peace. I'm grateful to God for your life and for the battles we've fought side by side. I love you, sis. 

Alright guys, enjoy!

Genre: spiritual, paranormal

•••°°°•••

I'm sure the title must have had you wondering, "What in Jupiter is she about to tell us? A sad, horrific tale?"

I'll let you be the judge of that. 

This one experience was, to my childish mind, mortifying. 

It is one of the major reasons for my strong belief and fascination with the supernatural. 

It was a glimpse, a brief but vivid glimpse that as stuck to me like a leech ever since. 

Mind you, I'm a kind of person whose mind easily discards unnecessary information. 

I don't remember most events of my childhood. But this one? I don't think I can ever forget it. 

I and my sister had always slept in the same room for as long as I knew. 

On this particular day, as usual, we had retired early. 

My mom is a propagator of the gospel that early to bed, early to rise, makes a man wealthy, healthy and wise. 

Personally, I've come to realize that she just detests cooking late into the night. 

Thank you, Mom, for all you are. 

Now, my mom was giving us effective potty training. 

She'd put on a kerosene lantern and place it on our rooms floor so that we won't have any excuse to pee on the bed. 

Don't give me that look. I was like, what, five? We were all there once. 

Thankfully, the toilet was just next to our room, immediately as we step out into the passage. 

I woke up on this particular night, pressed to the brim. 

Being the good older sister that I am, I shook my sister up and together we went to the toilet.

Now that I think of it, I suspect I also woke her partially due to a phobia for the dark that I had then.

As my sister was taking her turn answering nature's call, I looked at the dark passage just outside the toilet and saw something that shocked my innocent mind. 

The legendary boogeyman man. 

A masquerade.  

A ghost. 

A demon. 

I don't know how best to describe it, but it was the most evil-looking thing I had ever seen in my entire life. 

It was absolutely rigid, perfectly still at the nook of the wall that adjoined our room and the toilet. And its face was grotesque and twisted, with red eyes staring right back at me. 

I did the most natural thing next. 

I screamed. On the top of my lungs. 

But guess what? 

In my absolute terror, the only thing that came to my mind was that the devil had given me a visit. 

It fit the descriptions I had been fed with. 

Horns? Check. 

Glaring, blood red eyes? Check 

A black, evil face? Check. Tails? No, I saw no tail. 

So, I screamed out 'Satan!'

Stupid decision. I should have at least screamed 'Jesus!', but I was too terrified to think straight. 

The lantern I carried fell out of my hand. I was shaking like a leaf in harmattan. My sis was already crying.

My parents woke up out of their deep sleep and raced to the toilet. 

This was around 2 or 3 in the morning—the witching hour. 

That should tell you how shrill and loud my scream must have been. 

They asked what had happened. I incoherently explained what I had seen. 

My sister, who was still sleepy, said she didn't see anything and only cried out because I did. 

They told us to go back to our room. 

I didn't want to. 

Well, after their feeble attempt at trying to tell me it was nothing, maybe the shadows, maybe my imagination, I reluctantly obliged and went to my room.

But I couldn't sleep. 

I was scared out of my skin. 

The drip-drip sound of water returning to the cistern of the WC after we had flushed bothered me so much. 

I prayed that Daddy would come get me out of this room, lest the boogeyman came for me again. 

Dad was in the spirit and he must have also sensed something was terribly off because he came back to our room and asked my sister and I to come to their room. 

And so the compulsory vigil began. 

Huddled between my Dad and Mom on the bed, I felt safe somewhat. 

My consolation was that if that thing wanted to get me, it'd have to go through my Dad and Mom first. 

They prayed all through that night. I was too scared, too naive to understand why I was so afraid. 

As dawn broke slowly, let's say at around 5:30am, something strange happened. Something that confirmed that I wasn't lying. 

I heard it as clear as a crystal. 

And I think my mom heard it too because she stiffened and opened her eyes at the sound. 

It was a roar. 

From the toilet. It was loud and very clear. As if a battle went on there and a lion was badly wounded. 

My heart beat faster than anything. 

But I knew the worst was over, because my parents switched to praises.  

Or was the battle really over? Was the boogeyman going to come get me when Mom and Dad weren't home. 

I didn't get over it for days, weeks, months. 

Later, when I grew and gave my life to Jesus genuinely, I remembered the experience and thanked God for victory. 

For the devil is as a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour...

But God had mercy on me. 

And He can on you too. 

My advice?

The greatest tool of the enemy is fear. Have faith in God, resist the devil and he will leave you alone. 

Faith is your weapon. 

My parents knew the power of prayer and praise. They were a spiritual covering over me even when I was naive and weak in spiritual things. I thank God for their lives. 

Prayer and praise is your weapon. 

So, what was your own scary/traumatizing experience as a child? I'd love to hear all about it. 

I sure hope you've met the Lord and all your childhood fears and wounds are healing. 

If not, it's not too late. 

The arms of your Heavenly Father are ever open to receive you into his embrace. 

Thanks for reading. I hope it wasn't too scary.