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It's always a pleasure to welcome back every Aloha Friday, guest blogger and renowned author Michael Herr. Michael blogs about dark sacred nights.... Don't forget to check out Michael's website at; http://www.michaelherr.com/
It's Aloha Friday.
Things That Go Bump In The Night
I've never been in agreement with those writers and songwriters who talk about the "peaceful" night. Remember Louis Armstrong with his "the bright summer day, the dark sacred night"? To me the night has always held an element of uneasiness, and even, at times, complete terror.
When I was a keiki, my parents wouldn't let me have a night light. But they did agree to let me sleep with my door open just a crack so that I could have a little light from the hallway (until they went to bed and turned that light off too). The only point of negotiation then was just how wide that crack of light was going to be. Once that was settled I lay down in my bed with my eyes glue to that thin beam of light, that assurance that I was not totally at the mercy of the dark.
I played hide and seek at night when I was a little older. The dark made the game so much more intense. I still remember hiding behind a bush, my heart pounding in my ears as I tried to pierce the shadows around me with my limited night vision. And then, when one of my friends suddenly touched me in the dark, I jumped and screamed. But I liked being scared then. My friends were around with me. I didn't like being scared so much later on.
One night when I was a freshman in college, I went to see a new film — "Psycho". I went to a late-night showing alone and, since it was a school holiday, came back about midnight to an almost entirely empty dormitory. I showered in the bathroom down the hall, with the curtains left open, wrapped a towel around me when I was finished and raced back to my room. Once inside I locked the door and barricaded it. I couldn't handle the room being dark so I slept with the light on. It took me forever to feel comfortable in a shower or in a dark bedroom after that experience.
A couple of years later I took vacation trip to Maui. I had a college friend who lived there, and I had a new girlfriend from the islands. On Maui my college buddy suggested we take our girls on a trip up to Haleakala. Off we went, four o'clock in the morning, our car's headlights struggling to push back the night as we wound our way up to the top of the volcano. And as he drove, what did my good buddy do? He told story after story of the white ghost dog that lived on Haleakala. Every time we rounded a curve I expected to see that slavering beast. I pretended to hold onto my girlfriend because of the early morning chill . . . not because I was scared.
I have a vivid imagination and that led me into writing. When I write images jump from my mind onto the page. But my vivid imagination is also a curse. Even now, just shy of sixty-nine years, if my thoughts stray as I lie down to sleep I start to hear every little noise in my house. Those creaking sounds from the hallway? A werewolf padding softly upstairs to rip out my throat. A scratching at the window? A vampire seeking entry. Did I make a mistake and invite him in earlier?
But is it always just my imagination? I have had the following happen at least three times. I wake up. It's the middle of the night. And I cannot move a muscle. It feels as if someone, some entity, is sitting on my chest and holding me down. I try to move my arms; they feel pinned to the bed. I try to call out but my throat won't let a single sound escape. I lay there and finally, after a tremendous effort of willpower, I am able to raise one arm slightly. That seems to break the power of the entity on my chest, and it leaves, evaporates. Once more I am free. In Hawaii this is known as the Choking Ghost. But the strange part is that I've never been in Hawaii when I've experienced this.
See why I prefer the day? There are just too many things that go bump in the night for my comfort.
Much aloha, Michael A. Herr
I just finished Michael's 6Th book, "The Old Queens Guardians," pictured below. I must say I am disappointed that I have run out of Michael's material to read and cannot wait to see a new book soon!~
To order anyone or all of Michael's books go to; http://www.michaelherr.com/
Happy Aloha Friday!
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)
