Wednesday, July 13, 2005

The Night Crusher


Go to enough dinner parties and the conversation will eventually turn to the strange dream somebody had the night before. Honestly, though, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a dream told quite like this one:

As a college student in 1964, David J. Hufford met the dreaded Night Crusher. Exhausted from a bout of mononucleosis and studying for finals, Hufford retreated one December day to his rented, off-campus room and fell into a deep sleep. An hour later, he awoke with a start to the sound of the bedroom door creaking open—the same door he had locked and bolted before going to bed. Hufford then heard footsteps moving toward his bed and felt an evil presence. Terror gripped the young man, who couldn't move a muscle, his eyes plastered open in fright.

Without warning, the malevolent entity, whatever it was, jumped onto Hufford's chest. An oppressive weight compressed his rib cage. Breathing became difficult, and Hufford felt a pair of hands encircle his neck and start to squeeze. "I thought I was going to die," he says.

This week’s Science News carries a fascinating article about Sleep Paralysis, the phenomenon described above. Apparently, loads of people have dreams like this. "Most cases unfold as follows: A person wakes up paralyzed and perceives an evil presence. A hag or witch then climbs on top of the petrified victim, creating a crushing sensation on his or her chest."

I don’t remember my dreams. After reading this article, I consider myself lucky.

Cover painting: The Nightmare, 1781, Henry Fuseli…pretty damn creepy, if you ask me.

11 comments:

Mike said...

I know that guy, he owes me money!

Mike said...

Well he's better than the dream crusher. That guy really sucks the life out of you.

Anonymous said...

Although I never suffered sleep paralysis, I think I dated Juck Pulver when we were in high school...he had a really bad case of eczema or something...

Mike said...

I think the night crusher actually is a cat. Cats have been domestic pets for a long time in many cultures. They do have a tendency to climb on you when you are asleep. I've awoken to one sitting on my chest staring at me before. That could explain things. I also would like to know the correlation between alien abducties and cat owners. I bet it's high.

Mike said...

I frequently wake up with the frightening image of george w bush sitting on my chest but I quickly realize that it's just my pet monkey "Goober".

Mike said...

That lady in the picture needs to call Orkin pest control!

Mike said...

I think Juck Pulver is an alien. He seems to have an arm growing out of his ear and at least 7 fingers on his left hand.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like the symptoms of a heart attack to me.

Anonymous said...

Mike is the ubercommenter!

Mike said...

Actually I don't want to make light of this malady. I consider myself lucky that I don't suffer from it. As someone who battles with depression I'm kind of amazed (and glad) that I've never experienced this.

Jack said...

UberMike?! I just know him as "The Dude."