Noises in the Dark

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you heard an intruder in your house in the middle of the night? Would you hide under the bed, run out of the house, wake up your husband, find something hard to smack the intruder with (or get your gun, depending on how you feel about the right to bear arms), or maybe call 911?

I always thought I’d be the quick thinker. I’ve realized now that I’m totally NOT – I’m instead a woosy girl. Saturday night I heard footsteps in the house. Then I heard a door open. I reached over and felt for my husband. He was there. Then I heard the basement door open and shut. Did I wake up my husband? No. I just laid there, still and silent as a mouse.

What was I waiting for? My heart pounded out of my chest. I couldn’t move. My children were in the next room. Why didn’t I get up to check and make sure they were ok? Why didn’t I do SOMETHING?

After about one minute that felt like an eternity, I heard crying. I then bolted into the kids’ rooms, saw that my daughter was not in her bed and started panicking. Without a thought of who might be down there or what they might be armed with, I raced to the basement door and opened it. It was completely dark – again I heard faint, little cries. “Mommy!”

I flicked on the light and ran down the stairs. I turned the corner and ran into my daughter, standing in the family room of the basement in total darkness. I yelled for my husband and told him to check all the doors. They were all locked. No one was in the house. I started checking her over for signs of trauma. She was fine.

My daughter somehow left her room, opened the basement door in the dark and walked down the dark stairs without falling. I don’t know if she was dreaming or sleep walking or what. But there are now door knob protectors on all of the doors.

I don’t know what to make of my reaction. I just know had there been someone in my house, I shouldn’t have just laid there - or run down the stairs without some kind of defense mechanism. I’m still working on this one. I haven’t been quite so shaken in a while – it’s not a feeling I welcome.

Any thoughts?