Witches and such

As I stated earlier, I had a very active imagination as a child.  (It still has a mind of its own, and often surprises me with what it creates, and makes my eyes recognise.....) 

As a child, I lived in a two-storey house, and the bedroom I shared with my sister was at the top of the stairs, turn right. My single bed was the closest one to the doorway, and the light from the central hallway, was usually the only light that I would use as I jumped into bed. I say 'jump', because that is what I did every night. I would literally start my jump as I entered the doorway to my bedroom, from the hallway. I would start the small sprint and jump straight into the middle of my bed. My feet were never allowed to touch the floor at night.

You see, there was a witch that lived under my bed, and for some reason, no matter how many times I tried to get my sister, or my parents to see her, and tell her "To Get Lost!", they just could never see her. I realised then, that she was only my witch, and I was going to have to deal with her myself.
 
She made me dream about her, and sometimes when I had trouble sleeping, I could hear her breathing her dark, smelly breath under my bed, and I would wish that she would disappear. But she never did. She just layed there, waiting....I never knew for sure what she would do to me, I guess I just didn't want to know, but I knew instinctively that it wouldn't be good!

One night in my usual jump mode, I made it onto the bed, and slid under the covers in practically one swift movement.  I was getting good at this!  As I was just starting to get sleepy, and drift off to sleep, my witch did something unusual.  She slid one of her long, scrawny arms up from under my bed, and in the space between my mattress and the headboard, she used her long skinny fingers and touched my neck.  In fact, she did more than just touch, she tried to grab it! 

I was terrified!  I sat straight up with the covers clutched all around me.  If she couldn't see my skin, she couldn't harm me.  I sat like that for a long time.  I kept looking through the hallway reflected light at my bedhead and the space in between it and my mattress.  After I while, I grabbed some of my bedspread and shoved it into that space, so that it would close the gap, and protect me.  After a long time, I finally laid my head down on my pillow again, and I guess I eventually went to sleep.  When I opened my eyes again, it was morning, and my older sister was now in her bed, and the witch was gone.  I was safe for a while longer. 

Bedtimes for me were a tough time - sometimes I still feel the threatening presence of my witch, but as I am now older and bigger, I figure that I would be able to fight her off.  She'll never win.  Witches never do!