The Scariest Thing That Ever Happened To Me
And how science, a decade later, helped me solve the mystery
Imagine you’re asleep in your bed when suddenly you wake up with a fright: there’s an intruder in the room.
What should you do? Scream? Fight? Flee? Lie as still as possible hoping not to be seen?
After enduring seconds that seem like hours of terror, you decide to slowly turn your head to get a better picture of the situation…only your body doesn’t respond. You are completely paralyzed.
Your last hope is to shout, but, unable to move your mouth, your silent screams ring between your own ears and no further.
All hope is lost. You are powerless to fight against your unknown fate.
All that remains is unbearable anticipation.
This is what happened to me one night during my junior year of college.
At the time, I was living with five friends in a rickety old two-story wooden house. It was built in 1906 and sat a block away from the University of Florida campus.
My room was upstairs. I was sleeping on the top bunk with my roommate Andrew slumbering below.
When I sensed an intruder, I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. Our house wasn’t the…
