"Gabu, get ready fast! Your friends are waiting outside," my mom's voice called up the stairs.

"Okay, Mom!" I shouted back.

I hurriedly finished my preparations, grabbed my bag, and dashed out the door. Emma and Jack were there, looking impatient.

"Come on, we're gonna be late for school!" Emma urged.

As we sprinted to school, trying to beat the bell. When we reached our classroom, the teacher wasn't there yet. Relieved, we plopped into our seats and started chatting about video games. 

After a while, the class president announced, "There will be no class today due to a meeting."

We cheered loudly until the president shushed us. "keep it down. you can leave after this period, but stay quiet until then."

With nothing else to do, we started talking about movies. Suddenly, John, one of our friends, brought up an intriguing topic.

"Hey guys, do you know about lucid dreams?" he asked.

Our curiosity was piqued. "What is it?" we asked.

"Apparently, you can be conscious in your dreams and do anything you want," he said with a sly grin.

The boys were instantly excited. "So, have you had a lucid dream?" we asked.

"Yeah, I had one yesterday. It was awesome. I could fly and do anything I wanted. I watched a YouTube video on how to have one and followed the steps. You guys should try it."

As he was speaking. The bell rang, *tingtingtingting* and everyone rushed out of the school. Walking home, I asked Emma and Jack, "Do you think what John said is true?"

"Nah, I don't think so, I don't trust online videos" Jack replied. 

When I got home, I couldn't shake my curiosity. I found a video on YouTube about lucid dreaming and watched it intently. Before I knew it, it was already 8 PM.

"Gabu, come have dinner," Mom called.

"Okay, Mom," I replied, heading downstairs. 

After having dinner, I rewatched the video on lucid dreaming, debating whether to try it. "What's the worst that could happen even if i fail right?" I reassured myself. 

I followed the steps as I lay in bed. Soon, my eyes started to close i felt myself slipping into the dream state. but that was my biggest mistake of my life.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I regained full consciousness just as said in the video. By looking at the surroundings i could tell i was in my room, but strangely I couldn't move my body. The lights were off, and everything was shrouded in darkness. Panic set in. Is this what John was talking about? 

I tried to call my mom but strangely an unusual sensation seized my jaws, freezing them in an awkward position.

As i was processing everything Suddenly, I felt like i was being watched. Slowly, I gather all my courage and turned my eyes toward the window. A shiver ran down my spine. A tall, shadowy figure was standing there, watching me. I couldn't see its face, but I knew it was staring right at me. I tried to scream but couldn't. I tried to move my body but couldn't. I felt paralyzed. IT SAW ME!!

This isn't a lucid dream. It's sleep paralysis.

Amidst the panic, The figure vanished from the window, and I just wanted to cry but i couldn't even shed a tear. I closed my eyes, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. Then, I heard whispers, soft and sinister, right beside my ear. I was too terrified to open my eyes.

Something heavy pressed down on my chest, and I felt hands caressing my face as if someone was sitting on my body and trying to say something in god knows what language. It felt like an eternity before I heard my mom's voice calling me. I did not wanted to open my eyes thinking i was still in the nightmare Slowly, I could move again. I woke up, tears streaming down my face. It was my first experience with sleep paralysis, and it was horrifying.

I didn't sleep the next day, fearing the same nightmare. When I told my mom about it, she reassured me, promising to sleep beside me that night. Exhausted, I finally went to bed, but I had forgotten one crucial thing: sleep deprivation can also trigger sleep paralysis.....