There was an earthquake at 2+am this morning. I’d just gotten into bed and was trying to fall asleep when I felt my bed rocking. I was so scared. I froze under the covers and lay motionless. I was hoping that that was all when the bed rocked again. I couldn’t decide if I should jump out of bed to fling open the door, then scramble under my table, or lie still and hope it would end soon. I really, really wanted to fling open my door, run down the hallway, and hammer on my friend’s door. I think I have rarely felt such a great urge to scream or whimper or something. A few seconds later, the rocking stopped. I could feel my heart pounding, yet I still lay motionless, not daring to move. I wondered if I’d just experienced the first earthquake of my entire life, or if there were monsters under my bed. I wanted to turn on the table lamp, but I remembered that we’re supposed to turn off all electrical appliances when there’s an earthquake. If there was a monster under my bed, I didn’t want to reach my arm out beyond the width of my bed, for fear that the monster will grab my arm. And so I continued to lie in the dark, wide awake and scared stiff, both of the darkness and of my thoughts. After indeterminable minutes, I couldn’t stand it and fumbled for my lamp switch, all the while hoping nothing would grab my arm. As soon as the light clicked on, I looked around hoping not to see any weird shadows or what not. Everything looked normal. The light brought some comfort. But I was still so damn scared. I quickly scrambled out of bed, opened my drawer, and drew out the booklet “Be Prepared in the Event of a Disaster” and pored through it, because at that moment I forgot what exactly I was supposed to do should there be an earthquake. I also suddenly remembered my father telling me to hang something in my room, so that when I see it swaying I would know that there’s an earthquake, instead of thinking that whatever movement I felt would be due to a case of dizziness. And I swore that I would find a piece of string, a windchime, something, to hang in my room before the day was out.

When I met my friends this morning to head for Japanese class together, I was so relieved to hear that one of them on the same floor, same building, as me felt the tremors too. She’d thought someone was shaking her awake, but upon waking didn’t see anyone. And hey, in case you were laughing at me, I wasn’t the only one who thought along the lines of monsters under my bed.

- supergirl soul-saved @ 12:45 pm :)

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