Bedtime + Blanket = Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I can’t sleep without a blanket. Seriously, I can’t. Some people can’t sleep with the lights on or some people must have total silence but for me, I must have a blanket. If it doesn’t cover my whole body, it should at least cover my feet.

Why? Well, let me tell you a story.

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It all started when I was a little girl, probably about 9 or 10 years old.

Back during the days when my grandfather was still around, my family and other relatives would all meet up and spend the weekend with him. It was like a weekend ‘balik kampung’ thing. One of the activities we used to do on Saturday night was watch a video together and for some reason, my uncles loved to rent out Indonesian horror movies. It wasn’t actually meant for the young kids (we were supposed to be in bed by then) but my cousins and I still wanted to join in the fun. So there we were, all 20 plus of us in the dark, (my uncles wanted the lights off, just like in the cinemas) huddled together in front of the tv.

Have you guys ever watched horror movies from Indonesia? It’s damn scary, man….I know you guys might say of course kids would be afraid of horror movies but this was like reaaaalllllyyyyy creepy. If we were to compare it to Malaysian horror movies back then, this was like 10 times much scarier. I remembered being so terrified and my hands were covering my face most of the time. I specifically remembered one particular movie. I can't remember the title but it was about ‘Toyol’. I’m not sure what it’s called in English but they’re these little bald man-like creatures who are treated as servants (or ‘orang suruhan’) by their owners. Apart from the normal task of scaring people, they are also used to steal things. These ‘toyols’ would come late at night to the victim’s room and steal their money. A scene that horrifies me till today was when after getting the money, they would suck the blood from the victim’s toes. I can still picture the toyol enjoying its ‘meal’, with its sharp teeth biting and sucking the toes. Blood was dribbling down its mouth. There were other things too but I shall spare you the gory details. What I found eerie also was the fact that the victim seemed clueless to what was going on. It was like they were in a trance.

I couldn’t sleep that night. I was too scared. Images of the toyol kept flashing in my mind. It also didn’t help when my uncle said “Make sure you use your blanket when you sleep and cover your feet. Who knows, the toyol might come tonight”. My cousins and I were so petrified; we nearly pissed in our pants!

Times have past but till today I cannot forget what my uncle said. I may not be as scared as before but I do get paranoid when I don’t have a blanket to sleep with. If for some reason there’s no blanket around, I would search frantically for any cloth to cover my feet. I’ve been so used to having something covering my feet when I sleep at night that when I don’t, I feel naked. It’s either that or I’ll start having visions that a toyol would come suck my toes!

I know this all sounds so ridiculous but I can’t help it. It has become a part of my life. Maybe I need to go see a shrink. I can claim I had a traumatic childhood experience. :)

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So that’s my story, folks. If you want to invite me for a sleepover, make sure you have enough supply of blankets!! *grin*