When I was in fourth grade (1996–1997), my family lived on a rural property with a wide-open clearing of about five acres. Our home was a double-wide mobile home, and on its south side stood a separate cabin. The forest surrounded the clearing. Earlier that year I pointed out unusual lights in the western sky to my father. They appeared as a bright white shimmering distortion, almost like a localized aurora or rippling curtain of light in a fixed area. It did not drift like clouds it shifted internally, folding and thinning until it faded. My father believed it was just clouds. Weeks later, on a different night, my father left for the store while I stayed home with my younger brother. I heard a low humming sound outside in the forest. The sound had no clear direction and seemed to surround the area rather than come from a point. I called the store so he would call back and listen. When he did, he could not hear it through the phone. I became frightened because he said he would still be gone for a while. Eventually, the sound stopped. The main event happened days later. I was sent to bed early around 6 PM for making my brother cry. I fell asleep quickly because I was already tired. When I woke up I heard dishes, voices, and the TV, and assumed it was morning. I repeatedly checked my alarm clock but I was young and did not yet fully understand a.m. and p.m., and I struggled to interpret the numbers. Eventually, I realized it was about 9:30 PM and everyone was still awake eating dinner. The hallway light was visible under my bedroom door. I noticed it became partially blocked, then clear again, then blocked a second time as if something moved between the door and my bed. My brother was still in the living room. I could hear him and my father eating and watching TV. From the top bunk, I focused my eyes toward the edge of my bed. A figure was inches from my face. The hallway light reflected in two very large oval eyes. The head was smooth and tapered downward, shaped like an upside-down teardrop. The surface appeared uniform with no visible hair or facial features besides the eyes. It appeared to be examining me at a very close distance. I felt certain that if I yelled it would take me or make me disappear. I remained completely still and braced myself. I closed my eyes and experienced a clear scene that did not feel like imagination. I perceived a large interior space. A tall mantid-like being stood upright at a structure resembling a podium or helm integrated into the floor. It moved an arm over the surface while apparently addressing others not directly visible to me. There was no audible speech, but I understood it was communicating information or coordinating something. I opened my eyes and the being beside my bed was still present watching me. I was extremely afraid and unable to call out. I attempted for a long time to turn my head away and finally managed to. I mentally accepted whatever was about to happen and then everything went dark. I woke exhausted. The room appeared completely normal. Later I checked my brother and he had noticed nothing unusual. For years afterward, I slept completely covered with blankets and surrounded myself with stuffed animals because I felt exposed otherwise. I did not tell anyone until I was sixteen. Some people I later told reported unusual lights or strange dreams of their own. The part that stayed with me most was wondering how many times it may have happened while I was asleep.