When my son was around 14 months old, he did something that made my blood run cold. I used to stay awake reading most nights until 1 or 2 in the morning. My son had taken to having me read him a story each night, then going quickly to sleep in his crib at 10 PM. He did this, like clockwork for several months, and he was very reliable, sleeping through until 8 or 9 AM, without waking. When I was finished reading for the night, I would always tiptoe in to watch him sleeping curled around his plush kitty-cat, so peaceful and pure that it would bring a tear to my eye sometimes. One night, which wasn't in any way off of our regular routine, I opened his door to his room and I saw him lying on his back, wide awake, eyes big and staring straight up above his crib. He didn't respond as though he had seen me or heard me come in, and it stopped me in my tracks. Still looking straight up, he giggled, and then reached up as if to grasp something out of the air. As he did, a big smile lit up his face and he said, “Hiiiiiii...!” very breathy and soft, as though seeing something amazing above him. I just stood there frozen in my tracks, silently watching. As I did, he giggled again and waved his little hand back and forth at whatever was above him and said, “Nigh’ night!” then he turned his head and looked right at me standing in the doorway, though I hadn't moved nor made a sound. He said, “See?” and pointed above him, then said, “All gone.” I don't need to tell you how freaked out I was! I went to his crib and he stood up and reached for me. He wanted to be rocked back to sleep. That's the only night he had ever woken like that, and it never happened again after that.

When he was seven, we lived in a different house entirely and as I was getting him to bed one night he told me he remembers a nice old lady who sometimes came to his crib at night when he was very small. I laughed and told him that I used to come watch him sleeping in his crib each night before I went to bed, and he said, “No, it wasn't you, Mommy.” He couldn't tell me anything more that he remembered about her except “she was nice.” It still creeps me out a little when I picture his behaviour that night in his crib, but at least he perceived whatever it was to be a nice old lady!