Dying without dying

It used to happen to me mostly when I was a teenager. It did not happen once, not twice but several times. Even in my early adulthood I experienced it I think once. Demons could visit me, strangle me and choke me. I could not shout, I could not move my mouth. My feeble hands could not move. My eyes could not open to see the evil spirit strangling me. That feeling is awful. You die without dying while seeing it!

I actually died several times. If not for my name "Kuloba" I would have actually died dying. See, "Kuloba" is not a very romantic name to the Slay-tongue. In fact, its connotation relates to some huge, ugly soil. It is a kind of name that is given to infants after a special ceremony is performed to confuse evil spirits and scare them away from consuming the baby. It is actually a miracle name.

Now back to the battle with the evil spirits. I am sure you have also battled it. You may be wondering how? Remember those early mornings you tried to wake up but you couldn't move? Your eyes couldn't open, your mouth couldn't open. You couldn't shout for help. You couldn't move any of your body parts. You felt like choking very badly. Like a dead body waiting to be buried. Buried alive. Those busy burying are oblivious of your inner struggles to announce that you're not dead. Yes, that's the time you were dying without dying. I also died without dying. Like a proverbial cat that has seven lives. Fortunately we were not hurriedly buried like what the holy book dictates.

So where do these evil spirits come from? I hear they are collectively known as SLEEP PARALYSIS. This terrible experience occurs when you wake up from sleep without waking up. See, when you fall asleep, your conscious mind logs off, your muscles shut down and you die. You die without dying. Only the subconscious mind remains on standby mode to enable you dream your crush. I always dreamed about Monica.

For you to wake up, the conscious mind switches itself on restarting the muscles. If it happens in perfect harmony, then you wake up without struggle. Sometimes this is where trouble begins. This is where the evil spirits strike. They paralyze all body muscles rendering them immobile while the consciousness is fully activated. This is where you die without dying.

Fortunately such dying without dying is only short-lived. Maybe a few seconds. Or a minute. Never beyond two. So next time you face such evil spirits, don't struggle with them. Relax, though it's hard to. They will leave you alone! Sleep Paralysis.

Mpo kolala ezali kokufa te, kokufa mpe ezali kolala te. Kobanga te! (For sleeping is not dying, and dying is not sleeping. Do not be afraid!) - Lingala saying.