I continued lying there, trying to understand what I was feeling. The pressure against my back was unusual, and because I couldn’t see anything, my thoughts kept turning toward the worst possibilities. I imagined insects, some strange creature, or something venomous hiding beneath the blanket. Every possibility seemed more frightening than the last. I knew I might be overreacting, but knowing that didn’t make the fear disappear. The darkness made it impossible to judge what was happening, and my imagination filled every gap with something terrifying.

Eventually, the night gave way to morning. Light slowly entered the bedroom, revealing the familiar shapes of the furniture and the bed. I hoped the daylight would make everything feel normal again. Instead, I became even more determined to discover what was behind me. The strange object was still there, and now I could see enough to know that something unfamiliar had somehow ended up on my back. I carefully prepared myself to turn around. Whatever I found, I wanted an explanation. But I wasn’t prepared for the reaction that would follow once my family saw it.