A Horrifying Night

It happened over our stay at Mount Cook National Park Campsite.

New Zealand tallest mountain is Mount Cook at 3,754m and its largest glacier spanning 27km long, Tasman glacier is also located in this National Park. With the mountain and glaciers, it is especially cold over the night. On top of that, it is winter and thus not crowded (low season) and surrounded by nature rather than people –trees, bushes, rabbit, kea, and God knows what other animals can be out there beside us.

It was freezing cold that night, -5deg . It was total darkness and we couldn’t see each other or anything once the light was switched off. We covered ourselves with our own separate duvet to keep warm and off to bed.

I was suddenly woken up by a series of disturbing noise which sounded like it came from under the caravan. I kept still and held my breath, trying to focus on listening. The sound moved from the left then under and finally to my right, which I thought there was something crawling beneath. During the movement, ‘cling clang’ sound was heard and it seemed like it was damaging the caravan. Soon after, loud poking sound under the toilet floor was heard. It sounded like it was trying to come in through the toilet, the toilet seat cover ‘flip flap’ opened and closed. It was as if it was poking through its way in from the bottom.

Our caravan is slightly taller in height, and what big creature could it be to make such ‘cling clang’ sound from the bottom. And able to make the toilet seat ‘flip flap’, it must be strong! I was terrified! I did not move or take a peek. Then I heard sound from the front of the caravan, squeaky sound which seemed like it climbed to the top of the bonnet!

I started to pray.

As I pray, I listened attentively to every of its movements. I could hear our clock ‘tick tock tick tock’ above me and soon I hear squeaky sound near the clock. OMG! Is it in the caravan?! Is it looking for something?

At that juncture, I started to think: How about Roy? Did he feel it too? As soon as I have this thought, I felt Roy move. *Keep in mind that we are under our own duvet. So I bravely stretch my hand from my duvet to his, wanting to hold his hand. He retracted his hands instead. I thought he might be shocked of what grabbed his hand, so I tried to find and hold his hand again. And again he retracted! I gave up and quickly kept my hands to myself.

I tried to listen again, to check where the ‘thing’ was. And there was no sound. I mustered the courage to take a peek. It was total darkness, I couldn’t see anything. I stayed awake for few minutes to ensure the ‘thing’ is gone.

When I opened my eyes, it was already bright morning.

‘Eh dear, did you hear the noises last night?’

Roy worryingly asked, ‘what noises?’

With all the ‘cling clang’ ‘flip flap’ and squeaky sound, I shockingly asked him, ‘You mean you didn’t hear anything at all last night?’

‘No no, you tell me what you’ve heard first.’ Roy answered.

I gave the ‘forget it’ look, didn’t want to scare him off as well.

He asked me again ‘Did you sleep well last night?’

I said ‘No. You did not sleep well too?’

Roy answered ‘I didn’t. I woke up, went to the toilet, playing with my mobile, sat at the driver seat, star gazed. Remove the stupid clock ‘tick tock tick tock’that annoyed me from sleeping.’

‘HUH??!! THAT WAS ALL YOU?!!! &^%%^$%$#%^^&%!!’ yeah, he got it from me. He horrified me at the middle of the night in a national park!

But I know, it was all silly me. Scaring myself all along. Hahaha! Everytime I thought about it, I laughed.