Our Personal Encounter of the Alien Kind

OUR PERSONAL ENCOUNTER OF THE ALIEN KIND (A LEGACY STORY)

When you have eleven grandchildren in three states, you don't miss an opportunity or planned event with them . Such was the case when we went to Wisconsin to visit during a really busy working time for both my husband and myself. We told the family that we would arrive very late as we couldn't get out of town until after supper.

Upon our arrival at the split level house everyone was already in bed and asleep. We had instructions to go to the lower level and in to the room of our three year old grandson. He would sleep up stairs with his folks which was a fun treat for him. We would gladly go straight to bed and sleep since the events of the following day were sure to keep us busy. We moved stealthily through the downstairs to the assigned room and remembering our instructions, left the hall way light on for nighttime bathroom visits.

I booted my hubby over to the far side as I needed to plug in my new apnea machine. It had changed my life by giving me the needed oxygen levels during the night and thus helping me be fresh and energized during the day. I had become accustomed to the cumbersome mask and tubing and was able to go right into a sound sleep snuggled up to my husband.

About two in the morning I thought I heard something, then was sure of it. The pitter pat of little feet coming down the stairs indicated my grandson was on his way back to his room. I turned over and held my hands out so that he could climb into the water bed with us. The hall light showed his silhouette in the darkness and then he stepped into the room allowing the light to reach me. Always known for his expressive big eyes, they suddenly were enormous. He dropped his "blanky" ,screamed at the top of his lungs, and turned to run out of the room.

I was calling his name. trying to untangle the tubing, mask and covers while the piercing screams went on and on as he ran for the stairs. His father had heard the screams and having no idea what was wrong bolted from his bed. He and I met at the stairway with the screaming little guy on the platform looking first at me then at his dad and just stamping his feet in place and screaming. It was at that point I clearly understood, I looked like a space alien in the mask and tubing and when he saw me in the light it had scared the little bugger half to death.

It was a real initiation and a little sad as all my grandchildren eventually loved the mask and the air it blew out. But then they saw me demonstrate it and it was easy not to scare them as they helped me put it on. This little guy was completely taken aback and it took a long time to get him over it.

We still laugh about the night the alien was in his bed and how he flew up the stairs and his dad was so scared he was running down the stairs in his underwear. The legacy of laughter and making even the event of a sleep apnea machine special is something shared by this grandson and I.