My Scariest Moment in Ghana

I sat bolt upright in bed, heart thumping, breath gasping, straining to see into the darkness in the direction of the voice.

Had it just been a bad dream? It had been such a terrifying phrase! I listened again, shaking.

Silence... Heat... The whirl of the ceiling fan...

And then suddenly, there it was again: a horrid, deep, rasp right outside my window. "I AM COMING FOR YOU," it hissed.

I would have sobbed in anguish if I hadn't been so terrified. My mind raced through the security features of the guesthouse. There were bars on the windows and my doors were locked. My friends were sleeping just a few doors away. And yet-- a robber that determined might not be deterred by such things.

"I AM COMING FOR YOU," hissed the voice again, hoarse and threatening.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Was the voice coming from INSIDE my room? Where should I run to? What would I do? I felt dizzy with nausea.

"I AM COMING FOR YOU!" the voice rasped again: phlegmy and ghoulish like a poltergeist. I began hyperventilating.

Right as I was about to faint from terror, the beast outside gave a good cough to clear its throat, then spoke again.

"Cockadoodledoooooo!" it sang.

I let out a guffaw of relief and shooed the laryngitis-inflicted rooster away from my window. Who'd have thought that a congested bird could sound just like an evil robber?? Now you know.