There are some sounds that you just shouldn't be hearing in the dark of the night. Like air-raid sirens, so far in the distance that you can almost convince yourself that you aren't really hearing them. Like the thick, bubbling, deep laughter of people who cannot possibly sound like they sound. Like the foorfalls of an animal heavy enough to shake the ground. Like shallow breathing just beyond your door, that quiets as soon as you try to listen closer.

Sometimes, I'm really glad that I'm well aware that I hallucinate.