In every family some secret is kept, no matter how good the relationship between the members, there is always something that is hidden, either from relatives, or from others, something too serious to be public, or perhaps too irrelevant to be even mentioned, but even with that, is well known to everyone in the immediate family.
In my case, in my family, there are not any serious secret that we hide from others, at least to my knowledge, but in my closest family, the fact that I have sleepwalking episodes is kept as a secret exclusive to us. Statistically it’s not that uncommon, and truth be told, it’s not even something worth hiding from others, but they don’t need to know about it either, that’s why it just has been an exclusive knowledge to my parents and my two brothers. In fact, it was so hidden that myself wasn’t aware of it until the age of 19, even when everyone at home knew it, everyone except me.
I discovered it when I started at the university, when I got a shared dormitory with another classmate, and he was the one who explained me that at night I used to get up and walk completely asleep. Well, was surprised, I can’t say it in any other way, and even more when I mentioned it to my family and they corroborated it. I couldn’t believe they had never mentioned it to me before.
My roommate was very understanding and supportive of my newfound condition, and helped me to take some extra measures to prevent me, for example, from going out by the door or window at night. So, for the next years, I had the care of a roommate who eventually became my best friend.
I Finally managed to graduate, and practically at the same time, I found a job that paid fairly well, but required me to travel constantly. However. It was a unique opportunity that allow me to boost my career and add invaluable experience to my resume, so I would have more than an advantage in itself. It was a good thing for now and for my future.
As I was supposed to do, I often travelled around the country, knowing different places and supervising the performance of various branches of our company. I used to stay in different hotels and hostels, always making sure before going to sleep that it was impossible for me to leave the room while sleeping to avoid uncomfortable or weird situations if I woke up during the night.
This last time, it was the company that decided the place where I would spend the three nights I was to stay in the town that had been indicated to me. It was a hotel that has several floors high, and upon confirming the reservation at the hotel reception, I was given a room on the 12th floor. It was not too high, compared to the hotel, which was 31 floors high, but it was high enough to make me nervous.
While my family had hidden my sleepwalking from me, I had hidden from them the fact that, for as long as I can remember, I have suffered from vertigo and have been unable to stand heights. The discovery of my somnambulism only made my anxiety about it grow, because I was terrified at the idea of waking up at heights, somewhere couldn’t escape from, and which drive me to the brink of despair by causing me an uncontrollable panic. That’s why, by entering at my room, I secured all the doors and windows, so that I wouldn’t be able to open it while I slept. When I checked everything, more relaxed at that point, I went to sleep.
People say that sleepwalkers have the same ability as when they are awake, and even do things that would be impossible to do when they’re conscious. It’s true. Unfortunately, I'll not be able to share this discovery with anyone else, because I have just woken up, with the wind hitting my face, while I see my face approaching at an incredible speed towards the ground, on the outside of the building.