The Three O’clock Phenomenon

I have just finished watching the movie “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”, we were asked for our Psychiatric Nursing to give a Psyche-Relevant Review of the film. Actually this is the first time that I’ve seen the movie (the last time I visited the Cinema was when I went out with Bianca to watch “V for Vendetta”).

Now what really got my attention was the 3:00 AM Demonic time that was mentioned in the film. According to the priest, 3Am is the demons’ mockery of Christ’s 3PM death on the cross or his 3 PM resurrection (in which case, I am not that sure). But I should say that I have also encountered such 3 AM ghost-slash-spirit-slash-whatever apparition.

It was October 23 or 21 of 2003 then when I just woke up from my sleep when I heard a little girl giggling. I also heard her hopping (try to knock the floor with your heels, that’s the sound). So I opened my eyes a little bit, just a little bit. I saw at my footing a girl in white. I thought it was my little sister, same height- very tall for a young girl, same built- anorexic thin. But I was unsuccessful to have a glimpse of her face since my eyes cannot adjust with light issuing from the dining room into my bedroom door. I though my sister was observing me so I tried my best to raise my torso and me happily stuck my tongue out to her. She put her hands on her waist and laughed lazily as I did this.

After that, I put back my body to supine and rubbed my eyes rapidly to get a clearer view, but when I opened my eyes I was really surprised when I saw no one. I stayed put for a while thinking that my sister must have left to the living room. I felt the urge to urinate so I went out of my bedroom but then I saw the clock and it was still passed three o’clock. I went hastily at my bed pondering what just have happened. Surely my sister couldn’t be awake at that time. Then I remembered that the night before, she was sporting her new sky blue colored pajamas.

I went back to sleep. The next day I told them this but nobody believed. My Ate Maiah even told me that maybe I was just hallucinating, probably due to the stress because of my mother’s recent death (April 25, 2003). Okay maybe I was. So I forgot about the whole thing.

But after a week my sister went to my bed one morning and woke me up. She was like, “Mon, ganito ba yung tawa nung bata?” (Mon, was this how the child laughed) then she began to imitated the cute angelic (it wasn’t eerie). I do not remember that I described nor did I imitate the girl’s laugh so I was like, “what the hell?”

So she told me her story….

My sister’s bedroom is juxtaposed the living room. When she woke up she went out to the living room and when she saw the clock, it was exactly 3AM. So she went back to bed. But the moment she laid herself, she heard the same giggle and hopping sounds issuing from the living room. She immediately closed her eyes. As she closed her eyes, she sensed the hopping beside her. To her horror the girl started giggling beside her ear so she took her pillow and covered her face tightly. When she did this the little girl went from happy to a totally euphoric. Her laughter became cheerier and, worse, she started shaking her bed. This went on for an hour.

According to my sister the little girl’s laughter, as I described it now, was not that eerie, in fact it was “angelic”. She was more of annoyed than scared. There was even a time, according to her, that she was tempted to yell at the girl to stop. But she was afraid that the girl might take the yelling as a signal that they are close friends and she can do this anytime. So she remained silent.

When she finally heard my father woke up, my sister yelled to my father if he can hear anything. Then the hopping, shaking and giggling just stopped. She ran to my father and both of them listened intently. When they were sure that nothing is making a sound anymore, she went to my bed and there imitated the laughter.