Every night at precisely three o’clock, my mother-in-law entered our bedroom while we were asleep. One night, we pretended to be asleep in order to fully comprehend what she truly want.
Until we can find a place of our own, my spouse and I reside in my mother-in-law’s home. She appeared to be a typical woman during the day: composed, compassionate, and tranquil. However, it seemed to change at night. With a tiny flashlight in her hand, she would enter our room without knocking every night at precisely three in the morning.
She woke us up, but she didn’t care that we were asleep. Her sole response to our question on why she did this was:
— I only wanted to observe your activities.
What on earth could we be doing at three in the morning, Mom? We had fallen asleep. My husband said, “Go back to your room,” who was exhausted.
However, it occurred once more the following evening. And then again the following evening.
I was worn out. After her nightly visits, we had trouble falling back asleep for a long time, and we had to be up for work at six, so I started experiencing sleep issues. In an attempt to save my husband, I proposed:
— Let’s not get up when your mother arrives. Let’s act like we’re sleeping. Then perhaps we’ll know what she truly desires.
She then returned to our room that evening. We tried not to breathe too loudly as we lay with our eyes closed.
We were shocked by what my mother-in-law did next 
For a few minutes, she stood by the bed, addressed each of us by name, and shone the flashlight on our faces. We didn’t answer. Five minutes or so later, she quietly left.
Already terrified of her nightly visits, I took a drastic measure the next evening and shoved an old wardrobe in front of the bedroom door to keep her out.
For the first time in a long time, we slept well that night. However, we discovered my mother-in-law in her own bed in the morning, which was a true horror. She was not breathing. She was chilly.
The ambulance came swiftly. According to the physicians, it was an unexpected heart attack.
One of them stated, “Death happened approximately five hours ago.”
At three in the morning, I muttered, “So.” And my own words made me freeze.
Because she entered our bedroom at precisely that moment each day. Why? To see how we’re doing? Or was she attempting to flee because she herself sensed the end was near?
Or perhaps something inside of her finally gave up that last night when we refused to let her in.
I never figured out the solution. It will always be a mystery to me.
