It happened about a week ago, but I'm sure I was waking from the aliens' experiments before they wanted.

OK, so I know in reality it was probably some mental fog as I drifted from some state of asleep to a groggy state of awake. The entire event probably took a small number of milliseconds, but it seemed like more. Further, neither the wife or dogs were awake or active, or otherwise disturbed, and once I gained consciousness and mobility enough enough to look around, nothing was out of place. Not that it would be, of course. The night before was plainly ordinary. Ordinary enough that I don't recall anything about it. I'm sure this is just memory lapse since that night, and not some experimentally induced amnesia. It was proably another night watching television; some normal selection of comedy or drama or ball game. We proably turned in at our usual times, she a little before me as I catch the news or last bits of the sports review. I don't recall what caused me to stir in the middle of the night. Afterward I recalled thinking there weren't any disturbing noises outside, or inside for that matter. I don't recall needing a middle-of-the-night visit to the bathroom. I probably just needed to roll over or adjust the sheets or PJs or something similarly mundane. In the moments after waking, I did get up, check on the dogs, take a peek out the back window and a listen down the stairs. I did notice with a critical eye that nothing was out of place, and the dogs were in their beds. In the moments before I was awake enough to wonder why I was awake, I was certain that something curious was going on. I was sure I was breathing a little more quickly and shallow than I should normally breathe at rest. It seemed my heart was beating with more fervor than sleep would demand. I felt a hint of a sheen of sweat, almost clammy, even though the room was plenty cool and I lay atop the sheets and blankets. I seemed to be in an odd state, but still very relaxed. I recall recalling in those moments just before becoming aware of waking that I didn't feel alone. Not just the wife and dogs in the room, too, but someone else, or something else. I recall recalling feeling as though just the briefest of moments ago that I'd been restrained, not by a twisted t-shirt or numb limbs, but by a hold. A hand gently, almost reassuringly holding my head from turning, and others holding my chest. I remember feeling constrained and restricted from moving my arms and lefgs, but not my fingers or toes. I also wasn't allowed to open my eyes. There was the slightest hint of light on the ceiling. There always is as the neighbor';s light is never off, and it lends a sliver of simultaneously gentle and annoying ribbon across the ceiling. I could tell this light was there, in position and shape. But although my eyes weren't open, I could tell this light was being obstructed by something, like a hand across my face. All of these realizations lasted long enough for them to be considered and retried. I knew I couldn't move my head, so I tried to roll my torso and couldn't. I knew my left arm, the one atop my torso as I lay on my right side, coundn't move, first at the shoulder then at the elbow, but I could tense my hand. The fingers wouldn't flex, but I was aware enough to feel some of the knuckles tighten. I couldn't take a deep breath. I ttried more than once, thinking maybe I just needed to fire up the motors a little. I had long enough to notice I was breating normally, but couldn't muster a big inhale, nor stop the exhale I was breathing as I thought to try. I couldn't hear anything either, except my own breath as it rattled softly through my nose. All of this in the time taken for a few neurons to fire as I tried to wake up. I don't recall what was in my dreams, if anything, before wanting to be awake. I just recall wanting too be awake, realizing it wasn't happening as fast as I wanted, feeling not alone and gently restrained. And then I was awake and fully alert. The house was silent. The neighborhood sleeping. The sky clear and the trees still as there turned no breeze. I was sure the aliens had just left me, returned from another night of study, even though there was no evidence of a visit. But there wouldn't be, would there?