a nap took me


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...

I was listening to a smug liberal talking with his best friend on his podcast and kept waking myself up snoring, so I turned over and my lights went all the way out. At length, I heard the friends talk/arguing semi-drunkenly again, and saw flashing lights as though an emergency vehicle were near. I thought to get up.

I got up and marveled how quickly I'd found the on switch for my bedside lamp, which usually takes a great deal of fumbling in the dark... but it was still dark. The lamp hadn't even tried to light.

Flashlight. I feel it in my hand. I thumb the end nub that turns it on. It seems to be casting light, but lights nothing. I find the problem is that I am still asleep. None of this has taken place in meatspace.

Okay. Let me try again. Okay, good. I'm up. Up in the dark in the middle of the room and can get to the door to see who that was knocking and ask about the now gone emergency vehicle. The porch light won't go on. I see the silhouettes of ivies on my screen door with the night behind them. I go for an alternate flashlight. It's not working either.

I can hear the podcast going. Nothing electrical seems to be working but must be because the podcast is playing. I happen to know precisely where I put my backup batteries when I unpacked from my trip down to hell, so I grab one to put in the mini flashlight, and nothing happens.

Then it occurs to me I'm not in meatspace still.

I open one eye to confirm this. Can't see anything. But I feel my body in my bed.

I'm doing it again.

So I know that if there were some emergency going on out there, it will have come and gone without me, but now I am awake and I know this has only happened since I've had to resort to so much fake sleep for so long. My body wanted the real deal. I can feel a little bolus of energy in my skull... so that is definitely right.

I sat up. I turned on the bedside lamp. Flashlights and porch light all work. I'm up.


pipe up any time....