First of all, I should tell you
that, following a home invasion a few months ago, Mom insisted Sally have an
alarm system installed. A loud one.
With buttons in every room of the
house.
Which, when pressed, can signal Arcturus.
Well, that’s what it seems like.
Actually, I was fairly enthusiastic
about said alarm system, being intimately involved in said invasion.
On with our story…
Okay, I admit it.
I overreacted.
But when one lives with Sally…
Sally and Mort have returned. She was away, filming some sort of thriller—a
departure for her. Mostly she’s been cast in adventures.
She doesn’t have to act for those.
(snort!)
Ahem…
Anyways, this film featured Sally (in
the starring role) as a girl who ends up staying in some sort of haunted
castle. They were filming at a genuine castle somewhere
in Romania. Where, apparently, the ‘spookiness’
didn’t have to be enhanced in any way.
‘Nuff said.
But since they’ve been back, Sally
has been…anxious. You know, nightmares. Sleepwalking.
Like we didn’t have enough to
contend with when she is just ‘normal’.
What am I saying?!
It’s been strange because, up until
now, there hasn’t been anything that seems to disturb our girl. She has handled
her usually self-inflicted chaotic life—including kidnapping—with equanimity (look it up) and courage.
Anyways, at about 11 pm I kissed
Peter goodnight at the front door and waved him off, then headed to bed.
Everyone else had already retired
and the house was blessedly quiet.
It remained so for a couple of
hours.
Then there was a horrendous scream
next to my bed.
I am not making this up. The scream
was right there beside me!
Of course, it was Sally, on one of
her new sleep-walking dream tours. Something I
figured out later. After my brain actually caught up.
Of course, I sat straight up from my
sound sleep.
Of course, I slapped the button on
the night table next to my bed.
And the aforementioned alarm system?
Well, just know that there are
emergency workers enroute from Arcturus as we speak.
The ones closer by—ie. the police—arrived
within a couple of minutes.
Confusion, shouting and milling by
partially-awake people along with the screaming of
a very upset baby added to the confusion.
Let’s just face it—if anyone in our
neighbourhood—in our city—had been asleep, they weren’t any longer.
By the time the police had shut off
the klaxon, ascertained (Ooo! Good word!) that no one had broken in and Sally
et al were safe and accounted for, every light in the neighborhood was on with
most of the neighbours standing out on their lawns. Or ours.
Sleep was probably banned forever.
Sigh.
The police finally left.
Mom and Dad took Ivy Jean up to
their suite to calm her down.
Even Sally and Mort disappeared
downstairs into their apartment.
With stern admonitions for Sally to
stay there.
And never work on another scary picture.
Ever.
I was sitting on the front step, enjoying
the newfound peace when Peter appeared on his
bicycle.
In his PJ’s.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the
alarm also goes off at his house—something he insisted on after that home
invasion wherein I…never mind. You understand.
“Gwen!” he gasped out. He dropped
the bike on the lawn and scooped me up off the step. “Are you all right?”
I felt my face grow hot. “Yeah. It
was a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, man! I’ve never been so worried.
I couldn’t get you on your phone—or anyone else either.”
“Oh, sorry. Things were a little—”
He didn’t wait for me to finish. “Then
my stupid car wouldn’t start!” His hold on me tightened. “The distance from
your house to mine might as well have been from here to the moon!”
“Yeah, I think they heard the alarm
there—”
Again he interrupted. “I can’t
stand this a moment longer!” He set me down, then dropped to one knee. “Gwen,
will you marry me? Please?”
Each month, I exchange words with my friend and intrepid leader, Karen of Baking in a Tornado
Neither of us knows what the other will do with her words.
This month, Karen gave me:
found ~ where ~ people ~ return ~ dream
Thank you, my friend!
Now go see what Karen did with my words!
We must be on the same wavelength, we both wrote about dreams, and as I was reading the story, I was thinking that it should soon be time for a Gwen and Peter wedding.
ReplyDeleteLove it - and Sally's sleepwalking has had a positive effect.
ReplyDeleteIt's about time, is all i can say. And Sally needs to stick to adventure, i hope the nightmare phase ends soon.
ReplyDelete