18 August 2011

The Big Sleep, a #Fridayflash

So I did without a little sleep here and there. The extra hours were great for productivity—those hours after the wee one went to bed and before the sun came in to bid me do the Devil’s work at Big Name Corporation. Driving was the hardest part. Icy cold a/c spewing from the vents in December, shaking my head back and forth to rattle out the snooze spiderwebs. Acid metal in July. Windows all the way down as I yanked my aching, splintering bones through another bitch of a day.

I figured it out. How to not sleep. The best thing ever, because I could just keep working. Burning my candle at both ends ’til what I had left was a puddle of flaming wax searing the skin from my hands. It was a breakthrough.  Everyone left me be when they realized I’d discovered that magical secret. They were obviously jealous of me.

It wasn’t until the men from the bank came to collect the things from my house that I fully understood the permanence of what I’d done.


Photo credit: wintersixfour from morguefile.com

19 comments:

Tony Noland said...

How many times have I longed for the ability to forego sleep, to skip over all that time wasted in unproductive unconsciousness. And then I think of the price I'd have to pay...

... which you presented in such a deliciously creepy manner.

Winnie Jean Howard said...

I love these short short stories that send chills up your spine the whole read. You picked an excellent subject as well.

Anonymous said...

That last line was a bit creepy! But perfect.

Dorothy F. Shaw said...

Nice one, as always. ;)

Rutalia said...

awesome story :) just enough to make me want to read more!

Anonymous said...

So much intensity stuffed into so few words. Amazing as per usual.

Unknown said...

I thought I had a brilliant idea until I read this.

Eric J. Krause said...

Good one! The picture is the perfect accompaniment with the ending.

Jason Coggins said...

A Faustian tale of wishful thinking methinks. Another win for sleep the eternal foe

Anonymous said...

Oh that's great, in such a few words, I wish I could do that!

nerinedorman said...

Nice and chilling... Brrrrr!

Icy Sedgwick said...

This is fantastic - packs a lot of punch. So glad you're writing these again. :-)

Tim VanSant Writes said...

A perfect bedtime story!

Jen said...

Oh, so creepy... I don't want to evaluate her epiphany too much.

Anonymous said...

Carrie, you're brilliant. Remarkable imagery.
Adam B @revhappiness

pegjet said...

And where is the wee one? The picture sells this even more.
Creepy at its best, Carrie.

Anonymous said...

So short but oh so effective - great rhythm, very poetic.

Anonymous said...

Creepy....amazing how so little, can convey so much :-)
Alannah

Unknown said...

Love this Carrie... Such an intriguing idea. I, too, welcome your return to Friday flashes. ;)