Sleep Deprived

Last night I woke at 1am and could not get back to sleep. As I laid there looking into the dark I realized where science fiction comes from.

Strange sounds. I think a chicken is out by the lamb pen. I get up and look into the dark. Nothing. I lay back down. Eerie squeaks and gurgles continue. My mind produces the thoughts of alien voices. Are they in the room or outside my window? I look around the room, is that something crouched next to the laundry hamper?, What is that tall dark object standing in the closet?? Soft thumping in the floor. Are those footsteps in the hall? I look away, snuggle closer to my husband's back and tell myself that it is just my mind working overtime.

I roll over and put an arm around my husband. The sounds start again, but with my ear to his back I soon find the noise. I am surprised that one's gut can make so much sound.

Funny, I thought the world would be quiet this late at night.

As I lay there, with nothing to do and no sleep in sight, I listen.

The house still groans with the settling. The wood floors creak as the temperature drops. A low dull hum outside our bedroom window. Is it the gas meter or the power lines? The furnace pilot light roars to life and shortly the fan kicks on. The sound of a soft wind as warm air is pushed through the house. The wood floors creak as they warm back up. The water heater also kicks on, and the sharp pinging of expanding metal can be heard.

As the house warms up a bit and the furnace and water heater quiet down, I notice the low rumble of the refrigerator, is it always there? Under all the other sounds?

The warmth has roused my oldest boy. The confusing sound of bed sheets being moved, the solid patter of feet. The squeal of his door opening. The grinding of the bathroom door hinges that are coming out of the door. The reassuring sound of water hitting water. The deep whooshing of the flushing toilet. The funny squeak of the tap. A fumbling in the dark for a towel. The grinding of the door hinges again. The solid patter of footsteps, the deep grunt of the bed giving under his weight. The rustling of bedding and the contended sigh of one sliding back into sleep.

The dog groans and gives a small fart. Soon he is rearranging himself into a more comfortable position. Husband stretches a bit and rolls to his back. The cat is industrially cleaning herself, small sounds of her tongue roughly combing her hair. The wood floors start creaking again, as they cool off.

I hear a car on the road. The brakes whine to a stop. The driver punches it to take off. A dog barks in the distance. Tonight it is clear and I can hear the bells and whistle of the mill a mile away. The backup beeps of equipment and the release of stream. The train can also be heard, the long blast of the horn echoes. You can tell which way they are traveling by the pitch of the horn. It reaches the crossing on our road and at 1/2 a mile away I can tell there is a joint in the tracks at the crossing, a deep rocking sound. I think that if one listened hard enough you could count the cars.

I notice a difference in the light. A soft glow around the edges. Have a slept a bit? Where did the time go? The rooster starts to crow. My lab wonders the house with a clicking of too long nails. My youngest can be heard looking for clothes in his dresser, an odd fumbling. Again comes the sound of the bathroom hinges, grinding a deep menacing sound. The quiet grating of the shower door sliding in its track. The soothing sound of the shower, like autumn rain. The hurtful bumping of elbows on the wall as an adolescent body tries to find harmony with space. The few song birds left start the small chirpings of a new day.

Traffic is busy this morning. A truck used his jake brake to make the stop. Someone has the bass turned up in their car and it sounds likes a war drum.

The symphony of the day begins, all the sounds blending into a song.

I stretch to work the knots out of tired muscles. Sitting up in bed I notice that my jeans and bath towel lay crumpled next to the hamper. The tall object in the closet, a rifle case set on end. Where did I get aliens? I must be sleep deprived...