SLEEP (any gender, late teens to late fifties)
[from sitting]
See, the... the problem is: I haven't slept in five days.
Makes sense doesn't it? I mean they've got more and more of those guys searching for me right now. When I haven't b-been running, I've been hiding and when I'm hiding, my system iszzzz so jacked up for the next run... of course I can't sleep! Ha.
But it's caught up to me. It really, really haszzz. I can't really walk anymore without falling over. You heard me on the, the, the phone... I can, I could barely read the address of this hotel to you. The backs of my eyes feel like they're going to explode. If I... if I don't get some kinda sleep, I'm going to just be paralyzed and they'll find me in no time.
I think I'm at least 3 hours ahead of them, though, ya know? Maybe only two 'cause once you get back home, once you get back home they're going to be, they're going to coming after you and start questioning you. So that might speed things up. Ha.
I'm... I'm sorry. It's really not fair for me to call you over here, especially where I left things with us.
Thing is: If I can get maybe just an hour an HOUR of sleep. I'll betcha that would be enough to keep me going. Enough to give me a shot. And you remember the one thing- ha!- that one thing that would aaaalways put me to sleep as a kid? The song you and dad used to sing to me? It's all I can think about right now. Ha.
I'm, I'm, I'm going to close my eyes. Okay? Yeah. You can leave, you can make that phone call, either way I'm done. But... hey, if you can sing me that song, just a couple of times. Then maybe stay with me once I'm asleep, wake me up when after an hour?
I can't tell you if it's the right thing to do. And IF it works, you probably won't see me again, for real this time. But I promise you, from here on out, I will think of you as "mother" again.
[close eyes]
Copyright 2016 by Matt Haynes. If you would like to use this piece, please credit: "Courtesy of Matt Haynes and The Pulp Stage"