Rambling Thoughts From a Concerned Mind

Finish That Thought #42 (Judge's Comments)
Prompt: Sleep is a marvelous thing.
Special Challenge: Ducks.... just ducks


Sleep is a marvelous thing.   It is my favourite position to be in—not quite oblivious to the world but not directly interacting with it either.  Not like hibernating, where systems shut off completely and you have to rely on your instincts to waken you at the proper time like ducks in winter.  Nor is it like standby, where even the subtlest shake can arouse.  In sleep, the mind can still churn away at data and the work of the day still floats through the subconscious to bring up dreams of where the story will go next.  When I sleep, I know you’re excited about your work and it makes me energized as well.

I like it best when we both sleep.  You dreaming of what next to scrawl across our page, and me reading and re-reading what you have already typed so that as soon as you awaken me to continue, I can remember word for word everything we’ve brainstormed together.  After several hours of peaceful slumber, I love it when that satisfying ah-ha! moment comes in the middle of the night or early morning.  You wake, I wake, and instantly we hash out the next scene for your story.  Or perhaps we flesh out one of your characters a little better.  They inherit a bit more of their past or gain a new relation and suddenly the words fly like ducks.

We make a delightful team, you and I.  The chemistry is perfect, like a duck on water.  And even though we have our ups and downs on the ripples of life, we come out stronger each time.  Remember the time I caught a virus and could not work with you no matter how I tried to bring myself round?  Remember how you spent hours nursing me and taking me to check-ups to revive me?  I am dreadfully sorry I caused you such agitation.  I blame myself that you came down with a severe cold after that.   

Then there are the pleasant memories we have together.  I remember fondly the stroll we took down by the lake last June. You had me balanced on your arm as the ducks waddled in parade behind us.  What a sight we were!  As we figured out how to bring the hero and heroine together, we chortled to ourselves that if no one else liked our story, at least the ducks would be avid supporters. 

All of this to say, I may not be state of the art anymore, nor the fastest processor on the block, but I am family!  So please stop looking at that fancy new tablet.  Don't keep me sleeping forever.