A. L. Kaplan

Tag: sleep walk

  • Wump! Where did that wall come from?

    Me at 7:30 AM after a nearly sleepless night and early morning text wakeup: Completes usual route and bathroom routine with eyes closed. Turns to return to slumber. WAM! Hits a wall that shouldn’t have been there. Brain scrambles to make sense of this new obstacle that is both solid yet somewhat yielding.

    Husband: Ouch!

    Me: Brain finally identifies the wall as spouse who came to say good morning. Quick check to make sure no one is injured. (I’m fine. His nose hurts where my head hit it.)

    Husband: Returns to work in home office.

    Me: Heads to bed hoping for sleep and that husband remembers not to walk behind sleepwalking wife without announcing presence. Large furry object blocks me from comfy cozy bed. Sigh. Redirect destination to my office couch and lay down.

    Dog: Immediately and effectively pins me to the couch like a big fluffy blanket.

    You need more sleep, Mommy.

    Me: Sleeps soundly until my bed warmer gets up at 9:00 AM. Reluctantly embraces the day.

    Have a great day, Y’all, and I hope you get a good night’s sleep.

    STAR TOUCHED

    STAR TOUCHED

    Sometimes it’s hard to be who you are meant to be.

    Especially when your powers can get you killed.

    Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population.

    Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble.

    Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

    HUMMINGBIRD

    Plagued by memories not her own, a young hummingbird struggles to decipher the visions and powers that set her apart from her fellow birds. But the road to awareness is fraught with danger that could doom her to repeat history.

    One step toward understanding.

    One stride toward survival.

    One leap toward flying free from the past.

    WOLF DAWN

    WOLF DAWN

    A Hidden Past – A Deadly Secret

    Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers.

    But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.

  • KEEP OUT: A LITTLE DRAGON ADVENTURE

    Keep Out

    Step one, get past the iron door barring the cave. Luckily, it was only eight feet tall. I grimaced at a yell in my head. One of the down sides of being a telepath was getting sucked into impromptu rescues.

    “I’m coming,” I sent back.

    I’d slipped past enough ‘Keep Out” signs to understand this one even if I didn’t know the language. I focused on the pipe just above the door. There was a small pop, and then I was peering down an empty hallway. Teleporting had its limits so I decided to hoof it down the steep ramp, keeping an eye out for guards.

    I’d like to say my superior stalking skills ensured that I wasn’t spotted on the mile-long path, but that would be lying. The bottom was another story. One of the guards managed to trigger an alarm before I knocked him out.

    “Hurry!”

    “I am,” I said, fumbling with the keys.

    Some prisoners are just too darn impatient. A satisfying click heralded my success. The door creaked open…onto another door.

    “You’ve got to be kidding.”

    A few other choice words slipped out while I worked the second lock. Three more doors and a leg shackle later the dragon was free, sort of. She trembled as the guards charged, firing weapons. Dispensing with the usual dragon greeting, I grabbed her neck and focused on a field several miles away. A soft pop announced the teleport. Score one for Little Dragon; soldiers zero.

    After a quick thank you, the dragon launched herself into the air. Seeing a dragon soar is a thing of beauty, and not one likely to be viewed on earth. Now, if I could just figure out how to teleport myself home. Or at least figure out what planet I was on. Danged. Sleep teleporting really sucks.