The nap

"The nap" is a short story about "sleep" created for the "Tell me a story jam".

The Nap

It must have been around 3pm when I woke up. Like every time after a good nap, the universal pattern followed which no human can escape. First the stretching of the body which shows that one is well rested and relaxed. Then the opening of the eyes. Finally, the last step, the confusion. This famous feeling of confusion after having slept in the middle of the day where you feel lost in time. Certainly the worst stage.

Next to me, on my bed, my cat was also taking a nap. I see that you too are enjoying your Sunday... After a while, I decided to get out of bed and go see the state of the house. I have the great fortune to live in a flat share with two other people. Samantha, one of the roommates, went away for the weekend and wasn't due back until this evening. But Kyle should still be here.

When I came down the stairs and into the living room, he too was sleeping. He was sitting comfortably on the couch, with the TV on right in front of him. Wow... Even he, who considers sleep a waste of time, was finally tempted. When I tell Samantha about this, she won't believe me.

I walked out of the living room and headed to the kitchen to get a fresh glass of water. As I filled it up, I mechanically looked out the kitchen window right above the sink. It was a beautiful day outside, typically a sunny summer day. Through the window, I could see the fence that separated us from the neighbor, and even further away, our neighbor on his terrace. Lying on his deckchair, he too was obviously enjoying his afternoon sleep. It's not surprising from him, this old retired tiler has so much time for himself that he has set up a nap routine. And I'm talking about a real one-time routine! Every day during his nap, he always wakes up around 3:20. ALWAYS. He has never failed to do this. He is even a legend around here because his sleep time is so strict.

I moved away from the glass and put the glass back on the table. What am I supposed to do now? Like I said, it's a nice day, why not walk around the neighborhood a bit? I went outside after putting on my shoes. Our house was located in one of the new suburbs of the city. We're lucky we don't have copy and paste houses all over the place. I let instinct guide me and headed for a random destination. A few meters further on, as I passed in front of the house, I found a man from the neighborhood sprawled out on his lawn. It seems that everyone is taking a nap today. But on the other hand, it's not surprising. People probably needed to rest after the tiring week we've had. The affair that was on TV worried a lot of people. And then... I have to admit that the lawn looked comfortable even though I'm not very "nature and camping".

I took a small path wedged between two houses. Considering the heat, I think I'll do just a short ballad. A simple walk around the neighborhood should be enough. When I got to the end of the path, I came to a dead end surrounded by houses. Except... a man in a suit was lying in front of his car. With a reflex that surprised me, I immediately ran to him. I first checked his breathing. Regular. It's hot, he could have fainted. Should I call the emergency room? Should I alert one of the houses? Should I put him in the shade?

I turned my head to see if there was a passerby nearby. Then I saw a vision I would never forget. The whole street of the cul-de-sac was long, very long. And everywhere there were people lying. A car had hit a power pole.

Then I heard a hum. That's when I realized. The man in the suit was just sleeping. They were all asleep. Except me. I was the only one not sleeping.