Sleepless

A notification pinged on my phone. I already knew who it was from, so I ignored it and continued using my computer. I wanted to delay responding to it for as long as I could. Out of sight, out of mind. The notification light continued to blink ceaselessly at the periphery of my vision. I was tempted to turn the phone over on its back and leave it there, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't convince myself to switch off the notification light for the same reason. I made a promise to him, and it wouldn't be right to ignore my responsibility. Delay it, yes. But I could not outright neglect it. The light continued blinking, and I could barely pay attention to the computer screen. My conscience prickled every time the light blinked.

I reached out for my phone and the screen automatically displayed as I looked down at it. Facial-recognition was practically instantaneous nowadays. I saw the single notification. "2nite as well. 12 mn ur time. Thx". I suppressed the urge to sigh. He would have known that I'd seen his message, so I couldn't hold off from replying. "Ok," I replied simply. I looked at the clock. It was about 11.30 pm. He always messages around this time without fail, almost as though he had set an automated message to be sent out at exactly this time. I wouldn't be surprised if he did, since the content of his message is always the same. I still had some time left, so I got back to my computer and decided to spend the next 20 minutes enjoying myself, while knowing that I won't be able to. Not with this reminder hanging over my head and occupying my every thought.

11.50 pm. I'd been checking the time every couple of minutes, hoping that this damned time would never come. But time doesn't pause for anyone. It simply goes on without a care, leaving us to deal with the consequences in its wake. This time, I could not hold back as a huge sigh that contorted into a guttural groan left my throat. And with that, I forced myself out of my seat and made my way to my medicine cabinet. There it was. That godforsaken bottle containing those godforsaken pills. I stood there, simply staring at it for the longest time. I could hear the hands of the clock ticking the seconds away. In a room as quiet and empty as mine, the sound of its ticking resonated loudly. I counted away the seconds in my head. When it was almost two minutes, I took a deep breath and begrudgingly reached out for the bottle. I could swear that every time I did, there was a resistive force pushing back against my hand. I could give in to that force, to that temptation. But if I gave in now, I knew I won't be able to bring myself to reach out for it again, so I pushed against that resistance as hard as I could and grabbed the bottle.

Holding the bottle in one hand, I loosened the cap and withdrew from within it a single pill. A simple, white and oval pill. I always found its plainness and simplicity insulting. It should've been colored and weirdly shaped to show how toxic and poisonous it was. Just like those poisonous animals that were brightly colored. I tightened the cap back in place, held the pill between my index finger and my thumb, and made my way back to the computer chair. It was 11.53 pm now. I only had a couple more minutes to mentally prepare myself before popping the pill into my mouth.

The pill is known commonly as Sleepless. I always found the name misleading, because it is not the consumer of the pill who ends up sleepless – it is their partner who does. The pill was first invented with the intention to increase human productivity. It would eliminate the need for a person to sleep, so to speak, while still allowing them to function productively without tiring out. The pill is only one-half of the Sleepless system. The other half was the Somnus neural interface. When the pill is consumed, it puts the consumer into a deep and dreamless sleep. All of the muscles will be completely relaxed as well, inhibiting any form of movement during sleep. From the time the pill is consumed, there is a five-minute window before its effects kick in. During that time, the consumer should ensure that they are in the most comfortable position to lie down. This will help to prevent any unnecessary bodily aches the next morning, especially since you won't be able to shift to a more comfortable position until you wake up.