Sister Sleep Tale!

What?

When we were growing up, a vacation for us really meant spending the summers at our grand mom's place. Cousins of our age housed up this calmly standing home which is about a 100 years old now. Mornings were spent wisely on all the activities which helped granny in completing her household work at the same time giving all we kids the pleasure of playing the games in a competitive spirit. Calling the end of day only meant in aspiring another tomorrow so that we could prove ourselves better and outshine others in one of those routine games played. By night every muscle would be tired to its 200th % and would crave for some unknown rest at that age. There lies the king size bedding on the floor with a huge blanket to hold us all together in one room. One such night our maternal uncle was home catching up all the missed gossips. Sharing laughter and giggles with him was his entire sibling lady crew. Sis and myself woke up in between on hearing the constant hushes and the short catches of the voice and breath, but only to succumb to the imaginary colorful world of dreams within seconds of our eyelids retraction. Time to wake up, and we did it with no resentment. Sun was right there with a smile on his face, so did the rest at home. Inquisite me could not resist more. I pesterd uncle to tell us what was on?

He described the episode of the night! Do you all know we have a new clock at home? Young kids get so thrilled on hearing the word "New". We were no exception. The yelling came by "Where is the new clock? We want to see......." . Smiling away he pointed at Sis. Some of us understood the intended pun and joined the laughter community while rest needed this explanation before they could sink in the joke.

"You know at 12 in the night Sis was sleeping straight . When it was 3 she was tilted to 90 degree right... and so you go "

Well if this was what she at age 6 what about her at 16?
My college exams were on and Sis was in class 10. Study fever in the air - Only for me. Sis never studied late into night promising to wee hours of gyan and then only to miss even them snoozing away the pink alarm clock. (Yes I admit of having one alarm clock all through my study days and that too a pink one!). Inspite she always brought laurels making us all proud. One such nightly affair - I was all busy preparing some graphs (cannot remember which one, probably for one of those lab records). Suddenly Sis shouts with a raised arm "Present Sir". Shocked was I only to realize it was her dream classes that was going on and there was her name called by the tutor to mark her presence in the class. I simply smiled at the call and got back to my graph business. But I have experienced myself with some of those dream classes - How can I forget the sanskrit slokas I recited years ago! This might be running in the family genes! I have heard Dad educe the way Mom cries in her dreams and Mom in return call forths the way Dad sings his new raagas in his dreamy concert.

On note 3# : A year ago a group of 4 cousins including Sis and me had paid a visit to this '$!@!' restaurant in one of the busy parts of Bangalore in order to rejoice dishes from Italian cuisine. There goes the order - a few pastas, a lasagne and some momos. Bread accompanied almost everything that was served on the table. I dont recollect if we ever placed an order for soups. That doesn't really matter now. Refreshing our tummies we thought gulping some soda would help our tight stomachs to loosen a bit and digest every damn bit that was going in. Later in the night at home were everyone is fast asleep but I being nocturnal in nature was reading a novel by a local author. There she goes my dear Sis ordering something and shouts "One more". I dont know what "one more" she was expecting, probably the soda I guess. :)

Last night as I walked into the bedroom after watching the daily soap that I have been addicted to, I could feel chillness in air hitting me and thats when I noticed the fan running in the highest speed possible. So I gently lower the speed on the regulator only to hear my Sis utter "Hey dont lower the speed ya. there are mosquitoes around and they are biting me". My immediate response was to put it onto the prior speed and helping myself to the soft pillow on my bed. I was tired not because I had some hard deliverables but because of the travel I accomplish everyday (I will some day explain the hurdles I go through every morning to reach office). On switching of the lights, next thing I remember was that the music on the ipod was on singing ever loved old melodies in a faint tone seconding the lullabies. Just what was required to soothen my stressed body and mind. If you are wondering what the tale here is ? then listen to the next part.

Tonight the episode almost repeated itself except that Sis was not asleep yet. I switched on the fan and the speed was high, Sis asks me to lower the speed. I raise my brow and she asks what ? And in answer I reiterate her lines from previous night. She was taken by surprise and questioned me if she really had said those lines because she did not remember a word of it being uttered by her. So there goes her sleep fantasy number 4.

As earlier said this is probably carried down through genes in the family. I may also be a victim of such tales but need more exploring to jot it down.

- Ashwini