i lay still in my bed staring up at the greyness, doona up to my chin, waiting for the sledgehammer of sleep to smash me across the face and put my weary mind to rest. but alas, it seems the night sounds are calling and my brain just loves to answer the phone. What is it? a cat? a bird? a person? i wish those blinds closed properly... it rambles as the cries of a wild animal plays a repetitious tune. the street light flickers. does it just need a new bulb, they should have changed it earlier, but then how would they have known? maybe it's working fine and it's just something passing in front of it... four metres off the ground. more mutterings of a wandering mind, I hope that it'll find something within it's banter to lead me to somewhere more surreal, it doesn't have to be soft and fluffy clouds, just something to keep it entertained without using my external senses. i closed my eyes, yellow and red patterns squiggling their way about my eyelids. gah. i agreed, turning impatiently onto my side, hitting my head against the lumpy pillow numerous times, hoping it may help.
"gahhh" i said out loud, quite pointlessly as another hour passed. "go to sleep"
it was obvious to myself at this stage that i would have to get up and do something to put the beast to sleep. lifting my legs over the side of the bed, my feet touched the freezing cold floorboards. who would have floorboards in their room? seriously? at least a rug. my mind kept talking to itself. shuffling to the bathroom, dragging the doona behind me in the slight chance that my brain would turn off and i could sleep, i would sleep very well anywhere. i can sleep anywhere, my mind jumped in. ah, nice seeing you here, i answered in an unimpressed, internal tone, i need to sleep. but it just laughed and continued rambling about the floorboards that were currently turning my feet in to heavy, cold stones, which i could only assume in the lack of light were a lovely shade of purple. there were thudding (it's actually a word, frances is slightly surprised) noises from another room and a light switch. a door swung open, Pip stood, well slumped there, surrounded by yellow blinding light, i pulled the doona to cover my face.
"Renee! why are you still awake?" in a tone very similar to my unimpressed internal tone, but was very external as well raspy and harsh. i pulled the doona back down
"Can't sleep, bathroom" i managed to mutter as my brain kept complaining about the excessive amount of light.
"you've walked past it, it's that one" she pointed to a door which i had totally missed in passing.
i muttered an "oh" and a "thanks" before shimmying around and heading towards it.
unsuccessful in remembering what good the bathroom was going to do, i returned to the bedroom. the room with the bed. i got onto the bed, completely submerging myself in the doona. maybe it was that i just can't sleep well in unfamiliar places, or with useless pillows, or irritating lights, or squawking birds, or noisy nocturnal animals, or non-carpeted rooms, or in rooms with wonky blinds... My mind continued to list off the small irritants and then impartial aspects of the room until the items on the list became fluffy, white sheep, jumping over a fence one at a time, finally bringing some slumber.

you'll find me in the slumber lumber land, or the lumber slumber land, i slept like a log, i slumbered like lumber. the plumber slumbered like lumber.

you know he's holding you down with the tips of his fingers just the same... (australia - the shins)

frances is back at uni, huzyah!