Sleep (PG-13)

[Kelly]

Awww, Kelly, this is lovely. Mick has lost so much, even sleep and dreams. But now he has Beth. And he is afraid that she will discover soon what she lost. He remembers her as a child, sleeping. What a wonder a sleeping child is. Now she is just out cold.
Everything has a price, especially eternity. I love how you captured that in this short story with Mick's musings about sleep.
Well done.

Thanks so much, francis! I'm so glad you liked it.

[librarian_7]

Kelly, this was just flat lovely. Very nice insight into a facet of Mick's character, and expressed so well in a short piece.



Lucky

[zanda]

Your the cats pajamas missy...loved it.

[Kelly]

Kelly, this was just flat lovely. Very nice insight into a facet of Mick's character, and expressed so well in a short piece.



Lucky

Wow! Thanks, Lucky! That means a lot.

[Kelly]

Your the cats pajamas missy...loved it.

Why thank you, zanda!

[jen]

Kellly, that was absolutely lovely.

Thank you for lsharing this brief, introspective classic.

Very nicely done!!!!

[janicevictoria]

Wow! You wrote this in an hour?! What a gem it is too- I can just imagine Mick musing like this, but I have to admit I was surprised at Beth joining him in the freezer....Hey, how she got to that point could be another story...I'm just saying

[allegrita]

Ooh, I love it when an old story bubbles up to the top of the list!

This is lovely, Kelly. A wonderful, and very Mick-like musing. If you're afraid to die, what agony it must be to die every day... and wonder if you'll come back. For a guy as thoughtful and angsty as Mick, it must be true torture...

I love his comparison of little Beth's dreaming smile, and vampire Beth's emotionless face as she settles to sleep.... or to whatever it is that vampires do instead of sleeping. I do think that the conversations that Sire Mick and Fledgling Beth have about this subject will be interesting. And maybe Beth will help him see it in a less disturbing way... 'cause she's good at that.

[maggatha3]

Oh, kelly, he turned her.. well, everything in life has a tag and price on it..they are together now, she is gonna miss something and gain something else in return... this goes for him too, he is gonna miss her mortality as well, but here she is with him forever...seems like a happy end ... or should I say happy beginning for them..

[tucutecats]

Undead sleep. equals oblivion. I can understand Micks unease with it. scary, very excellent story to br written in an hour.

[jen]

Kelly

Just came by for a reread!

Definitely think that Mick will share his thoughts on sleep with Beth. While Josef is his friend, they have a different type of relationship, and after all, Beth is Mick's fledgling.

I know. That isn't exactly an original observation, but I think it will govern his choices here, and perhaps he will gain a bit of comfort from the sharing.

Thank you!

Jenna

[allegrita]

As I read this story, the chorus to Meiko's "Sleep" (from the end of AD) kept running through my head...

And I need something to help me sleep,
But I know that you're not good for me...
And I need something I can keep
From the empty space in between.

Mick and Beth have an emotional gulf between them that makes it hard for them to talk about the important stuff. Turning Beth into a vampire doesn't remove that empty space between them--that inability to express their deepest, most difficult thoughts. They are both so damaged. But now they have time to work things out... and hey, maybe Beth will help Mick begin to see that the oblivion of vampire sleep doesn't have to be scary. Maybe it's just a chance to rest without dreaming. Maybe immortals need to be completely turned off sometimes, so they can recover from all that existing they have to do over the centuries... And when you're snuggled up with the one you love, even if both of you are dead to the world (literally, in this case!), it's still better than being alone. And it's nice to have someone to cuddle when you wake up.