We Thought we were asleep
Rafael Alcolea Harold
ENGLISH READERS COLLECTION
(Level: Intermediate)
2013 Rafael Alcolea.
My Place for English: English Readers Collection: 2
We thought we were asleep
Translation: Rafael Alcolea and Casey Talboys.
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We thought we were asleep...
That night all the human beings of the world went to sleep like
any other night full of endless hours of sleep; as we had
previously done during our short or long existence. We all slept,
except a few unfortunate who didnt sleep like the rest and suffered
the consequences later.
14th June 2040 wasnt like any other day. For three years there
had been one day and one night of the year where we all slept. Our
leaders had been capable of drilling into our brains, so that, that
specific night, chosen at random, apparently, was declared as
worldwide day of sleep. That way, our planet completely stopped. It
was like stopping some kind of machine to restart the system so
that, just for one day, our planet could breathe.
Whoever you were, wherever you lived, suffering from insomnia or
narcolepsy, you had to get ready for bed. Even the freaks
celebrated pyjama parties in auditoriums or sports halls. So much
so was the state of ignorance or persuasion that we didnt even
rebel when they told us that we would be lightly sedated through
electromagnetic waves and pharmaceutics. The explanation was that
it prevented criminals from violating the good intention of the
majority of the worlds population, and robbing, destroying all that
we tried to save. I was one of the many believers that defended the
movements towards the saving of the world with a day of sleep per
year. Now, I think of how stupid we all were, to swallow similar
pack of lies.
On previous occasions nobody remembered anything just that they
slept like never before. A repairing and placating sleep,
accompanied with the best sleep in their lives, was the only memory
of our sleep day of the year 2038 an 2039. There were even people
who had regular sleeping problems, but they slept like a baby that
day even though it was four oclock in the afternoon and broad
daylight in their hemisphere, while on the other side of the world
they slept normally at night, these people tried to figure out
which medicine, provided by the United States authority, to buy it.
It was the first time they had slept for ten hours; after decades
of light sleep, but they did not succeed.
We never knew when it was the next sleep day to save the world
environment. The first time it was in January, but the following in
May. This time they had only given us two weeks notice, it would be
on the 14th of June. It annoyed me a lot, because it was my
birthday and I wanted to do a barbeque, the meat had to be frozen,
the drinks stored; my friends had something more important to do:
Sleep.
On the first world wide sleep day, there were no incidents, but
on the second one there were. Over a thousand people went missing
around the world. Nobody knew what had happened to them, they had
just disappeared. The authorities hastened to say that there was
nothing to worry about. Finally, a thick smoke screen covered the
disappearances, with spectacular news about fast drops of types of
interest or discoveries about daily life.
Little by little the families of those people stopped
protesting. One threat here, a job offer over there, and sometimes
their silence was simply bought.
But the third final celebration of world sleep was quite
different. To short with, it was very sudden and unorganized. When
the authorities announced that a meteorite was heading for Earth
and the impact date was June 14th, immediately mad people about
stars, or the followers of Astronomy, as they wanted to be called;
gave the warning. But, they were paid with holiday to the nearer
jail due to disorderly conduct and try to increase the collective
hysteria. There were others, close to the governments that started
to filter out information a few days before; saying that the
pharmaceutics they handed out were unable to make people sleep, it
was just a type of placebo. They really made us sleep through the
waves emitted from the satellites situated in our terrestrial
orbit.
Something must have gone wrong, because I, as well as other
unfortunates, woke up that night, when we were supposed to be
asleep. We woke up when the whole world should have been
unconscious whilst they slept.
I went to bed early, even though I dont think it was my choice.
The last thing I remember is laying on my bed, unable to get under
the covers, due to the suffocating heat of the beginning of June,
that summer was going to be unbearable in London. It had hardly
rained and due to climate change, the British city reminded me,
more than ever, of my birth city in the South of Spain. I was
closing my eyes little by little, slowly I was losing my
consciousness, when I noticed the little pill that the British
government had worried to make us take in the morning as we left
the house, got in the tube or we tried to arrive at work on time.
For the whole day, without realizing it, I had shaken off
unintentionally all the controls made by the Bobbies. I had decided
to take the beige pill that they had left in the post box last
week. But my unconsciousness state was very advanced so I stretched
my arm to reach the tablet and when I placed it in my mouth, I
couldnt remember anything else apart from being inevitably
asleep.
I wasnt sure how long Id been asleep for, but I had the
sensation of sleeping more than twenty-four hours. I looked at the
alarm clock on my bedside table, and it showed two oclock. I
couldnt believe I had slept for seventeen hours. I lay back down,
still confused by sleep, and as I turned over, my blood froze.
Through the gap in the curtains, half open because I didnt have
time to shut them, when the most terrible heat took over; no light
shone through. As quickly as possible, I stood up and I looked out
my window. Confused and a bit dizzy, I leant on the window sill and
I checked that it was still night. The most serene and silent night
I had ever witnessed in my life. No cars were being driven, the
teenagers didnt walk trying to commit offences under the protection
of darkness, the wind didnt even blow the tops of highest trees,
and not even homeless people sleeping close to the underground
entrance; today they looked impatient under their mountains of
second hand belongings and pounds of indifference.
Nothing moved, nobody spoke, everything was calmed, and everyone
was sleeping. I couldnt help but ask myself why I wasnt asleep like
them. Quite surprised I decided to see if any of my neighbours or
flat mates was awake. I went to their bedrooms, in darkness, and
they were totally asleep. I put on some running shoes, a pair of
shorts and an old t-shirt for round the house and I decided to go
out and enjoy the quietest night of the year. I walked all around
Portobello, without meeting anybody. All lights were out in the
houses, retaining the silence of their inhabitants. The houses
which showed light, housed nothing. Normally, it wouldnt have
occurred to me to walk alone in the dark at this time of night
around London, but the temperature and the opportunity invited me
to do it. I wanted to remember every detail of that night so I
could recount it the following morning. One of my flat mates worked
for a tabloid as an apprentice. Maybe, they would publish my
interview. After a while of walking up and down the city, even
looking through windows of Londoners, just to check that everybody
was asleep; I thought I saw something as I turned the corner to the
road that led to my flat.
Instinctively I stepped backwards to check everything was ok. I
stood listening, and nothing. I was going to carry on with my
journey, when an unsettling sound stopped me. I needed to turn
around. But that was the only way I could get home. I was starting
to regret coming out. The sound came closer. I had to get out of
there, but my sudden panic stopped me from moving. Vey quietly,
almost not breathing, I leant against the naked wall to see what it
was that was terrifying me. When my sight rounded the corner, I saw
it. There was someone dressed in black military clothing. Then he
saw me and started to run towards me curse! I thought. But this
time my legs responded thanks to the adrenaline released as I
thought of all the terrible consequences that could happen to
me.
I ran as fast as I could, faster than I had ever run when I went
running in St. James Park. But after running through some streets,
I tripped on a paving stone and my persecutor reached me. On the
floor, I heard his short breathes; I tried to turn so I could see
his face, when I felt pain at the nape of my neck and I fell face
down.
I regained consciousness in a large vehicle which had no
windows. Next to me I felt the presence of other people, who I
couldnt touch or speak to because mu hands were tied and an
enormous piece of insulating tape, covered my mouth and part of my
nostrils. I did not know where we were going, or who those people
were. I only knew that I was really scared. Nothing good could
happen to us. After a while, the car stopped. Later, the car
continued bumping over what seemed like an unused country road.
As the doors opened I saw hooded military men pointing their
torches and weapons to us. They directed us to a type of camp in
the middle of nowhere. I was thrown to the floor with my
companions, inside one of the tents. My companions in captivity
cried and writhed trying to escape. There were women, children even
old people among them. I counted around twenty people. People that
could not sleep that terrible night like me.
Next to the tent there was their tent, they were talking, quite
loud for our local custom. When I listened carefully to the accent,
I realized that they were speaking American-English. Then, they
mentioned what they were going to do with us, they said something
about a set time, they would take us to the agreed location; they
just have to leave us on the big sign, in the exact location of the
coordinates and leave. No questions, no remorse or regret; we were
going to be left anywhere as if we were just rubbish. But, some of
the soldiers revealed, concerning what they were doing. They kept
on repeating that we were just innocent citizens. The man who
seemed to be in charge, advised them to be quiet; it was either us
or the whole humanity. The world wasnt ready to witness what
happened each special night when everybody was supposed to be
sleeping. Nobody could be awake; there shouldnt be witnesses that
night. He said something about the fact that humanity was not
prepared to be revealed a secret like that, but all the cries and
voices next to me avoided a perfect understanding of the
conversation. He even advised them to get lost in the Caribbean for
a period of time with the generous money they were going to be paid
with that mission, and forget about it all. It was impossible for
me to go on hearing anymore due to the screaming of women and
children; it was a horrible and desperate crying.
I knew in that very moment that I had to get out of there no
matter what. I looked around me for something to cut my ropes that
held my freedom. There was nothing in sight, then I saw a child dry
his tears with the sleeve of his shirt; I made him sins and he came
closer. I indicated him to take off my gag. At first, he doubted,
but then he did it. I told him that he should try to untie me, but
when he was succeeding and the pressure on my wrists lessened;
someone came into the tent. The boy was completely surprised
standing up at my side, I immediately looked down. The soldier
grabbed the boys arm, and between pushes and shouts he led him out
of the tent.
I felt horrified about the child, but after some seconds I
continued to rub my wrists, I had to survive, until at last I
untied my ropes, next were my feet. My pulse slowly quickened as I
felt I was close to freedom. I went to the back of the tent looking
for a way out. Those people who saw me begged to be set free, their
faces implored my help, but all the commotion going on outside
indicated that sooner or later they would come to take us. With a
piece of metal I found on the floor I managed to rip the tents
material, the narrow irregular gap would allow me to get out in a
hard way. I looked through the gap to discover that there was a
forest next to the camp. I put my hands either side and with all my
strength I made the gap bigger until I could push my way through. I
had just fallen to the floor outside the tent, when the military
men came for the prisoners. I stayed immobile behind a nearer tree,
waiting to be discovered.
Thankfully, they were rushing and they were shouting at each
other about keeping to the set time. I waited for a few petrifying
minutes, and I checked that there was no one around. In the
distance, around eight hundred metres, I saw the vehicles stopped
and they thrown the people there. Immediately, they left. I saw the
slow figures trying to move, and trying to get up of the floor.
Without thinking, with the vehicles still near, I ran to help
them.
Suddenly, I heard a deafening sound, it was the most awful
thunder clap I had ever heard, it resounded in my head over and
over again, I stayed paralyzed. Immediately a blinding light came
out of what looked like an enormous aerial surface and swallowed
them all.
Open-mouthed, I saw how in an instant the monstrous thing had
gone and with her all the witnesses of that atrocity; except one:
me.
I felt dizzy; I even thought I was dreaming. Desolated and in
shock I began to cry on the floor. After some minutes crying, I
looked back to the place and it appeared as if nothing had happened
there. No soldiers, no people, nothing was strange in the middle of
the countryside. I was like that for hours, looking up to the sky
constantly, until the sun began to brighten everything around me. I
was walking through the forest for a couple of hours, fearful of
meeting one of those terrible men, until I came to a side road. I
asked myself what had I seen, what had happened. After hours of
walking, a car approached in the distance. Before I could notice,
it was on top of me.
A nice old man offered to take me to the city, he was in his way
to London, to see his family and check if they had slept as
peacefully as him. I had a terrible appearance; I made up an excuse
that my car had broken down so I had to sleep in the
countryside.
On the way home, the news on the radio told of the great success
of the past twenty-four hours and how millions of pounds had been
saved on electricity bills, pollution had been reduced and how the
interviewed people in the streets had slept the previous night.
I was shattered; luckily the man dropped me off two underground
stops away from my house. He even gave me some money for a single
ticket and I got down in Portobello. I was looking forward to
getting home and tell my friends what had happened to me but I
wasnt sure if they would call me mad.
So I would have a shower, and wait and see if I heard anything
on the news about the missing people; that idea sounded like the
best alternative. When I went to go upstairs, I realized I had no
keys. My friends saw me from upstairs and went to look for them, so
one of them could throw them down to me. I tried to catch them but
I missed and they landed on the floor. I turned around, exhausted,
to pick them up; cursing my friend, who wasnt at the window, for
his bad aim.
As I picked them up off the asphalt, a taxi went past our
building; inside a figure was surprised to see me. He turned in his
seat with his eyes popping out. The taxi stopped a few metres past
the building; he rolled the window down to look for me, but I had
already hidden behind the porch door.
Where an instant ago there was a figure picking up keys, now
there was nothing. After a few never ending seconds, the taxi
started up and I heard it pull away. I began to breathe when I
looked through the glass and I saw the car turned the comer, where
the night before I had been caught. Relieved I began walking up the
stairs when I realized that the guy in the taxi was the same guy in
black who had captured me the night before. I turned the key and
entered my flat. Safe? I asked myself.
