She glanced lazily on the cascading water from the desktop fountain. It's so soothing but not enough to induce sleep. She tossed and turned on the gigantic bed with restlessness and unease. Moon light filtering through the drapes seemed to mock at her inability to sleep. She wiped the beads of perspiration from her forehead and was amazed at her ability to perspire even though central air conditioner was kept at 18 degree C on this hot and humid night. She walked towards the window and peeped through one of the entangled drapes. She tried to absorb the silence and stillness of the night enviously and made an attempt to recall her best moments to soothe her anxiety. The beautiful moment of bruise-inducing sex under the pier with Michael made her smile but then every beautiful moment was chained with not-so-glorified moment. The panic-stricken moments of her separation with Michael made her life struck in an echo-less epoch which she couldn't escape hitherto.

Screaming whistle of freight train shredded her reverie into millions pieces and brought her back in present.

"Gosh...it's 2:45 am already. Looks like it's another day at work with dark circles under the eyes !! ", she thought.

She hadn't missed the 2:45 am locomotive's whistle in past few months as it has given a new dimension to the word 'punctuality'. She accidentally kept her foot on the AC vent and felt the coolness on her foot. She felt a strange sort of calmness spread over her. She knelt down and put her cheek on the vent. The cool conditioned air made her face numb.

NUMB....NUMB....NUMBNESS....

"Could numbness be the elixir tonight to combat insomnia ? I'm going crazy....who cares !! ", she thought with uncertainty. Idiosyncrasy was not her forte or was it too many sleeping pills ? or it's Michael again ??

She slid her pajama down and rested her naked butt at the edge of AC vent. She spread her legs wide and let the conditioned air blow through her pubic hair. She closed her eyes and thought of 'mooladhar chakra' which was the first 'chakra' located between anus and perineum. This is the location where our spiritual energy lies and imbalanced energy in this chakra led to insecurity, anxiety, fearful and nervousness......and these probably led to sleeplessness. She was amazed at her own theory of chakras to justify her idiosyncratic behaviour.

"A grown-up lady lying naked with her butt on AC vent....to open her 'mooladhar chakra' which will lead her to security and stability.", She murmured and giggled like a young teen. The frigidness of conditioned air felt real good on her privates. She closed her eyes and soaked the serenity.......and felt falling weightlessly in the bottomless abyss of sleep.

-------- Binzy