Sleep tales

I am wearing blinkers so I can sleep.

But though my mind is shut and so are my eyes, my body is alert. My ears, as if on cue, decide they have to go on high alert.

So it is, the hum of the plane, taking off at 3 am seems like a large bee buzzing close to my head.

Time takes care of that, the hum seeps into my subconscious, I settle deeper into the tiny bucket of an economy fare seat, to invite sleep closer.

The man next to me clears his throat… it is a soft rasping sound, and in my mind’s eye I see his Adam’s apple bobbing. Hmmm.

Then he moves, his body swishing against the seat as he leans forward.

A rustling follows. I realise he is tearing plastic… is it the magazine I wonder. Will he read at 3 am, rustling the paper pages as he turns them? Is he from another time zone that he cannot sleep? And won’t let me either?

The mystery of the rustle is soon solved.

The low sound of conversation, once removed follows. His earplugs are not very well fixed, I can hear sounds, though not the words from the dialogue of the movie
he is watching. And the music as it rises.

After a while I get used to the pitter patter. I turn in my seat, cover my head with my blanket, hoping it will not start me sneezing as blankets often do, and try to settle down to slumber.

Somewhere, almost far away, a child cries. A sharp high pitched sudden cry. It jolts me awake. In my half sleep I react like any woman who has watched over a child’s sleep will, and come fully alert. Then, I smile at my foolishness, and sigh as I relax.

The crying stops, I can hear soothing sounds, a mother’s voice talking softly to the baby, hushing it, the pop of a bottle being shut as the formulae is readied, and then silence.

Aah sweet sleep, now I shall woo thee to me. Not really.

The ping ping of someone summoning the hostess…

My neighbour is thirsty, I deduce, as I hear the exchange that follows: the purser asking him if he needs something, the man asking for a glass of water. The gulp gulp that I cannot but hear, as he downs the liquid thirstily.

It almost makes me thirsty too, and reminds me that planes are as bad as deserts, but I am still determined to sleep. Water and thirst, can wait for now.

Finally in spite of myself, I think I fall asleep.

I wake to the sound of voices and the tinkle of steel on china. Breakfast… my nose tells me that there is hot food nearby. My neighbour is still, so the sounds must be ahead or behind.

I would fain take off the blinkers, but want to play the game a bit longer. I try to guess where the sound is from.

Veg or non-veg… the voice just behind me makes me jump, and I quickly remove the bandage from over my eyes. If I wait any longer, chances are I will go hungry.

The meal is hot. I am tempted to eat with my blinkers on, just to check if the food is sharper on the tongue.

But refrain. That’s for when I am alone sometime I say, and reach for the TV remote.
Time to get my eyes back into working state. I will watch without switching on the sound, and see what my mind has to say about that!