Stillborn Chimp

The phone rang again.

I wrapped my pillow around my head, hoping it’d muffle the cacophony, and I could return to sleep.

Boop.

“Hey, David. It’s Scott! We need you to cover for Fritz  tonight so don’t sleep in too late, sleepyhead!”

Goddammit.

“Call me back when you-”


I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the phone off the base.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” is all I managed to say before I slammed it onto the hook. Although considering my rude awakening, it came out something like “Yuhh, Uh’ll be thuh”.

I dug my other arm out of my covers, and looked at the time. I looked at the time again, because the watch’s case seemed to swim around in my vision, the hands seeming to swerve like the needle on a compass.

I wiggled my body around in bed to look at the digital clock on the phone base instead.

The digits blurred together like a dusty CRT. Eventually my vision sharpened, and I saw it was 9 pm.


Fuuuck.