My Alarming Dream

My little old copper alarm clock rests on my desk tick tocking away

each inevitable second of the day, only to shake, rattle, and ring me

to wake every morning.

As I lay there in bed, half dead, sometimes wishing maybe that I was,

achy and tired stretching and scratching like a jungle cat, I feel the

morning crawl into my house. The smell of fresh coffee creeps under

my door my sister's radio blares the newest teen sensation and

drowns out the morning news light seeps in through cracks in my

curtains and the cold of a winter night forces me to burrow back

under a warm heap of scratchy old quilts as I tell myself, "five more

minutes and I'll get up." I contort myself into a comfortable knotty

little ball under the heavy coverings and bury my head into the

broken-in old feather pillow searching for warmth and what remains of

my last dream. BRRRIIIIAAAAAANNNNGGGGG, ka-tank, tank, ka-tunk.

My brain is electrocuted to life by the cantankerous little alarm clock.

It's fine springs and wires click into their places the polished metal

bells get beat by the whipping hammer as it snaps back and forth.

The bells scream out in alarm. It hops and jumps does the wake up

dance on its stubby little legs, just to tell me it's time to go.

As the clock stops dancing I reach out from my cave with a daring

hand and grab it. It's shockingly cold and damp nearly frozen by the

night air that had blown in through my still open window. Only after

I've set the clock down, do I notice the face has been frosted over

by the night's dew. The ticking hands run behind an opaque wall of

ice doing their best to keep the time despite their arctic environment.

Just as I was about to call it a day and crawl back under the

blankets, the coffee gods called to me from their percolating temple,

"Corey.!.!.!. The best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup."

Stunned, I looked up to see Juan Valdez and his trusty donkey

sidekick standing in the doorway with a mug of steaming joe. "Hola

Senor," Juan greeted me. "Mornin' Juan, " I replied as I crawled out of

bed reaching for my steamy salvation. Just then it happened, Juan's

donkey reared back its head, gnarled it hairy lips, and emitted a noise

like no earthly being could ever conjure...

BRRRIIIIAAAAANNNNGGG, ka-tank, ka-tunk, tanka, tunk. "Oh No," I

say to myself, "the donkey has eaten my alarm." Only then do I

realize it was just a crazy dream and carry on with my morning

routine, all thanks to an ancient copper alarm clock that rests on my

desk.

*Note to self - No more coffee before bed . . .