Rise and Shine

I woke with a start. And it took me a couple of seconds to get my orientation back. Another couple to realize that the incessant high pitch sound in my head was actually the alarm going off. Another couple to reach for the button to shut the thing off. And then, just a fraction of a second to realize that my hand wasn't up to the task being asked of it! I knew I wanted to switch the damn thing off before the whole house wakes up (its needs to be that loud to get me to acknowledge it in my sleep). And I knew my brain (or whatever is there in its place) was sending the right signals to my hand. But then instead of the arm extending towards the clock, it was the pain-level that started shooting up. This woke me up. Completely and in a hurry. I took care of the now minor issue of the alarm shrieking its head off with my good arm and set about figuring out if I had lost the services of one of my hands (I have two). The hand was still there, attached to my side, so at least it wasn't the 'phantom limb' phenomenon that I was experiencing But curiously my hand, which under normal conditions of temperature and pressure is straight at my side, was bent in half and looked like a life size replica of one of the removable appendages you would find on a Mattel toy-man figurine. (I am not sure Mattel makes toy-men, but hope you get the idea!). And to add to the life size replica theory, it was numb. I could see the fingers moving but I couldn't feel them. But just as panic was threatening to take over, the pain of blood flooding into a numb limb re-assured me that I was not after all going to be consigned to the part-human, part-plastic part of the population. With the knowledge that I was complete, I set about straightening the bent arm and for the pain it caused, I might as well have broken it in half and ripped it off!! Old jungle saying - "Use a thorn to remove a thorn". And so I bit my hand (actually to keep from screaming). And bit it so hard that the pain from the biting caused my hand to actually straighten in reflex!! Well, in spite of the manner in which it was done, the hand was straight (and still paining). But I also figured out that there was nothing wrong with my hand other than some sore muscles around the elbow, which were taking an elongated nap and had stiffened.

So having finally figured out all the mysteries I had woken up to, I also figured I was quite tired and went back to bed. And now, writing this, I'm wondering why I had wanted to wake up early in the first place!!