The Lost Sleep (originally published in Havik, 2018, my only attempt at a children’s story)

412 was lost.

He was new to the job and did not fully understand the full scope of his duties and the associated consequences of repeated failure.

Nonetheless, 412 was still lost.

Perhaps he turned right instead of left. Perhaps he missed a critical moment during orientation. Perhaps he was a bit absent minded.

Either way, 412 wandered, somewhat erratically, somewhat scared, and definitely lost.

He had to find 411 quickly.

Why?

Because that is what 412 was hired to do. 412 always found and relieved 411. 412 would stand his post until relieved by 413. It is what he signed up to do. His job was extremely important and people counted on him to do it right.

But, 412 knew he was late and 411 would be incensed at having to work overtime again. 411 had a family and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. However, 412 was not making life easy for 411. To make matters worse, 413 had little patience for the new guy. He would write-up 412 to create a paper trail of evidence charging incompetence and insubordination during a future board of inquiry hearing. 412 shuddered at the thought of someone like 915 or worse yet, 1130 reviewing his case. The best case scenario would be another reprimand. 412 would lose a week’s pay and had to be sent back for retraining. He could endure the shame of this result.

Though responsible for a series of minor errors, it was the frequency of his missteps that worried 412’s superiors. Every day, another 412 problem. Every day, another spin doctor had to perform surgery on the media to deflect the onslaught on new scientific research faulting lost sleep on the problems of the world. 412 was making others do their job in manners not described in their initial job description.

The sun was soon to rise and 412 was worried. He began to worry if he would ever be found. Then, he began to worry what would happen if he ever was found. He had much explaining to do. Either way, 412 was in trouble deep and hopelessly lost.

412 stopped into a morning coffee shop and rested on the forehead of a busy taxi driver wanting to leave in a hurry. None of the humans ever saw the lost Sleep at work. For a duration of exactly 60 seconds, the taxi driver slumbered peacefully at the cash register. Not wanting to awaken the belligerent patron, the waitress allowed the respite, despite the awkwardness of his posture. 412, without mainframe synchronicity, managed to perform his function as good as any 413 or 414 could. By the time the taxi driver awoke, he missed being at the intersection a mere one block away when an errant truck driver passed through a red light void of vehicular or pedestrian traffic. Neither 412 nor the taxi driver would ever realize the importance of their chance encounter.

However, this event did not fall unnoticed on the Sleep Central Command. A retired 607 filed a report, as per protocol.

412 left the strange coffee shop to find a weary mother with two children in tow, waiting for a bus she did not realize she already missed. The first of her children was coughing and the second was screaming to draw attention to him. Even 412 found this tantrum unacceptable and rested upon the forehead of the smallest child. The screaming child found a recently unfinished dream. In it he could fly. While occupied so, the mother noticed her coughing child was actually choking on a piece of food. Acting quickly, she performed the action of a well-trained nurse to revive her youngest charge. In retrospect, 412 assisted two such people on his sojourn of absence.

607 noticed another report and hypothesized these two might coincide with the disappearance of 412. He began a triangulation search and notified his superior.

Unfortunately, 411 was becoming as weary as any Sleep could become. He was nearing a personal record for loyalty and duration. The 400 and 500 series could not assist in 411’s valiant effort. The 600 series began planning a temporary bypass to remove 411 and awaken the human disoriented and confused. To do so risked exposure because 411 would be even more disoriented and confused upon wakening. 411 would also be visible in this state. Should the human realize 411’s presence, the human, as humans are prone to do, might attack or try to remove 411. Either such action could prove harmful to 411. 412 must be found.

915 came in early to work and dispatched the 700 series to find 412. They began their search in earnest at 412’s last possible locations. From 700 to 759, each scoured the immediate vicinity for any sign of 412.

They didn’t have to scour for long.

756 found 412 on the forehead of a man at the ready to scream at a chained dog. He overheard witnesses state the man simply fell asleep before he could raise his voice and has been that way for nearly ten minutes. 756 radioed his location and awaited the police and ambulance humans to arrive. Ten minutes was the work of a journeyman Sleep. From his file, 412 was a novice and not trained for such a duration. While attempted in the most noble of purpose, 412 could be harmed in the process and unavailable to rescue 411. This one selfless act now placed two Sleeps in jeopardy. The Sleeps arrived and worked quickly. Once the humans arrived, 756 forcefully removed 412 from the man’s forehead. He awoke with his previous vocal rage only to be subdued by the police. The ambulance human agreed to administer an immediate drug test. 915 would find that result satisfactory.

The rest of the 700’s packaged 412 quickly and traveled to the location of 411. They found 413 through 459 at the standby. If 412 was strong enough to relieve 411, and last his required minute, then the veteran 400s, 500s, and 600s could compress time to revive the human and realign him with mainframe synchronicity. He would be late for whatever his work was and discombobulated, but the human would eventually return to normal.

412 arrived as befuddled as the human would later become. He understood the risks and moved to relieve 411. 411 would require extensive recuperation and a medical leave, but he would recover. All rested upon 412’s previously suspect training. Not many thought he would even try a transfer of this type. But 412 jumped up on the forehead and took over the sleep of the human.

412’s problem was being lost. He was never accused of cowardice or laziness.

411 fell off the human’s forehead and shouted “Code 8075” before passing out from mental and physical exhaustion. Some nearby Sleeps gasped in horror upon hearing 411’s urgent words, for “Code 8075” meant a Sleep actually fell asleep. Up until this day, Sleeps only caused sleep in humans, not the other way around. Some Sleeps did not know this. It was never in their training and it made them feel frightened. 700 took command and ordered 411 sent away for deserved medical care. He also sent notice to 915 for final confirmation concerning, Code 8075.

In the ensuing weeks to come, life returned to normal for the Sleeps. 411 resumed his duties under guarded care and 413 no longer filed reports. Those in attendance to 411’s announcement of Code 8075 became reassigned to the afternoon shift that generally accounted for nap times and siestas. 1130 would have each return to normal duties after an appropriate debriefing.

As far as 412 was concerned, his days of sleep continuance between 411 and 413 came to an abrupt end. Too many failures and complaints populated his formal file. 1130 and 915 decided that 412’s randomness may be better suited in another area.

412 found himself in possession of transfer papers to the maternity ward of a large human hospital. Here, he could guarantee variable amounts of rest, at variable amounts of time, for variable amounts of time, for each and every newborn human. All 412 had to do was skip from one newborn to another.

And since 412 never needed to leave the hospital, he would never again be the Lost Sleep.