The sky reflecting on water near Leadville, Colorado.
I’m asleep on what seems to be a perfectly normal night, apparently zoning out in the comfortably numb blankness of deep slumber. Suddenly I rouse to a half-wake state – certainly not asleep, but also not awake in the way we’d normally think of being awake.
“I’m about to hear an electronic tone.” The words bounce around in my mind like slow-motion echoes in a holographic canyon.
I’m on my left side, eyes half-open, mind sort of awake, gazing into a small area of blurred light that’s hinting at form in front of me – almost like the snapshot above of the sky reflecting on a lake. Something’s there that I can’t quite bring into focus, something sentient and non-threatening, yet hidden.
Looking into the light, upon thinking I’m going to hear a tone, I hear it, arriving on a rather loud, distinctly electronic wavelength, somewhat similar to my cel phone and the clock on my bed table, but neither. The sound is surreal: out of place, yet perfect. That’s all I remember of it.
Next thing I know I’m opening my eyes to a new day, thinking “what was that?” Hours had surely passed, and still what had happened was right there, waking along with me in morning’s light.
STACE TUSSEL