Now, as you might imagine, it is not a good idea for me to fall asleep in public places. I try to avoid sleeping on public transportation, for example. Imagine if I started talking, or worse -walking in my sleep while on a plane. I would probably do something to get myself arrested.
But I fell asleep at Alex's house. It wasn't the first time either.
The first time, there were maybe four of my friends watching confusedly as I walked around demanding my cactus book, and putting pillows in the freezer.
So they were prepared for this. When they saw that I was asleep, they chose not to wake me. Especially since I had already started moving my hands, spelling words in sign language. I soon opened my eyes and demanded my cactus book again.
Ok, maybe I should talk more about the cactus book.
Cactus Book Tangent!
In my undergrad in California, I lived with a girl named Laura. The first time I ever did anything in my sleep in that apartment, she was walking by my room at 4am. I screamed "LAURA!"
She walked into my room. "what?" she asked, sleepily.
"Where's my Cactus book?"
"Your what?"
"My cactus book. I lent it to you, and you never gave it back. I need it."
"Are you asleep?
"They're coming, Laura. The cacti are coming, and I need my book!"
"Go to sleep, Lizzy."
She then went back to her room. I lay there, still sleeping, and now very annoyed at Laura. I got up, went to the closet between our rooms, took out a large shampoo bottle, and dropped it from chest height onto the floor. I did this with several other heavy objects until Laura came out of her room.
"What are you doing?" she asked, still sleepy and getting annoyed.
"I'm looking for my book!"
For the three years I lived with Laura, I asked her for my Cactus book many many times while sleeping. It became quite the theme.
My friends joked that they should just buy a book about Cacti, and give it to me. But they never did.
I had an elaborate dream about the cactus book, in which the Cacti were a species from another planet. In the Cactus culture, Etiquette is Extremely important. If anyone breaks a rule of Etiquette , they were killed. The Cactus book was a book of Cactus Etiquette , that I was studying because I was chosen to be the ambassador to their people when they visited Earth.
Sounds pretty damn important to me.
Back to the Coins story!
So, I'm sleepwalking at Alex's house. After a while of signing random words, and gazing around me for a while, I asked them who was at the door.
Noone is at the door, they told me. But I insisted someone rang the doorbell.
Ivan got up and walked to the door.
"Who is at the door?" I persisted.
"Ivan's at the door." They said.
"...No. Ivan answered the door."
I think they got scared that I seemed to know what was going on around me.
After a pause, I said "Where is my book?"
They handed me a random book. I took a look at it for a while, then threw it across the room.
"That is not my book." I insisted, firmly.
I did some other things that I can't remember now. I believe I took a jar of jam out of the refrigerator and presented it importantly to someone. I think I tried to go outside, but they dissuaded me from that idea somehow.
What I do remember vaguely is going into the hallway, and taking everything off of Alex's sink, and arranging it into a small structure. Apparently I said, "Where is Laura? This is for her."
They went to get Laura, who was still in the livingroom. I asked her "Where is my book."
She groaned and said once again. "I don't have your book!"
I proceeded to knock down the structure I had made. It was probably a peace offering in return for the book.
Alex also had a large container full of loose change. I spilled these out on the carpet, and sorted them. With Ivan as my fascinated helper, handing me certain coins when I demanded them, I placed the coins in a pattern on the carpet.
This picture is the only record of that active sleepwalking night:
Alex said it looks like a spaceship. That's a flask on top there, and a pin with a picture of David Bowie in Labyrinth sitting on top of it.
Eventually I woke up while walking around, got a little freaked out and demanded to know what the hell happened. They relived the night for me, which is why I know the details.
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