On the fourth night of the aurora, it changes from dancing lights to a strange, swirling maelstrom. A cold wind picks up, swirling wildly. Near midnight, the wind is strong enough to topple lighter bushes and knock branches from trees. No major damage has been done, but it is still a storm no one wants to be out in. Suddenly, the colors in the sky seem to explode. A distant echo, like thunder, rolls through the town. The aurora is gone, and so is its strange spell. The only thing that lingers are the small, colorful beads that fall from the sky like hail. They sparkle in all colors of the aurora and are never any larger than a marble. Most of them seem safe, but if you hold too many at one time you are met with the same sleepless affliction the town was suffering under the aurora.
Drew felt somewhat better, after spending the night in the hospital. They had given some special energy medications; since even the sedative medications were not working on anyone. He was still required to stay in the hospital until he was able to get some sleep; indeed, all patients admitted to the hospital for sleep-based reasons, at this time, were prohibited from discharging – the patient’s right to refuse care at this time had been revoked temporarily, by Executive Orders from the President himself, who had also declared Martial Law in Destiny City. It only took him four days… and two hundred deaths from lack of sleep.
Drew’s whole family was in the hospital now. His mom was trying to recover from that vertigo with the weird sweat. Dani was still unconscious from passing out from fatigue. Dria could no longer stand or even sit, she was barely conscious. Dad and Aunt Dia had both gone into shock without enough sleep. Not to mention that even some of the reserve police, fire, medical, and military from out of the region were starting to feel the effects of the Aurora. More were being sent in, and at the same time, they were preparing for an evacuation of enormous proportions.
It was nearly nine that night, when the Aurora finally changed, but in a bad way. No longer beautiful lights that crisscrossed the night sky, but a vibrant, swirling maelstrom that proliferated the night sky. Drew watched it intensely for the next hours, as the medical staff did their duties and passed out meds, and sometimes stopped to watch. Drew had his window open and so noticed as a cold wind picked up, violently and swirled wildly, howling at the moon. Drew jumped from the window and a nurse from the hallway hurried to help him close the window. He thanked her and continued to watch the storm with the window closed.
Near midnight, the wind ripped up some of the lighter bushes by the base of the hospital. Being on the 5th floor, Drew only knew this because some of the nurses and overnight visitors gathered in the hallway and were chattering excitedly about the storm. Visitors were refusing to leave; evidently the wind had also torn dead branches from trees. No major damage had yet been done, but people were terrified to go out. Suddenly, as Drew was watching the Aurora, the colors exploded and a loud, low rumble echoed throughout the city like thunder.
People screamed in fear and took cover. Drew looked again outside and the Aurora was… was gone. Yet hail was starting to fall and fall hard. One broke Drew’s window and landed on the chair near the window. It was Aurora colored. Suddenly everyone passed out – the insomnia spell was gone. Drew passed out too.
The next morning, when Drew awoke, he and everyone else were resting comfortably in hospital beds, including the medical staff. Everyone had finally gotten a good night sleep now that the Aurora was gone. New medical staff had been rushed in. The military was now checking out the ‘Aurora Marbles’ as they were now being called. They seemed harmless, most of them, at least one at a time, but a handful did seem to bring back the ‘Aurora Insomnia’. Otherwise they were just pretty Marbles. Drew made sure to quietly pocket one, as he checked out of the hospital.