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If you were suspicious about the aurora that started up a few days ago, it seems like you have good reason to be. Ever since they began, no one seems to be able to get a good night’s sleep. Fatigue is setting across the town, making people a little extra cranky. It’s a complete downer to the holiday cheer but no one seems to know what to do. There’s no sign that there’s anything supernatural about the aurora, but there’s certainly something odd about it. People lucky enough to even fall asleep only get to rest for a few moments before they are violently jostled awake by the sensation of falling through a rainbow of colors. Some worse off may suffer from the sensation of drowning beneath strange, rainbow colored water. People are passing out from fatigue and some people are suffering from strange vertigo. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
Siobhan's fears about the aurora had been more than warranted. In fact, they were far worse than she could have ever imagined. The night after the aurora started was the worst night of sleep she'd ever had and all of her attempts to go back to sleep had been nothing short of nightmare inducing. All she could dream of was drowning in rainbow ponds of water and falling through clouds of swirling colors. Without fail, every single time she closed her eyes. It was as though she'd had wings and they'd been clipped, leaving her completely vulnerable and helpless to fight against the current.
But she wasn't the only one suffering through this. Her parents, her brother, her sister, even the workers who came to clean the house were yawning, stressed, and stretched to the brink of exhaustion. Sleep deprivation was prevalent, like a common cold or virus, and no one could seem to guess at why. But Sio knew. The aurora had caused this. Everyone around her was clinging to the last of their wits as the hours went on, and it was starting to look as though there would be no way to make anything better.
She'd tried to make coffee, then chamomile tea for her sister, until the whole house was filled with empty mugs and cranky, jittery faces. No one could sleep, no one could calm down, and the world seemed to be spiraling out of control. Her mother, bless her soul, had almost stumbled down the stairs twice and now had a permanent roost on the couch. Her father wasn't much better, having bashed his head against a hanging lamp and slipped in the hall. He sat in his chair, making pathetic attempts at reading the newspaper, while Harlow curled up next to him and tried to nap.
That left Siobhan and Sparrow, both seemingly more hardy against the effects, together trying to make sense of it all. Though visibly fading themselves, the pair did whatever they could to stay awake and make things comfortable. They warmed blankets, closed and opened windows, and even cleaned clothes after things were spilled on them. Neither wanted to give up while they were still conscious and, to Siobhan, this teamwork restored the faith she'd lost in her little brother. He was alright, just growing up, and she had no reason to worry about him.
The worst part of it came when no one could get more than an hour a night for the next two nights. Her usually happy parents were snapping at every little thing. Harlow was enduring meltdown after meltdown and refused to get dressed. Finally, Sparrow could no longer keep up with Siobhan and resigned to his room with the door locked and the windows drawn. Siobhan couldn't blame him and, though she would never say it, wished she could do the same. But, no, she was the eldest and the only one still able to stay functional. She'd take care of everything until her legs caved out from under her.
Two nights later, Siobhan could no longer force herself to stand. The room was spinning, her legs refused to walk straight, and her stomach was plagued with nausea. All she could do was slump over on the couch and stare, blearily, up to the ceiling. She could hear Harlow crying upstairs and her eyes welled up with tears. There was nothing she could do, she was powerless to help them.
"Please, someone, make this go away..." She pleaded. "I don't know how much longer we can take this. We're falling apart."
Word Count: 592