[ WP ] : You do n't remember what you do for a living . Literally . You black out for 8 hours 5 days a week and a paycheck appears once per month .

If it weren ’ t for the money, I ’ d have gone to the hospital long ago. 
 
 It was just so *much*. Checks that were enough to make me feel quite faint, appearing like clockwork in my mailbox every month. So I didn ’ t mind the fact that I blacked out every day for eight hours or so, and woke up feeling disorientated and slightly dizzy. If that was the price to pay, so be it. 
 
 But I was curious. It couldn ’ t hurt to try and *not* pass out, just to see what happened. Right? 
 
 So I did it. I sat on my bed and forced myself to keep my eyes open, fighting the urge that tried to drag me down to sleep. I was barely an hour into my attempt, when there came a knock at my front door. I opened it to find a woman staring at me. Her eyes creeped me out: a grey so transparent they seemed almost silver. 
 
 “ I thought so. Why aren ’ t you asleep? ” she demanded. 
 
 “ Uhm... what? Who are you? Why are you at my house? ” I asked. 
 
 She gave a soft snort. “ Not this, again. ” 
 
 She reached up and softly touched my forehead. My house started to shimmer in the night air, eventually disappearing altogether. We were standing on cool sand dunes that stretched as far as the eye could see. Stars that drifted and pulsed in wild, erratic patterns were scattered across the sky. 
 
 “ Remember. Don ’ t get confused by the humans ’ thoughts. You don ’ t own a house. That ’ s not your life, ” she said gently. “ Please, go back to work. Your humans are already experiencing insomnia for what you ’ ve done. I don ’ t want to report you. ” 
 
 She scooped up a handful of sand and pressed it in my hand. “ Let them sleep. And remember what I ’ ve taught you... ” 
 
 I suddenly remembered one of the mantras she'd taught me when I started the job. It was coming back to me, the longer she was standing there, reminding me of who and what I was. “ Shape the dreams. Don ’ t be consumed by them. ” 
 
 Like the dream of receiving large checks in the mail. I squirmed with embarrassment at the thought. I really was still an amateur at this whole dream weaving thing. Letting petty human desires eat away and control my memories. 
 
 She smiled and squeezed my arm. “ There you go. Don ’ t worry, you ’ ll get better at this. All the new ones struggle at first. It's difficult not to be consumed by the dreams, at first. But please - try not to let it happen again. ” 
 
 She turned abruptly and shimmered out of view again, to return to her own realm. I sighed and sank back into the sands, and into the waiting minds of my humans. 
 
 Time to get back to work. 
 
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 You can find more of my work on /r/Inkfinger/.
