It's Worse At Night (Flash Fiction)

It was nearly ten o’clock and Jeanie’s heart began to beat faster. Her hands started to shake and sweat. She knew it was almost time for her nightly routine, a routine that had her dreading bedtime. Well, might as well start now, she thought. Maybe I’ll be in bed by ten-thirty.

She went to the front door and checked the lock. Yep, locked. She paused for a moment. Well, is it? Better check it again. Jeanie touched the locked, felt that it was in the correct position for being locked. Okay, it’s locked. Well, maybe I better check it once more to be sure. Jeanie touched the locked again. Locked. Okay, it feels right now.

Jeanie defiantly turned her back to the door and walked into the kitchen. I used the stove today. Damn it. Jeanie stood in the middle of the room, looking at the stove. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out slowly, trying to get the feelings to go away. I don’t want to touch the knobs on the stove, they’re all off. She took a breath in again. Are you suuuuure?

Jeanie walked to the stove and turned all the knobs toward the Off position. Yes, they were all off. As Jeanie turned to walk away, the little voice in her mind drove her back to the stove. Check it again, the voice said. Jeanie touched the knobs on the stove to confirm they were in the Off position. Just like they were five seconds ago. Get a grip!

A low groan filled the kitchen. I just want to go to bed. Is that too much to ask? Apparently it was, as Jeanie reached for the knobs one last time.

Go to bed!

Jeanie turned off the kitchen light and stomped off to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Turning the light on, she grabbed her pajamas off her bed and went to the bathroom to change.

She turned the light on over her sink to brush her teeth. Jeanie finished that up quickly, turned off the light and headed to her bed. She sat on her bed and looked at the clock on her nightstand. Ten-twenty. Quicker than last night. Maybe I’m getting better.

She set her alarm for six-thirty the next morning, turned off the light, and snuggled into bed. After tossing and fidgeting for a few minutes, she settled onto her right side, the only side she can fall asleep on. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep.

There was no sleep for Jeanie, at least not right away. Too many things going on in her mind. I should have said something different to the lady at the grocery store today. She probably thinks I’m an idiot. Ugh. Should I try that new restaurant on 8th street? I wonder if they have good chicken. I have to write that letter to Susy tomorrow. What should I write? I need to write it down now so I don’t forget. No, I’ll remember. Did I check the lock on the door? You did, you know you did, you touched the lock to confirm. Are you sure? Yes, I’m sure. God, just STOP!!! Shut the hell up!

It was going to take forever to get to sleep. Jeanie reached for the Zquil on the nightstand, poured a dose into the cup and drank it quickly. She settled under the blankets again on her right side. Did I really have to drink that? Maybe I should have waited a little longer. No, because then you’d just think about that, too. Great, now I’m going to be fuzzy in the morning. I hope I have coffee, I think I do. I hope I can sleep through the night. She looked at her clock. Eleven o’clock. If I fall asleep now, I’ll have seven hours of sleep.

The alarm woke Jeanie out a sound sleep. She slapped at the clock to turn it off, and shook her head to clear it. After she showered and dressed, Jeanie went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee and grabbed a banana for breakfast. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day today, she thought as she sipped her coffee by the kitchen window. I can’t wait to start the day.

She turned off the coffee maker, grabbed her coat, purse, and keys, and headed out the door. She locked the door, went down the steps to her car, and was on her way to work. As a manager of a movie theater, she had to make sure the servers were turned on so the movies would start on time. Flipping switches on the sound tower, she turned everything on. She’d been doing this job for a year now, it was second nature now how the server room worked and what had to be done.

Eight hours later, with sore feet and a popcorn popper burn on her arm, she went home. She turned on the radio and started to make herself some dinner. She could relax for now, because it was still daylight out, and not close to bedtime. She didn’t even have a thought about what would happen again later as she got ready for bed, got ready for her nightly torture.