Summer Heat [part one]

Summer afternoon's relief;  my soul, my heart, my mind.  My forest office cabin, deep in the upstate of South Carolina, flashes bright and blinds me for a moment. I am between two creeks midst a field of old hot trees; storm cells, lightning bolts, and wind pelt me when I open the door.  I really like it. Pretty nice of the old man to know I'd need a break from the relentless sleepiness, and send some hail and sheets of water to cool us off, in the bath of blistering rays and stifling humidity.

The attendants hovering over me as I close my eyes and slip back into the dream for just a moment.

"Can you tell us your name?"

"Do you know where you are?"

"What do you remember of the accident?"

The room is white and sterile, and the machines beep and whir and make otherworldly demonic noises. Hooked up and kept dead in this place.  But I found a door.  The demons hover waiting for me to give up, but I don't.  I open my eyes escaping again, and a lightning bolt flashes close and before I can think, the explosion rocks my world. It must have struck near because it even shook my office.  I love thunderstorms, and the lightning very rarely strikes me and kills me.  I can't remember the last time that actually happened it's been so long.

Every time I blink, I see for that millisecond, the reapers as they hover waiting for me to fuck this up and fall asleep.  I close my eyes for more than a second and they startled, reach for my soul, but I open my eyes, and dart out the door again.  They tell me I have to undergo some kind of surgery, the bastards.  Who do they think they are dealing with, I know better.  I hear the gun shots again, and I realise I had closed my eyes for a second.  I duck and cover, and my eyes slam open shielding me as the bullets pass right through me, a close call.

I shake off the afternoon and walk outside my office into the random cloud draped sunlight.  The blanket being drawn across the sky, for the day's burst is approaching; nice.  I sit down on my deck and sip my fresh cup of hot Sumatra, which according to me, is a great way to deal with the heat, and most argue I'm nuts. I am, but not about coffee.  A light breeze, and I can tell the rain will start soon. I smell it. Flash, bang, a blessing again, seventy or so yards away in the forest a tree has a new black scar.

At that moment I understand I must not close my eyes, but will I remember?  I'm so tired, I fight the afternoon sleeiness again, but my eyes close without my permission and this time I am transported to the battle.