“Nuh uh. Awake.”

My partner shook my shoulder. It took me all my effort to open my eyes.

The spiral was still there, on the ceiling. I felt my eyes start to roll back, my mind starting to…

“Stay awake,” they cooed into my ear soothingly. “Stay awaaaaake…”

It was a struggle to fixate on the spiral’s center… or any part of the spiral… or…

“I said. Awake.”

They snapped their fingers. My shoulder shook again. I opened my eyes again. Had they closed…?

“Awaaaaake…”

I felt my head loll from side to side. With the spiral in my periphery, I felt so dizzy… aroused? But so tired...

“Stay awake, pet. It’s at this point, at your most hypnagogic, that you’re at your most suggestible. Soak in my suggestions like…”

~

“…like a sponge. Awake.”

I shook her shoulder.

“Awake!”

No use. She was out like a light. Nothing could wake her now.

I turned off the makeshift spiral – a Halloween lawn decoration positioned to project onto the bedroom ceiling – and turned off the lamp. I moved against her and wrapped my arms around her body.

She was snoring gently.

I suppose this meant the ploy worked. Her doctor had suggested increasing her sleep drive to deal with her insomnia. She had taken melatonin an hour ago, and her night-time meds a half-hour ago. I spent the intervening time fractionating her until sleep would take her.

I have to admit, I didn’t think it would work. It is hot, though, seeing her exposed and vulnerable like this…

Now we just have to do this again every night.