A coffee nightmare!

"Where, What, Why are my pants running away!"

"No, No, I don't want you to follow!" I held the rest of my clothes tightly and squeezed under the bed after I fell to the ground to see if anyone was around. I held my breath in flight and fight mode but couldn't see anyone.

Just then, the floor began to poke and itch. But I froze at the sight of my phone alarm, which pulled me out and asked me to respond. I didn't understand what was happening. Was I dreaming? or was something wrong? I kept looking around with the question, "Where am I?"

Like a snake coiled around my ankle, a sudden grasp from beneath sent me flying onto the bed. Spooked, I curled under the comforter, and I wanted to scream but ended up with a muted laugh. Restless, I tried to fall asleep to exit this inception. I didn't want to hear another warning about being late to school. But as I hit my head on the pillow, it roared the children's rhyme 'five little monkeys' into my ears, waking the bananas hiding in the territory to come out for a feast. I smiled anxiously at the mesmerized mind. "Is this my home?"

"Yes, it is!" the family painting reassured. Hearing its confirmation, I giggled.

"I know what you are thinking. Don't you dare look at me like I have gone mad!" 

And it brushed my skin, "The only thing you need is to relax and worry less."

Rubbing my eyes to figure out the time on the clock, I snapped, "Owie!" at the phone, which snoozed, "I can't take this anymore."

Shocked, I squinted at the screen and asked, "Did you just talk?"

"Yes," it vibrated.

With a jolt, I fell out of bed, landing near the bathroom door and grasping the handle for support. It felt as if everything around me was annoyed. Even the bedsheets seemed to push me away. I couldn't believe I was so athletic to roll off a few-foot jump.

Laughing at the chaos, it hit me, "Where are the boys? "

Just then, the flush gurgled, and I stepped inside the bathroom to look. But I smirked. "Ewww! This isn't Halloween, and we are way ahead of celebrations!"

The tears paraded, and before it could touchdown, the toilet paper bounced off the cliff, spotlessly wiped, and cat-walked to the trash can, which had its lid open, with a countdown in green.

The wise words, 'Worry less,' brushed against my mind, and I steadied myself. Instead of panicking, I waddled like a penguin back to the bedroom. As I walked, the floor poked again, making me wonder why. At the moment when it started to itch, my buddies, clearly out of their minds, had already begun a heist operation, lifting me and marching me to the kitchen. On my way, our eavesdropping 'Alexa' lit up, playing the morning music with a creepy twist, clearly trying to grab my attention.

I ignored everything and found instant relief in the coffee awaiting my arrival. The moment I ignored the chattering mind, I heard my son's call, and I ran into the bedroom, only to end up on the floor, which pricked again. This time, I deliberately took a stand to scratch. As I scratched my legs, thighs, and bum, I said, "I will get rid of this carpet, end the anxiety of sleeping with bugs, and stop the neverending cleaning cycle."And all of a sudden, the itch stopped.

Just then, "Let's go brush our teeth, Mama!" my boy shouted.

"2 minutes!" I said.

"5 minutes!" he replied.

I smiled, feeling the sheets, "You peed everywhere!"

And he goes, "Ewwww!" 

A sudden rush struck me, and I wondered, "Was it all a dream?" I looked for my phone, which was still in the same place, motionless and speechless. Piled up with doubts, I headed to the living room and saw my coffee spilled on the table. I was confused, but I heard my husband's voice from the kitchen, "What happened? Come see this trail of ants!"

It startled me, and I babbled, "Breaking News! They are my buddies."

"What are you doing this early?" I asked.

"It's 2 AM," he said,

I sputtered, "What? I thought it was 5.30."

Surprised to hear the time, "How can I get rid of the habit of coffee before sleep," I mumbled.

"I guess you need to keep working on your weird ideas until you completely sleep through it," he whispered.

I walked to him with a sly smile, kissed him goodnight, and returned to my boy, who had already fallen asleep in the wet sheets. As I cleaned up, changing his clothes, mine, and the rest, I realized, "A missed routine means a messy cleanup, especially living with kids."

Tired, I looked around for any monsters after a goodnight kiss to my little one, and my husband walked in.

"What's with the coffee?" I asked out of curiosity.

"What? You didn't know the ants drank it." he joked,

I delivered a fake laugh, and he continued, "Brilliant idea to break the habit of coffee at night!"

And that got my attention, "Have you lost your mind over not having coffee today!" he asked.

"Very funny!" I replied.

"Did it work? You said you wouldn't get the energy to make another one if you spilled it? It was your idea." He exaggerated and raised his eyebrows, checking, What happened?

After a pause, he added, "We both need to control our late-night cravings."

I laughed out loud at the sensual tone, and he hushed me, saying, "You will wake the boy!"

....

Later in the morning, as I sipped my coffee in the quiet hours of my home with no one around, I wondered if it was a coffee withdrawal nightmare or a brain's way of teasing me,

"Slow down, my friend!"