As soon as the cooling sensation of the cream settled into my skin, my consciousness started to doze off. It wasn't like a normal drift into sleep... it felt like my summer... that heavy, humid weight of the day... was finally sinking down, pulling me under into a deep, silent ridee. I could feel my breathing slowing, my limbs getting heavy and sinking into the mattress until I couldn't even feel the bed anymore. For a second, I thought I was finally going to get that peaceful rest I've been craving... just a quiet, empty sleep where my brain completely shuts up for once.
But then, the floor of my mind seemed to give way.
I felt like I was falling... a sudden, stomach-flipping drop through nothingness that made my heart jump into my throat. It felt like the bed had just disappeared and I was plummeting through a dark elevator shaft until... thump. I landed with a great big thud on my butt, the impact vibrating right up my spine and making my teeth rattle.
