The clock read 3:25am. Sorcha awoke quickly, and turned to stare at her husband. He was still sound asleep, his arms under the pillow, contracting it into a ball to support his head. The gentle whir of the sound machine was all she could hear.

She rubbed her eyes and laid her head back down as she stared at the ceiling. What a strange dream, she thought to herself. She wasn’t sure she remembered all of it. Something about Jeff, drinking milk from the fridge. She told him it wasn’t any good. He sniffed it and told her it was fine.

“It’s expired. Only good ‘til the 15th.”

“Today is the 16th... but it’s good until the 15th of next month.”

Then it got weird.

“How long is that?” she asked.

Jeff had his phone in his hand. “Siri, how many days between today and the 15th?”

The phone screen paused or stalled, then presented what normally looked like a response from a web search. The kind where Siri found something, but you have to click the screen to read it. But Jeff didn’t have to read it. Several web pages popped up on their own, and various sections were actively being highlighted. Jeff looked startled and showed Sorcha the screen. She didn’t understand it.

Then another man was sitting in a chair next to them, except now they were in a different room. The man said, “it’s learning!”. Moments later, Siri gave them an answer, but no one could understand it.

That’s when Sorcha woke up. Not sure what to make of it. She fluffed her pillow lightly, and turned to go back to sleep.

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In the morning, she went to the kitchen. Jeff had already made coffee. The sounds of Rush’s “The Trees” was just finishing, and the opening guitar of “La Villa Strangiata” was filling in the space in the room. Sorcha poured a cup of coffee and sat at the table. She told him about her strange dream. He listened, and nodded.

“I had a strange dream last night too, or maybe it was the night before last?”

“We were staying in a house, I guess it was our house, or maybe we were renting it. Anyway. I remember walking outside, and in the road or alley next to the house there appeared to be a large wolf-like creature, but larger than normal. Like, it was maybe half as tall as the house, with long thin, spidery legs. There was an older lady on a bike with a front basket, and there was something in the basket, though I don’t know what. She told me to be wary of the coyotes. Next, I was back inside the house, and I was starting to feel a sensation boiling up from inside me. Then Grace was in front of me, and the feeling grew to feel like I needed to throw up. Next, I was projectile vomiting in the direction of Grace, but it was like I was throwing up the soul of a demon or something. As that happened, I felt my body paralyzed, and at the same time, start to raise off the floor - levitating. I was overwhelmed with fear. I was floating toward you, and had a realization that I was possessed by a demon or something. Still paralyzed, I managed to say, “Help me, Sorcha!”. But it was like you couldn’t see or hear me. So, I said it again. Then I woke up sweating. I thought I had said “Help me” out loud. I looked over at you to see if I had woken you up. But, you were still asleep.”

Sorcha stared at him for several minutes as the music continued to conjure deep and dark images of a strange place, a seemingly perfect backdrop for Jeff's story. "What kind of demon do you think it was?", inquired Sorcha.

"I have no idea. But it was overwhelming - I couldn't stop it. When my body was feeling paralyzed, and began levitating, I couldn't understand what was happening. It was like things I knew to be true suddenly were not true anymore, and that scared the crap out of me."

"That sounds intense."

"Yeah. So... you didn't hear me scream ‘Help me’?", asked Jeff.

"I don't think so. I was obviously not sleeping very soundly myself, so I think I would have heard you scream something."