1 The Addicted Sleeper

Dahlia Carlisle loved to sleep.

She loved sleep so much that whenever she lay down to sleep, she'd sleep like a rock.

It didn't matter where she was or who she was with she went to sleep.

Dahlia's family considered it a sickness because they felt that soon Dahlia would sleep with her eyes open and eventually lose touch with reality as she became a permanent citizen of Dreamland.

Dahlia always laughed when her parents expressed this concern and said that it would never happen.

It is needless to say that no one believed her.

Dahlia's father, Leon worried truly that something would happen to his daughter and spoke about it with his wife.

"Marie, I can't help but be concerned" he began confidently as they lay in bed one night.

"I know, Lee. I'm worried too"

Leon was puzzled, could it be that she'd read his mind?

"No, I did not read your mind. It's just that it's predictable what you're about to say. It's Dahlia, isn't it?"

"Yes, I worry about how sleepy she is. She sleeps everywhere for goodness sake...if she gets comfortable, slightly warmer, slightly colder and heaven knows if there are suddenly more people...even then she'd still be able to sleep!" he spoke passionately.

"You sound like you thought this through" his wife observed.

"What if she sleeps on a train and gets carried off by goons or something"

"I'm listening"

"Or if she falls asleep and gets dropped off at the wrong station. At twenty, she's too sleepy for a young woman"

"Well, you do remember what the doctor said, she's perfectly fine. The reason may have something to do with her mental health"

"I remember", Leon sighed as he recalled their fruitless visit to the doctor. According to the tests, Dahlia was fine but there had been a possibility that it might be a mental illness.

The man had claimed with a straight face that his daughter could be crazy, crazy?!

"What is your plan?"

Leon took a deep breath.

"It's only a measure for extreme cases, like if she oversleeps and isn't home for twenty hours. Let's get her to wear a tracking device?".

"Honey, it's only a good idea if she agrees. Let's ask her first"

Dahlia was shocked by the request. She finally realised the extent of worry she had brought her parents to.

Baring a dimple, she smiled at her parents and hugged them.

"I'm sorry for worrying you so much. If it puts your hearts to rest, I'll gladly do it...but just to set your minds at rest."

And so Dahlia accepted to wear the necklace that had a tracking device stored in it.

It had a big and very lovely diamond set in it.

Touched to the bone, she embraced her parents once more.

Even when she had a bath or went to sleep, she did not take it off.

One day as she was walking through town, she discovered a newly opened shop.

A large sofa with plush cushions was outside and she thought of how nice it would be to fall asleep in.

She walked into the shop and discovered that furniture was sold there.

Dahlia decided to take a look around.

She gasped when she stepped into the shop her hands automatically flying to her mouth in a cute shocked gesture.

This place was a sleeper 's heaven! She couldn't imagine anything beyond what she was seeing and right in front of her, all around her was lots of warmth and cozyness.

There were nice stools with fluffy padding. There were also comfy sofas like the one she'd seen outside.

Then there was the side of the wide showroom where beds were displayed.

Her heart skipped a few beats as she saw how beautiful they all were.

There were bunk beds, princess beds with posters, beds of king and queen size. There were even single person beds where she could have space all for herself.

The one which caught her eyes most was the large king-size-four-poster bed placed on a raised dais.

From what she could discern with her eyes, the mattress was filled with down. The wood was such a rich mahogany that the frame of the bed looked majestic in itself.

Dahlia couldn't be content with looking so she decided to just climb up to it.

Just as she was about to touch the bed, she heard a voice.

"Customer? Excuse me but you can't be there"

She turned to see a young salesgirl addressing her.

"I don't know who you are or how much you're worth but if you cannot afford that six digit price tag please refrain from touching that bed" she continued in a rush.

It was then that Dahlia noticed that the bed went for nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine (999 999) in dollars.

Her eyes froze with shock. She must have been right. The bed must have been filled with down...why else would it go for so large a price?

She descended the dais and passed by the salesgirl who had now been joined by another girl.

The girls snickered behind her back.

"With shoes like that how dare she think of touching the King's Comfort bed? She's probably another of those poor hill-billies from the countryside"

Her friend laughed, "Oh please, don't be so loud. She might hear you"

"Don't be silly dear,.it was meant to be heard" they chirped together.

Dahlia frowned and looked down at her boots. True enough they looked a bit shabby since she'd been out in the rain with them and hadn't cleaned them yet but they were a good quality.

With a scowl in the girls' direction, she made a decision.

She may not be rich enough to buy it, but she would make sure she slept in that bed. Even if it would be for a little while.

★★★★★

With this new resolve Dahlia left the shop.

In the next few weeks she took opportunities whenever she was in town to visit the furniture shop.

Each time she'd try to climb up to the bed and each time the same salesgirl would stop her.

She soon learned that the girl's name was Lucy.

Dahlia would wait till it was Lucy's break time and seek for a chance to jump onto the bed. Lucy would spring up from nowhere and catch Dahlia just in the nick of time.

Lucy soon grew sick of Dahlia's behaviour and tried to report to her superiors but no one took it seriously since they'd never actually seen it happen.

One day there was a call. A customer wanted the King's Comfort bed!

Lucy couldn't have been happier. Finally she could rest.

The bed came with sheets and a duvet set so she set about tidying up and spreading the bed. She fluffed up the many pillows on it and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Nice!

Lucy left and went to the counter to wait for the customer and also to make sure the notorious other customer did not ruin things with their client.

Just as she reached the counter, she had a second thought. Surely this client must be rich to order a bed so expensive...maybe she should just pop into the bathroom and freshen up, opportunities came in different ways.

Her heart was torn then, what if Dahlia were to show up in her absence?

With a firm resolution she decided to take her chances. She called her friend to cover for her and leaving her with a warning, Lucy hurried off to the bathroom.

As was to be expected, Dahlia showed up immediately after.

Dahlia had been out shopping for a new dress. She'd saved up some money from her job so she had taken some time to enjoy some shopping.

She'd found a lovely pink summer dress with satin bows and frills. The colour complemented her skin tone.

She decided to visit the furniture shop on her way home and ended up going into the hair salon. She had her hair washed thoroughly and brushed to shiny glossiness. The salon was giving free facials to celebrate an anniversary of sorts so she got a face scrub too. When she left the salon, she looked like a completely different person and this was why the girl at the counter did not recognize her.

Lucy's friend had only ever seen Dahlia looking unruly and so she failed to reconcile this smartly dressed beautiful woman with the notorious customer she was used to seeing.

She immediately hurried to Dahlia and made a respectful bow.

"Welcome our revered guest. What can I help you with today?"

To say she was shocked in the very least would be an understatement of Dahlia's surprise right then. She blinked twice and wondered what had gone wrong.

She turned around to see if the salesgirl meant someone else. There was no one behind her.

"Me? You're speaking to me?"

"Yes ma'am. Is it your first time here? I cannot seem to recognise you for truly yours is not a face one can forget"

Then it hit Dahlia. She definitely looked different after the day's facial treatment. Even she felt different.

Wondering to what extent her makeover had transformed her she decided to play around a bit.

"Truly it's my first time here. I'm surprised by your professionalism"

The salesgirl nodded with a smile,"Ma'am you're too kind."

"No, I mean it. It would be a shame to see you do something terrible like hauling out a customer by the hair" she gave the girl a sharp disapproving glance.

As was to be expected, the salesgirl's cheeks colored.

"No, Ma'am it'd be embarrassing to say the least"

"Whatever. I've been having a hard time sleeping lately. See these dark circles under my eyes"

The girl looked up at Dahlia's clear eyes.

Dahlia stifled a yawn and admitted to herself that she was truly exhausted. A comfortable nap would be nice.

The girl was envious, 'With such clear skin she feels like she has eye bags? How lovely would it be to have have skin clearer than this...is it even possible?'she thought to herself.

With a sigh she replied, "What are you looking for?"

"Show me the most expensive bed you have. I have decided to use lots of money today, my beauty sleep is important you see"

Dahlia flashed a toothpaste smile.

"Yes, right this way"

Dahlia smiled as she was led to the bed she had wanted to at least touch. It was still on the raised dais but it seemed like someone had put fresh sheets.

Almost there, she swallowed nervously. She looked around to see if Lucy was around and even considered asking the salesgirl about her whereabouts but then thought that she might expose her identity so instead she asked something else.

"What a lovely shop. So many nice furniture. It must be hard to handle all the work on your own"she commented.

The girl smiled shyly, "No, Ma'am. I work with another girl"

"Oh" Dahlia frowned slightly, "I suppose she's on leave today"

"She is around. She just went to touch up her makeup in the bathroom"

"I see..."

Hmmmm, the she-devil is around? I cannot get caught. This is my chance. I should just grab this chance and sleep in the expensive bed.

To dismiss the girl she spoke.

"My style truly. This must cost thousands. That's good, a worthwhile amount for a queen to sleep. Fine, but I don't like these sheets. Get different ones and add them to the bill. Make sure they are rich and luxurious"

Just as the girl turned she added for good measure "Not that someone like you would know anything about luxury anyway"

The salesgirl was visibly wounded but she hurried to please and show that she knew a little about luxury too.

Dahlia waited till she was out of sight then grinned wide. She looked around for a nice spot she could hide her shopping bags and shoes then she climbed into the bed.

She burrowed into the covers and sank into the soft mattress and pillows.

Finally!!!! She screamed inside.

Soon she drifted off to Dreamland.