The Nightmare of Awakening by Jai
	When Sheri Thompson crawled out of bed on Monday morning, it was to the sound of her radio. It was the weatherman telling everyone it would be a bright and sunny day. She peeked out her window. It was getting cloudy. The weatherman then added it would be warm and windy. Sheri thought about that for a moment, then hurried off to get dressed. She had a little less then two hours to get ready for work. She was putting waffles into the toaster when her children ran down the stairs; her husband went into the downstairs bathroom to take a shower. Timmy put his shoes on the wrong feet, and while Sheri put them on the right feet Matty stole the waffles and ran out the door, her backpack over one shoulder. Sheri put more waffles in, frowning after Matty. Her daughter had no modesty, in those tight shorts that sported a "low waistline" and barely came over her thighs. Fred would have said that the shorts let her bum hang out. Timmy sat down to eat his waffles, smearing them with too much margarine, and too much syrup. A few minutes later he was content, but completely sticky. Sheri groaned, and told him to run and change, the bus would be there at any moment. With the bus honking wildly, Timmy dashed out the door, still sticky, his shoes untied. Fred appeared a moment later straightening his tie. He was about to say something to her when his carpool van honked, and she was left with a quick kiss. Sheri watched her remaining family member go, then set about cleaning the kitchen. After a quick shower, she dressed and applied her make up, and she headed out to catch the bus. She walked along, watching the birds, watching the other people go about their lives. Everything seemed... perfect. At last, she arrived at the bus stop and sat down to wait. A few cars went by. A cat skittered across the street. And then she realized what was wrong. It was too perfect. She got on the bus when it braked noisily at the street corner. She had her card stamped, and took her usual seat in the middle of the bus. She always sat in the middle of the bus, she had never wondered why. Over the radio, a news reporter told of capturing several hundred prisoners of war, who had surrendered without a fight after seeing the might of the military. A lady spoke of how many less starving people there were in the country. Sheri looked out the window. A man was sitting against a fence, and as they drove by, Sheri realized she had seen him there for a long time. She wondered why he did not work, but maybe he was considered unfit. The bus did not stop at work. It was hit by a truck. Three people died when it did. Sheri, being in the middle, crawled out of the bus through a window, and then pulled herself away from it. She was on the side of the street when the bus blew up. The truck did as well. Sheri watched the bus blow up with a sense of detachment. She would not have a ride to work any longer. For a long time she sat on the side of the street. The medical and fire teams came, and put out the blaze, but no one noticed her. They let her sit on the sidewalk, watching the cars go past. At last, Sheri stood up, and started walking. She did not know who she was, or why she was walking, but she walked. She walked for hours, down streets, past houses, through the park. No one stopped her. No one talked to her. She wondered if she was dead perhaps. It would make sense. She slapped herself on the hand to see if she was awake. Slapping herself hurt, and she decided not to do it anymore. She petted a cat, but the cat scratched her. Annoyed, she left the cat behind. At last, she stopped on the bank of a river she had never seen before. She sat down, and stared at the water in fascination. She had never seen so much water running loose before. She watched a squirrel collect nuts. Then she stood up and turned around to go back. She realized everything. She completely understood. It all made sense. She went home. Her children were still at school. She threw away the television. She threw away the microwave. She smashed the blender into twenty-five pieces, and the radio into many more. She smashed her phone, and the computer, and the cell phone. She went back into the house after taking the broken appliances to the trashcan. She pulled the blinds down from the windows. She threw them into the trashcan as well. She took all the microwave and instant food and threw that into the trashcan. She added the fast-food coupons and certificates she had, and then found a lighter. Actually, she borrowed the lighter from the man next door. It was illegal to smoke, but she knew he did anyway. She ought to have turned him in, before. She set the coupons on fire. The entire trashcan was soon a massive blaze. She watched the fire for a long moment. Down the street, the school bus stopped, and her children got off. She went back inside, and found the newspapers, and the magazines, and threw them into the fire as well. She threw pictures of pop stars, she tossed the toothpaste container. She threw away the hair dye, and hair dryer, and gave the paper towels away. And then she waited. Her family came home at last, and they stared at her in horror. Had this woman, their mother and wife of so many years, lost her mind? Did she need to be sent to a correctional facility? She laughed at their questions. "No. I am fine," she answered, ignoring their strange looks. "I understand the truth, that the world we live in is a lie. We know nothing of what is really going on. Everything is created to make us conform, and ignore what really happens. I won't live like that anymore." Her son stared at her for a long moment, then went next door to call the local Centre of Information Database Department. Her daughter started crying, and went upstairs to call her best friend on her cell-phone, and ask to spend the night. Her husband just sat down and watched Sheri. People came, and started watching her as well. She told everyone what she realized. How they were being controlled by a system that cared nothing for them besides their work value. About how there was not really peace, and enough jobs, and that hundreds were starving, and thousands were dying every day. Many thought she was insane. She didn't care what they thought, and continued to tell them. At last the police came, and forced everyone away, beating anyone who would not go back inside their houses. Not many needed beating though. Then they tackled her, and took her away. Her husband got up, after the firemen had put out the fire, and the black and white car had driven off with his wife. He went inside, and started making dinner.