An old rocking chair with built in snooze button

Davis wakes up rather abruptly. He checks his watch. Two thirty. Is that in the morning, or afternoon? He thinks about checking, but maybe a few more minutes of sleep first. So he lets his eyes close and feels himself drifting off. The sensation is pleasant. And he feels so relaxed.

His eyes snap open again. The sensation of coming out of a deep, dreamless sleep, is almost overwhelming. Another look at his watch reveals more strange news. It’s six thirty. Once again Davis wonders if that is morning, or early evening. Now he knows he needs to get up. And get moving. He’s already wasted over four hours napping in this rocking chair.

The gentle motion of the rocker makes it difficult to concentrate. In fact, Davis tries to remember when he sat down here today. Or was it yesterday? The thought seems to drift lazily back down into his mind. What a ridiculous thought too. Who ever heard of someone spending a night, and day, sleeping in a rocking chair? The thought is so interesting he begins dreaming about it as he falls into a much deeper state of sleep.

An Old Rocking Chair

Betty marks the antique table and chairs, off the list. As the workers unload them from the truck, she gives them a quick look over. They appear to be in pristine condition. Also they will certainly sell for more than she paid for them. Furthermore, they will be a nice addition to her showroom floor. With the recent uptick in her business, Betty is grateful to have found the estate sale.

Betty owns Second Hand Sales. Her second hand shop is very popular among thrifty shoppers. Lately her business has boomed. In fact, she has worked tirelessly to restock her store. Her inventory is so low, she is nearly out of anything to sell. Thanks to the odd estate sale, that is about to change. Therefore she watches the unloading of the truck, and marks the list. Next comes the old rocking chair. She looks it over as it passes by.

It was in good condition, but had a strange back story. Apparently found with someone still in it. Someone who passed away in it. In fact, according to the estate administrator, the deceased went missing years ago. Investigations were launched, and a search was initiated, but to no avail. The missing person was never found. Until the old house went up for auction in the estate sale. That is when they discovered the body. In the rocking chair.

Rocking Chair Built In Snooze Button

The rocking chair is the last item to be offloaded from the truck. Betty checks it, and finds no obvious defects, or problems. Other than its macabre back story, it appears to be a normal rocking chair. In fact, it is in such good shape it can go directly to the showroom floor. Which is where she directs the workers to place it. Thirty minutes later they shut off the lights and lock the doors for the weekend.

Betty leaves the shop and drives directly home. There will be much work to do on Monday. Therefore, she has plans to use the weekend and do some catching up at home. With the recent uptick in business, she is woefully behind in her home responsibilities. Furthermore, she has a hunch the week ahead will be a busy one. It was a good plan until she got the call Sunday morning.

Trevor Smith is missing and Trevor is one of her part-time workers. In fact, he was helping unload the truck Friday evening. Subsequently that is the last time anyone saw him. His family filed a missing persons report Saturday evening. Which was followed by a call to Betty, on Sunday morning, from the Sheriff’s office. After answering as many questions as she could, Betty hung up the phone. Now, all she can think of, is what happened to Trevor?

Monday Early Start

The rest of Sunday evening Betty stays alert for any word on Trevor. Then, the following morning, she leaves early for work. It is Monday and she wants to get a jump on things. She might even open the store early today. It is definitely worth considering as she unlocks the door to the shop. She clicks on the lights. And screams. In fact, she nearly faints.

The moment the lights come on, she discovers she isn’t alone. Additionally, she finds Trevor. In a most unexpected place, no less. He sits, slumped over, in the rocking chair from the estate sale. Apparently he never left the store on Friday. Indeed, he sits slumped over, and sound asleep, in the old rocking chair.

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