NJ22A

I think I can manage to do a little bit of writing. It's into the 24 hours of my migraine and I'm going a bit stir just
sitting with a pillow over my face and struggling with nausea. Maybe I can distract myself.

Back to reminiscing. I was last seen sitting down waiting for Johnathon to explain how/why I saw Dary'll and the
other shit that happened the previous nights.

Johnathon began explaining to me that several times a year he goes into a special sort of dream state where his
dreams became very lucid.

"So lucid," he explained, "that I have a difficult time discerning between the dream and reality. During that time,
my state of mind is so open that moments arise when I sleep that I, for lack of a better term, travel. Leaving my
body open for other travelers. Usually I just move, or travel, going into what appears as an unusually deep sleep.
But, other times, travelers step into my "available" body. These entities are usually also in their perspective of a
sleeping state and will occasionally be," and he searched for the proper words, "on the same wavelength, so to
speak. I call it harmonizing. When that happens, we trade places. I end up in their sleeping body, and they end up
in mine."

He sat there, letting this information sink in.

My mind raced as I thought of the possibilities. "What happens if a dangerous entity enters your body?" I asked.

Johnathon pointed to the corner where the Singularity sat, hovered, whatever. "He takes care of that. He cannot
predict what might be traveling, but once transition has been made, he can help to prevent it from harming itself,
or others." He grinned wryly. "Or me."

"Why does this happen at all?"

Johnathon glanced up at the corner again. "It's a way to draw food for the Singularity."

"Food?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yes. He...feeds on the phenomena that is drawn by my 'phasing.'"

"Phasing?"

"That's what I call it," Johnathon explained, sounding unusually subdued.

"So, you 'Phase' a couple times a year?"

He nodded. "Apparently my illness did something to my mental state and I slid into Phase the other night and you
had the pleasure of meeting Dary'll."

I began adding things up. "How many nights does this continue?"

"Usually three."

"Right. So you've got one more night of Phase to go before you're done?"

He nodded.

"What do you do? Just go to sleep and hope for the best? Hope that some multi-tentacled monster hasn't eaten
the silverware for an appetizer?" I asked him, smiling, but half-serious. "What kind of phenomena are you
talking about?"

"I'm usually alone and for the most part, I sleep. Most people can't handle the outside phenomena much less an
actual entity that might transition. It isn't always as complete as you saw the other night. The resolution, I call it,
varies from me looking like I'm playacting--my voice a little different--to complete body change, and all the levels
in between. It is extremely rare to experience what you saw. That was 100% resolution."

He looked at me solidly. "I don't like being alone. There were a few times when I was much younger, where I
woke up not knowing how I'd gotten to where I was."

"We can stay...can't we, Les?" I asked, turning to him.

His eyes were wide but he agreed. "Yeah. Sure. Why not? I'm game. Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing a Taulin."

Les was disappointed. Or maybe not. The night went silently along and Johnathon fell into a very deep sleep, and
nothing happened. At one point he spoke in his sleep, in a language I did not recognize. But he didn't speak
clearly enough for me to try and take notes. That was the extent of it, or so I thought.

After several hours of keeping an eye on Johnathon, Les fell asleep but I forced myself to stay awake. More
hours passed and then Johnathon's head lifted. He looked at me.

A chill went through me as I realized I was not looking at Johnathon. It was his body. His eyes. But there was a
difference about him that I could not put my finger on. How does one define the soul? I feel that it was not
Johnathon's soul that looked out at me through his eyes. It was highly unnerving.

"Good evening," a raspy voice addressed me.

I nodded, eyes wide, and watched Les move to roll over in his sleep.

Johnathon's hand rose and waved through the air in Les' direction.

Les stopped moving and began to snore.

"I am what Johnathon refers to as the Singularity."

"N-n-nice to meet you," I stuttered, trying to be respectful. The feeling of looking at someone I knew, and having
someone or something else looking at me through their eyes was indescribable. As it was, I had the impression
that if I were to meet the Singularity in person, its presence would more than fill the room.

"Johnathon has need of friends and I believe you could be a good friend. I have looked at you and am...curious.
There is something about you." He tilted Johnathon's head in a very inhuman way. I returned its gaze and
realized that the aura I was not noticing, was huge. And black.

Every hair on my body must have stood on end. I felt as though I were covered in needles.

"I believe in you," it told me and then nodded weirdly. "I will be here. In the shadows. Do not be afraid of
shadows. Do not be afraid of the dark. It is where I exist."

It lay Johnathon's head back down on the pillow and purposefully closed its eyes, returning Johnathon to a deep
sleep.

(Continued on Next Page)