Hem couldn’t sleep. HE COULD NOT SLEEP. He thrashed and groaned and tumbled about in his BED and furiously kicked his feet like an ANGRY GENTLEMAN in the middle of the night. He needed to sleep! Work in the mornin’. His ma was havin’ him straighten up the hedges or some such nonsense work and the Catcher’s Moon had long since disappeared over past them there Madman’s Mountains and he was awake.

AWAKE.

He peered into the darkness like a madman hisself and sighed like some angry MADMAN.

THOUGHTS. What sorta thoughts were racin’ through this lad’s head? It don’t matter on account of there not supposed to be any thoughts at this hour!! He ripped open his curtains or blinds or whatever you call ‘em in this fantasy world and looked out, looked out at the silent sleeping Gilba Gilba. Nobody else was havin’ trouble sleepin’ and that’s a fact, or near as much as he could ascertain by peerin’ out there into the darkness. The stars were glinting quietly. Probably sleeping too since it was so late and even the stars had no trouble findin’ themselves a comfortable position to relax into.

Hem knew that last paragraph was INSANE but a lad thinks such things when the sleepers keep away like the leaves in the leaver beaver beeeeeeeeeaver LEEEAAAAAAVERE.

The sun would rise over East Assol soon and he needed SOME sorta rest of some sort, and that’s just plain facts.

Hem had an idea. He knew his da on certain occasions enjoyed a bit o’ Heemee’s Finest when he could get it. Chance upon chances his da came home earlier with a barrel o’ the stuff!! If Hem could sneak on down to the downstairs rooms and pour hisself a quick glass o’ the Finest, well well well that just might knock him out. He set out to do just that.

OOOOOOOOKAY and Hem is back upstairs in his room feelin’ mighty good about that idea indeed he is! What now? Well now he just waits to pass out and forget this insane situation. He’s gotta get up for work in the mornin’ and it’s gonna be a brutal one but let’s be honest what kinda work is he really doin’ that requires the full possession of his faculties?