“He Knows”
Tammy knew her insomnia was terrible, but didn’t realize it was “The stuff of legend,” until one, groggy Christmas morning when she was forty-six.
She walked into her living room to find a small present on the floor. If she had bothered to put a tree up, the present would probably have been under it. After looking around, Tammy called out, “Chris, this isn’t funny.” After a moment, she added, “You swore you hadn’t made a copy when you gave my key back.” A quick check showed that the door and all the windows were shut and locked, and no ex was hiding in a closet holding back laughter.
Back in the living room, Tammy picked up the present. Giving it a bit of a shake gave a rattle, almost like a bottle of pills. The simple tag read, “To Tammy, From Santa.”
Groaning, she ripped off the paper to find a plain, cardboard box. Opening it actually revealed a small bottle of pills. Tammy read the label, and the medicine was these super sleeping pills her insurance didn’t think she needed. Also in the box was an actual prescription for the medicine in her name from a Doctor North that was prepaid and refillable.
In the bottom of the box was a note reading, “Do us both a favor, and use as directed. -Nicholas.”
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If you liked this story, you might want to check out Useless Cogs, my collection of forty, science fiction stories.