Hypnagogic Tales

By Titania D. Grace

For Titania D. Grace, dreams are part nightmare, part mystery, and part pure inspiration. In the hypnagogic state, the ephemeral boundary between sleep and the waking world, her dreams flourished. She brings them to life in Hypnagogic Tales, a trio of murder mysteries enhanced by the supernatural and science fiction.

In Second Chance, a coma patient becomes the object of fascination for FBI Agents. As they begin to unravel her mysterious past, she fears what epiphany awaits.

Within Be Wary of Wishes Erica is thrilled when Nolan, her handsome neighbor asks her out on a mini adventure in Central Park. But when her life starts to spin into a dizzying avalanche of good luck followed by Nolans bizarre comments and behavior, Erica begins to worry about whats next.

Tormented by gruesome dream images, a woman fights for her sanity in her waking hours. When Amanda, a scared and abused child appears at her door one night, begging for help, she takes her in. As secret upon secret conspires to unravel her life, she becomes uncertain of who can be trusted. As her life begins to close in around her, she learns that there is No Room for Secrets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491746240

Titania D. Grace

Harlem-born, Titania D. Grace is a licensed master social worker living in New York City. Her upbringing as a foster child inspired her to write Through the Belly of the Beast and Back: My Life in Foster Care. She is currently working to finance a documentary on foster care in New York City.

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HYPNAGOGIC TALES

Copyright © 2014 Titania D. Grace.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-4623-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-4625-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-4624-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916238

iUniverse rev. date: 10/01/2014

Contents

Acknowledgments

Hypnagogic Tale One    Second Chance

Hypnagogic Tale Two    Be Wary Of Wishes

Hypnagogic Tale Three    No Room For Secrets

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To All of You with Love and Gratitude

I want to first thank the three women who have loved, influenced, and supported me in following my dreams, my grandmother Mary, my mother Vanessa, and my mentor Gail. Additionally, I want to thank my loving brother David for always reminding me that our bond can’t be broken. And to my other wonderful family and friends who continue to love and support me in my creative endeavors, thanks for all you are and all that you do.

I must also extend a special thanks to a great friend and supporter, Jason D. Boroff. You have done and continue to do so much to nourish my dreams, I will be forever grateful.

And last but not least, special thanks to the Graphic Designer Ian Martin who did a remarkable job with interpreting my vision for the Cover Art. To Patrick Kirby, the Editor of Hypnagogic Tales, thanks for all of your generosity and hard work, I am very appreciative. And to Miles Tittle, the Instructor of the Science Fiction course I was fortunate to be in during the Winter 2014 term at Carleton University, thanks for exposing me to the world of Science Fiction literature and for doing it in both an amusing and captivating way.

HYPNAGOGIC TALE ONE

SECOND CHANCE

I t had been nearly two weeks that Colette had been in a coma and when she began to awake she found herself restrained to a hospital bed. And as she slowly started to regain consciousness and take notice of her surroundings something about the room she was in caused her to panic. The room was somewhat familiar and out of confusion and fear of where she might be Colette began to freak out. But instead of calling out for help she anxiously tried to break free of the restraints that were tied around her wrists and legs. Yet despite her many attempts she was unsuccessful in setting herself free and eventually exhausted herself in the process. And although she noticed a white button beside her bed that was within her reach, she wouldn’t allow herself to push the button. However, just an hour after she awoke a nurse who had been doing her rounds noticed that Colette had awoken from her coma.

Upon realizing that Colette had come out of her two-week coma the nurse quickly got assistance and before Colette knew it her room was filled with a team of doctors and nurses. The whole sight was so alarming for her and yet she couldn’t fully understand why she was so afraid. However, all she knew was that she wanted to escape from the bed she was in and hopefully from that room as well. After seeing Colette struggle with coming out of her coma one of the nurses injected her with medication that helped to sedate her. Between the medication they gave her and the somewhat foggy state of mind that Colette had already been in, Colette couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in danger. But as the sedative kicked in Colette’s thoughts of harm and worry seemed to ease.

That evening after slowly coming off the sedative that she had been given earlier that day she awoke to find her brother and sister sitting on chairs by her bed. The sight of her siblings definitely took her by surprise and their presence eventually made her feel more at ease. Suddenly her limb restraints and being in an unknown room no longer bothered her although she still wondered why she was there under those circumstances. Yet immediately Colette’s thoughts were overshadowed by her sister Stephanie crying as she moved toward Colette saying that she was her older sister and asking if Colette remembered her. And though Colette didn’t verbally answer her, she nodded to indicate that she knew who Stephanie was. And after Stephanie had held Colette for several minutes, Colette’s younger brother David stood beside Colette’s bed and smiled before he went in for a kiss and hug. David didn’t bother asking if Colette remembered him, because it was clear by Colette’s face and willingness to have him approach her that she recognized her brother. While David embraced Colette, Stephanie went out of the room and returned with a nurse. Soon after the nurse entered the room, a doctor and what appeared to be a resident intern also came into the room. At this time Stephanie and David were asked to leave the room while the medical team conducted another physical examination on Colette.

After checking her breathing, blood pressure and physical movements, they also checked her body for any signs of trauma. The only bruising the doctors noticed was on her wrists and legs, which they attributed to her violent attempts to break free from the medical restraints when she initially came out of the coma. The restraints had been authorized by her doctor to protect Colette from harming herself or anyone else while in or upon waking from her coma. During her physical the doctor had asked several questions but Colette at first only nodded yes or no when she replied. While she wanted to speak she noticed that her mouth was incredibly dry. So she continued to drink the water that her nurse had left on the table beside her bed. And while she was eventually able to answer some of the questions that her doctor asked of her pertaining to the physical, she felt pretty tired after the day’s events. Yet before she could get some sleep she was informed that FBI agents had been waiting to ask her a few questions about the events that led up to her and two other patients ending up in comas.

Agents Wright and Sanchez seemed not to waste any time entering her hospital room and introducing themselves. Agent Wright was an average looking man around six feet tall with an athletic built. He seemed well put together, but not over dressed. His attire consisted of a simple white button-down shirt with black slacks. While his shoes seemed slightly over shined, other than that nothing stood out regarding his appearance. And agent Sanchez, though she wore a pants suit and a little makeup, was clearly quite attractive. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and the seriousness of her manner made it certain that she meant business. However, they both definitely seemed eager to find out from Colette what happened to her and to the other two patients that police officers found with her with, particularly since the guy and teen girl were still in