5:30am

    5:30am. My alarm just went off. I know I need to get up...but the pull of the covers is just too strong... then I hear it- tiny screams...not just one, but several echoing through my ear canal. Instead of waking, my mind drifts into a dream-like state and I imagine that there's always screaming going on at 5:30am underneath my bedroom window.  When the clock strikes 5:45, I finally peel my eyelids back and rise from my sea of comfort. The memory of the screams fades until later that morning.
   Our normal morning routine ensues, except for the part where Josiah emerges from his room with dried blood on his hands. Apparently it was another late night nosebleed.
   As I recall the early morning incident, thoughts swirl through my brain: "could this be a vision from God?" "were these screams of souls in torment?" "was it just the fan blowing air thru my clogged ear canals?" .  My mind is vividly overactive at times and thoughts just pop out in random succession.  As I leave for work, I implore my husband to check the news for any major catastrophes that would have happened around 5:30am, our time.
     Arriving at the Infant Care Center, I proceed to complete the regular duties when a thought hits me. A thought so reasonable, I had to laugh... (and still am).  The early morning screams I heard may have possibly been those of my son, muted by the white noise of the fan in our room.... And thus solves the mystery of any visions or dreams, or pre-morning delusions I may have had.