I think we've all done this. You're sleepy, tired, about to fall asleep, when an idea hits you that's just so great you have to write it down.
The following morning you read your great idea, and are left to ask yourself, "What was I thinking??"
That is exactly what this collection is. The stories within are things I wrote that are too meaningless, irrelevent, or weird to post anywhere else. I've named this collection "3 AM" because I usually concieve these stories late into the night (or early in the day depending on how you look at it).
These pieces aren't necessarily bad, some are actually quite an interesting read. They just have a few tweaks to be done before I would consider dedicating it to a oneshot or as part of a story. And so they are showcased here, so that they get a taste of the spotlight for what few moments they may.
"I was sleeping soundly when something interrupted slumber" a voice sounded out.
Luigi's eyes fluttered open. He sat up in bed, irritated that something woke him early.
"I was hoping to have slept longer" The voice continued. Luigi jumped in his seat.
"Who said that?" Luigi asked timidly.
"I was greeted with a voice that startled me." The strange voice continued. "I was scared, but also intrigued at the same time."
"Who are you??" Luigi asked, fearful of the answer.
"The person ignored my question, and talked as if I was not there. But I would not be ignored, I demanded to know what was going on. I shouted,"
"Leave me alone!" Luigi bellowed. "Don't think you're scaring me because you're not!"
The voice continued it's monologue. "I told the voice I was not scared of it, although that was a lie. Deep down I was truly afraid of what was happening, and what this person wanted from me. I quickly hastened out of the room, in hopes of escaping the voice that haunted me so."
Luigi leapt from his bed and dashed out of the room. He ran down the hallway still in his underwear from the night before. The voice became quieter as Luigi ran through his home, and became totally silent once Luigi made his way downstairs. Mario looked his way.
"Hey bro," Mario greeted, "What's got you all freaked out?"
"Nothing." Luigi lied. He heard about what happened to people who claimed to hear voices, and there was no chance he was going down that road.
"Then how come you're still in your boxers?" Mario questioned. He could clearly tell something was wrong.
"Um, I'm just so excited about breakfast I couldn't wait!" Luigi said, rubbing his stomach to reinforce his fictitious excuse. "In fact, I'll go make some pancakes right now!"
Before Mario could utter another word Luigi ran into the kitchen, grabbing the essential things he needed to prepare his famous buttermilk pancakes.
"I'm going upstairs to grab my iPod before I go out." Mario yelled from the living room. "Do you want me to toss down some clothes for you while I'm up?"
"Sure!" Luigi yelled back, too engrossed in his pancakes to care much about Mario's stair climbing ambitions. As the first pancake was finished, Luigi heard the soft thud of his clothes hitting the ground behind him. He turned around just in time to see Mario bolt out the front door for his morning jog, the iPod attached to his arm blasting "Eye of the Tiger".
Once Mario was gone, Luigi dropped the breakfast act and put on his clothes. With a sigh he pondered about that voice he heard earlier. Maybe it was a stupid prank, or maybe Luigi actually was going mad.
"It's probably just Cabin Fever." Luigi concluded. "A little trip out of the house might do me good."
Luigi went upstairs and found his house keys waiting patiently for him on the bed's side desk. He pocketed the keys, also grabbing some loose change in the drawer and a book in case he wanted to buy something or found the perfect reading spot under a shady tree.
Luigi made his way out the door and casually walked down the path leading through his yard.
"The flower's sweet aroma filled my nose as I made my way into town." The voice said once more. "Suddenly I stopped, unable to move my feet."
Luigi stopped in his tracks the second he heard the voice. He looked left and right for the little prankster that was following him.
"I searched again for the voice's origin. But it was again in vain. I could've searched all day but I would never find that irritating voice that had caused me so much trouble. So instead I decided too abort my search and instead try to ignore the pestering annoyance."
Luigi made his way out the front gate, deciding that if he tried hard enough then he could just ignore the voice altogether.
"I finally made my way to town." The voice continued, "Although the babbling of the unknown person had grated against my every nerve, I pushed forward. Suddenly my stomach ached, showing me the errors of missing out on breakfast."
Luigi's stomach grumbled loudly. He gasped in shock, surprised that someone else could sense when he was hungry, what he was feeling, what he was thinking.
"But there is no possible way another person could know what I was thinking" I thought to myself with more fear and anxiety than ever." The voice almost shouted, a maniacal tone in his voice. "I began to double guess myself. Only I knew what I was thinking. The voice must've been in my head. I was going insane!"
Luigi ran as fast as he could, fighting the urge to scream as he sprinted. He dashed through the town center, taking note of the many stands and shops.
"I'm just hungry!" The voice yelled. "I just need food. Then it'll be all okay. I just need food. That's all."
Luigi ran to the nearest food stand he saw. He grabbed the vendor by the apron.
"Please, give me something to eat!" Luigi pleaded. "I need something NOW!"
The startled vendor hesitated before responding, "Uh, this is a scone stand. So I could suggest a scone."
"I'll take it!" Luigi shouted. He grabbed every coin his pocket and slammed it onto the counter. "Take it all! I don't care, just give me something to eat!"
The vendor searched for the closest scone to him and quickly gave it to the poor customer. Luigi grabbed it eagerly and shoved it in his face, eating it as fast as he could. Luigi ran back from wherever he came from, still stuffing the scone into his mouth.
Somewhat shocked by the scene, the vendor counted up what coins Luigi had left on the counter in his rush to get a scone. Luigi had given him about 75 cents more than what he would've charged for the scone. Deciding to treat it as a hefty tip, the vendor began shoveling the change into his cash register. The glint off of one of the coins caught his eyes.
The vendor, intrigued by the coin, held it up to the light to take a gander at it's shiny reflection. He heard a voice, although no one was in front of him.
"I admired the glimmering shine the coin reflected off of it's smooth surface." The haunting voice announced. "It was like no other coin I had seen in my life. It was as if the coin had a mind all it's own."