I quickly fell asleep for my polynap and drifted off into dreamland.

In my dream I was at a community college, waiting to speak to a counselor. I hadn't put my name down on the list yet, so I was just mulling around the waiting room. I was feeling good because for some reason I knew this was my last semester and I was going to drop out. I was particularly looking forward to telling the counselor that I was dropping out.

While I was waiting, there were two other students I noticed. One guy had the exact same laptop as I. When he was done using it, he put it down on the desk in front of me. I thought that was strange, and wondered if perhaps it was actually my laptop. I couldn't tell, and didn't want to take it if it wasn't mine.

Another student was in front of me. He turned around with a magic trick to show me. It was blantantly easy, but I appreciated his effort keeping me entertained.

Finally, in my dream, I became aware that I'd been sleeping for a while. This actually happens frequently while I polynap. I'm hoping it's a precursor to full lucid dreaming. Then I heard my alarm, but only faintly. Strange.

I sit up in bed and I realize that the power has gone out. When that happens, my alarm is much quieter. The brains behind the alarm is the laptop, and it's connected to the speakers. When the speakers go through a power outage, they reset to a lower volume, while the laptop stays on.

All of the lights in my house are automated, so each light switch has a little LED that stays illuminated when they're off. I walk into my office and it occurs to me that it should probably be light in there. I recently plugged a lamp straight into the wall, outside of the automation system. But it wasn't on.

Click. Click. Click. I turn the knob for the lamp, but it won't turn on. I hit the switch in the office - it does nothing either. I start to panic a little bit - something is up. As I walk into the living room out of the corner of my eye I see what appears to be someone sitting in a chair in the breakfast area.

I hit the switch in the living room. Nothing.

I turn to assure myself that no one is in my house, but to my surprise there IS someone sitting at the table. Is it one of my friends?

"Well HELLOOOOOO.... TYNAN." I can only describe the voice as "I'm about to be murdered". It was still dark so I couldn't make out who it was, but I was terrified. It wasn't one of my friends. My adrenaline shot up and blood rushed through my veins. Because I'd just woken up my eyes were blurry, so my efforts to determine who was there were unsuccessful.

Then somehow I realized that I might still be sleeping, and this could be a dream within a dream. I tried to wake up, but couldn't. I tried to move, but couldn't. I tried to yell "help!", but couldn't get it out. Full on sleep paralysis. I kept struggling and eventually my brain snapped out of it and I came to. It was 5:30 in the afternoon and sun was shining through my windows onto my bed.

I've had MANY of these sorts of experiences since going polyphasic - particularly sleep paralysis and intense dreams. Most of my dreams are very pleasant, but I have had 3-4 nightmares now. Before this I very rarely had a nightmare.

It may not sound like it, but these experiences are actually fun. Being under sleep paralysis is very strange... you're conscious but you just can't move anything. It almost feels like your arms and legs have been cut off. It's such an unusual phenomenon that I enjoy exploring it. Thank god no one is here to murder me.