Liber Arcanus Creaturae: The Somnivore. Or: the real reason why I stay up all night.

“LATEBROS ASSECLASOMNUS”

Sometimes “Nightsnare”, “Mind-Parasite”, or

“Dream-Drainer”.

Etymology: “Lurking Parasite God”, from the Latin “Latebros” (Lurking), Assecla” (Parasite), and “Somnus” (Roman Sleep God).

       Sleep is a time of vulnerability – possibly the most vulnerable one can be by necessity. So, of course, the worst conceivable predator relating to this time of helplessness would not only be one that hunts exclusively while its prey is sleeping – but also one that hunts the very act of sleep itself.

       Somnivores by necessity are difficult to observe, but a creature of vaguely Dragonfly-like outline is seen drifting in and out of the darkness as its victims awake and drift off to sleep. Its outline is thin as a stick, its four wings great and transluscent and glowing softly; lulling its prey into unconsciousness. Its head is bulbous, rounded. Its mouth looks as a human’s without a lower jaw, instead with a black, tendril-like tongue emerging from the jagged opening in the skull. Hairs, like those found on an insect, cover its body. They are silver and reflective, and each sticks out about ten inches and is separated from every other individual hair by about three inches. It possesses somewhere in the area of a hundred primitive eyes all over its body, unblinking when the creature is active and completely invisible when it sleeps. On the head, besides the mouth, are two large, watery blue eyes that face forward and secrete tears when feeding. The purpose of this form of crying-like behavior is as of yet unknown. Instead of legs, it possesses a single, bony tail that anchors it onto the bed-post as it drains its favored prey of dreams and resting.

       The Somnivore achieves this feeding by means of a long, black tongue composed of matter unlike that found in any other animal, penetrating the skull of the dreamer. It leaves no mark, save a splitting headache that seems to radiate from the area of penetration and a raised bump, something like a Mosquito.

From there, the Somnivore drains all dreams and whatever it is about sleep that allows humans or animals to survive. As this happens, it hums a soft lullaby and can create a sound much like that of soothing bells. These vocalizations keep its host relaxed to the point of paralyzation, and just out of the range of fully awakened consciousness for the duration of its feeding. It is theorized by one H.P. Lovecraft that this is, in fact, the origin of lullabies in all human culture.

       The dreamer, upon waking, recalls no dreams. Nor does he feel rejuvenated with his long night’s rest; as a matter of fact, he feels all the more tired. All prey eventually succumbs to death by sleep deprivation as whatever chemical or biological benefits to sleep are drained into the Somnivore over its feeding periods.  As time goes on, the victim is rendered helpless by the effects of sleep deprivation. Though he can find no cause to it, as he thinks he sleeps regularly, he is riddled with severe physiological and psychological ailments. As time goes on, the effects worsen. Mania, loss of Motor Skills, a faulty immune system, memory loss and hallucination all become commonplace. In the stretch of ten days or so, he is dead. His family is none the wiser, which is of great benefit to the Somnivore as they may move onto family members as the next food source.

       Animals, as it were, are not immune. More than one dog has succumbed to Somnivory, and an adolescent  Somnivore was once found in a cave protected by a nest of dead, dream-drained bats it had made for itself. But humans, it plainly appears to me, are the optimal food source.

       Somnivores can be found within the walls during daylight hours, as sunlight is lethal to them and will blind all of their eyes save the two primary ones – as well as burn their skin. It is truly a nightmarish vision, to see one impaled and wrenched into the light writhing wildly and shrieking an unearthly howl unlike that of anything found elsewhere in nature. An Eastern Screech Owl’s call and that of a common Loon, combined, might come close. But the psychic penetration of their calls (that is to say, the sound echoes through the mind long after the animal has perished) is unseen anywhere else in the animal kingdom.

       If you suspect someone, including yourself, as a subject of Somnivory, change to a nocturnal schedule, move to a new house, or break open the walls and search for the Somnivore. Kill it by impaling it and forcing it into the sunlight the second you see it (artificial light has no serious effect), for otherwise it shall retreat back into the darkness and hide somewhere else in the woodwork.

       It may be that Succubi and insidious Night-faeries are inspired by the Somnivore, as Succubi prey during sleep and many Somnivores have an eerie feminine quality. Likewise, the Night-fae were known to live in the woodwork of shacks and cabins. More than a few groups of people, in more savage times, abandoned habitations near forests as means of evading what seem to be the effects of Somnivory.

Their reproduction is asexual and by budding, and the only guaranteed way to avoid them is to avoid sleeping at night all together.

       Early to bed and early to rise, makes the Parasite God healthy, full and alive.