While you were sleeping

Have you ever woken up from a night's sleep or a short nap and felt a different person?

Have you ever felt that something changed while you were sleeping, but never managed to understand what?

It happened again today. It's been a while since I remember it happening.

I was exhausted from all the running around I had done on that Saturday afternoon. Three private tutions back-to-back during 10th std is enough to get your head aching. I decided to take a short nap after lunch and recharge my batteries. I wasn't looking forward to playing cricket that evening as the last time was painful. I was so scared of facing that bowler again, Harnish, was his name. I had got bruises on my foot and my wrist from the last time. I had been too boggled, not concentrating on the ball, more bothered about how to avoid it. I wanted to skip batting for the first time in my life. But I was too tired to think about it, so I slept.
A rush of blood ran through my head when I woke up. I felt as if I had dropped from Mars at that very instant. I looked around. Something felt different. It was 6pm. I got ready and joined my friends. When it was my turn to bat, I wondered how I would face the music while attempting to keep my eyes open. The first ball was played by me on the front foot. My outstretched foot was perfectly placed for me to play a forward defensive stroke. Where did that come from, I wondered. The second ball was a full toss which I slapped for six runs. It landed on the terrace of the opposite building. Who was holding the bat in my hand? It sure as hell wasn't me! I played like I was possessed. I took 18 runs of the over, which isn't too bad. It was a week until I faced Harnish again and I never got bruised again. I played him with sheer confidence and agression.

What happened during the time I was asleep is still a mystery to me, but I loved it.

I fell asleep on my study table during my 12th std prelim exams. It was 2am and I had been working on this particular math problem for 40 minutes without a clue. My eyes opened at 4.35am and I gazed at the geometric figure for half a minute. I knew the solution! I began writing the proof and just managed to carve something out of the stone. It turned out to be correct!

Did an angel come into my dreams and whisper something in my ear, or was it Newton or Pythagoras?
How can a rational or natural explanation exist to such bizzare phenomenon?

Today, I woke up and realized that I was falling short of expectations. I haven't been paying attention to the one thing that matters the most. I had almost lost sight of it. But someone must have held my hand ..... while I was sleeping.