Ralph's Insomnia and the Deathwatch

Ralph Roberts's struggle with premature waking and the ticking sound that heralds his wife's death and later his own mortality.

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First Signs of Insomnia

The Onset of Sleeplessness A Widower's New Companion Ralph Roberts, a seventy-year-old retired bookkeeper, begins to experience premature waking for the first time in his life. Initially mild, the problem grows steadily worse over the following months. He wakes earlier each day, first at six, then five-fifteen, then four-thirty, and by mid-July he is snapping awake at four o'clock. The loss of sleep begins to pervade every aspect of his life, draining color from the world and eroding his decision-making abilities. The Ticking in the Walls More disturbing than the sleeplessness itself is the sound Ralph hears: a low, steady ticking that seems to come from everywhere – the walls, the furniture, even from within Carolyn herself during her final illness. He comes to recognize this as the deathwatch, a harbinger of mortality that first announced Carolyn's impending death and now seems to be marking time for him as well. The ticking grows louder as his insomnia worsens, becoming an inescapable presence in his life. Desperate Remedies Ralph tries every folk remedy his neighbors suggest: whiskey and honey, warm milk, classical music, honeycomb, camomile tea. None work. He reads books on sleep disorders at the Derry Public Library, but they offer little help. His growing exhaustion leads to memory lapses and moments of confusion, such as the time he cannot find a packet of Cup-A-Soup in his own kitchen cabinet. The insomnia becomes a prison from which he sees no escape.

The Deathwatch Grows Louder

The Erosion of Rest A Sleep-Window Closing By late summer, Ralph's average night's sleep has shrunk to roughly three hours. He begins to wake at 2:45 a.m., then 2:15. The world takes on a dull, grainy quality, and simple decisions become agonizing. He finds himself standing in front of the video store unable to choose a movie, or wandering the supermarket aisles in a daze. His short-term memory slips; he can no longer remember the phone number of the cinema center he has called for years. The Dark Night of the Soul During the long early-morning hours, Ralph contemplates the possibility that sleep might depart entirely. He thinks of F. Scott Fitzgerald's dark night of the soul and realizes that at 4:15 a.m., anything seems possible – including the idea that he might be losing his mind. The ticking of the deathwatch is now constant, a reminder that time is running out not just for his sleep but for his life. A Turning Point Ralph's encounter with Joe Wyzer, the Rite Aid pharmacist, offers a glimmer of hope. Wyzer explains that Ralph's type of insomnia – premature waking with coherent dreams – is actually a sign of good sleep quality, and that sleeping pills would only make things worse. He recommends an acupuncturist and a hypnotist, giving Ralph a new direction. But the deathwatch continues to tick, and Ralph senses that his journey is only beginning.

The Deathwatch Returns

The Return of the Ticking A New Phase Begins Five years after his marriage to Lois Chasse, Ralph awakens one morning to find the deathwatch has returned. The ticking is in the walls again, and he knows it is coming from within himself. His sleep begins to erode once more, minute by minute, as winter gives way to spring. By May the ticking is everywhere, and Ralph understands that his own time is drawing near. Acceptance and Preparation Unlike his first bout with insomnia, Ralph feels no terror. He accepts what is happening with calm resignation. He begins taking long walks around Derry, visiting his favorite spots one last time. The auras he had seen years before begin to return, and the scar on his arm – the mark of the promise he made to Clotho and Lachesis – starts to throb with a deep, narrow heat. The Final Awakening On a hot August morning, Ralph wakes at 3:15 a.m. knowing that the time of the promise has come. The deathwatch is loudest in his own chest, and he understands that he must fulfill his obligation: to save Natalie Deepneau from the death that Atropos has planned for her. He leaves his house, knowing he will not return.

April 1993, one month after Carolyn's death

Summer 1993, as Ralph's sleep window shrinks

March 1998, five years after the events