Arias X Diaz, The Insomniac (1692-1750)

October 21 st , 1744 was the date that Arias Diaz stopped sleeping. It was not unusual for sailors to fall victim to insomnia, but it was a curious thing to spend the next 6 years wide awake. It did not take long for his crew to leave him. One by one they left the ship in hopes of a saner captain, one who sailed with purpose and could clearly reason. Six months into the insomnia, Arias only had his son, Astrolabe, left to help him man the sails. As they sailed around Asia and much of Indian Ocean, Arias was willing to try any cure available. His son looked on with grim concern as each cure he swallowed only seemed to fuel the restive nights.

On October 21 st 1750, the 6 th anniversary of sleeplessness, Arias steered the ship into a storm while his son lay sleeping in the cabin below. In the distance, he saw a whirlwind forcing up a great spout of water. Below that spout, Arias perceived a glowing light coming up from within. In the early morning of October 22 nd , Arias, slipped under the water and entered the luminous underwater city below. At long last, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, finally allowing himself to enter the city of dreams he so longed for.

The goodbye note he had held in his hand and was found drifting in the water in the morning. Remarkably, the ink had not washed away, however, the script was indecipherable, as though it had been written in a secret language. Perhaps it was a warning or told of the remedy; as Astrolabe went on to suffer the same fate 14 years later.