The sleeping beauty dilemma The sleeping beauTy dilemma Rob Carter, sheriff retired Thanos Kal amidas Thanos Kalamidas An Ovi eBooks Publication 2025 Ovi eBookPublications - All material is copyright of the Ovi eBooks Publications & the writer C Ovi ebooks are available in Ovi/Ovi eBookshelves pages and they are for free. If somebody tries to sell you an Ovi book please contact us immediately. For details, contact: ovimagazine@yahoo.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the writer or the above publisher of this book The sleeping beauty dilemma The sleeping beauty dilemma Thanos Kalamidas Rob Carter, sheriff retired Thanos Kalamidas An Ovi eBooks Publication 2025 Ovi eBookPublications - All material is copyright of the Ovi eBooks Publications & the writer C The sleeping beauty dilemma T he sun hung low over the horizon , cast- ing long, stretching shadows over the dusty streets of Prescott. The town, a small speck on the map nestled between the jagged peaks of Wyo- ming’s foothills, hadn’t changed much in the fifteen years Rob Carter had been gone. The same narrow streets, the same weathered storefronts, and the same lingering stench of history hanging in the air. Prescott was the kind of place where people didn’t need to speak to know what was happening. Rumors ran faster than the wind, and every soul in town had an opinion, whether you asked for it or not. Rob’s boots crunched against the dirt road, the sound sharp in the stillness of the evening. His stride was slow but deliberate as he made his way down the familiar path toward his old farmhouse. A place that once felt like home, but now was little more than Thanos Kalamidas a ghost of the past. His breath came steady, but his mind was a storm, storm clouds of regret, of pain, and unanswered questions that had been festering in the deep crevices of his heart. The last time he had walked this path, it was under different circumstanc- es, before the man he had been, before the mistakes he couldn’t undo. He had returned to Prescott for one reason and one reason only: to see his son again. His son, Mark, who blamed him for abandoning him, for vanishing into the cold steel walls of a federal prison. But Rob knew the truth, deep down where the regret didn’t dare reach. He’d never wanted to leave. But sometimes, life has a way of stealing the things you cherish most. The house loomed ahead, its weathered wood creaking in the wind, the sagging porch railing tell- ing stories of years gone by. The once-bright paint had long since peeled, revealing the raw timber be- neath, just as his own soul had peeled away under the weight of years lost. He paused at the foot of the steps, hand hovering over the door. It had been a long time since he had walked inside this place. His wife, Sarah, was gone, lost to cancer during his sentence. And Mark? Well, Mark had become a man, and Rob hadn’t been there to witness it. The sleeping beauty dilemma His fingers brushed the doorframe, the famil- iar texture grounding him for a moment, before he pushed the door open. The old hinges groaned under the pressure, a sound that felt like a scream from a past better left forgotten. Rob stepped inside, and the smell of old wood and dust hit him like a punch to the gut. It was as though the house had been holding its breath, waiting for him to return. Before Rob could fully take in the silence, the phone rang. It was loud, cutting through the stillness like a knife through flesh. He hadn’t heard that sound in years, and it brought with it a fresh wave of unease. His hand shot out, fingers brushing the receiver, a part of him wishing he hadn’t answered. But duty always had a way of finding him, even when he tried to outrun it. “Rob?” The voice on the other end was gravelly, familiar. It was Andy, the town’s medical examiner. A man who had known Rob long before the prison sentence, back when they had been partners in the law. “Yeah,” Rob said, his voice rougher than he’d in- tended, the weight of the years pulling at his throat. Thanos Kalamidas “We need you down at the hospital,” Andy contin- ued, his voice tight with urgency. “Something’s not right.” Rob felt his stomach tighten. His instincts flared, years of law enforcement experience kicking in like an old, rusted engine sputtering back to life. The town of Prescott may have been stuck in the past, but something was off. Something was about to change. “I’ll be there in twenty,” Rob said, his voice steady, despite the unease swirling in his gut. He didn’t waste time. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, throwing it on with swift, practiced motions, then walked out the door with purpose. He hadn’t even made it to his truck before the wind kicked up, the sky darkening as if the earth itself was bracing for whatever was to come. The drive to the hospital was short, but it felt long. The familiar landmarks, the old gas station, the corner diner, passed by in a blur, their presence hollow now, as though time had forgotten them. Rob’s knuckles gripped the steering wheel, his eyes narrowed as he focused on the road ahead. The town felt different tonight. There was an unease in the air, a tension that hadn’t been there before. The sleeping beauty dilemma He parked in the hospital lot, the fluorescent lights flickering overhead. As he made his way inside, the sterile smell of antiseptic hit him, mingling with the faint aroma of cheap coffee from the break room. It all felt too clean, too new. This wasn’t the Prescott he remembered. Andy was waiting in the lobby, his face drawn, his eyes bloodshot. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and the weariness in his expression told Rob all he needed to know. Something was very wrong. “Rob,” Andy said, his voice low. “This ain’t a case for the sheriff, but I know you. I know you’ll figure it out.” Rob didn’t respond at first, just followed Andy down the hallway. They passed a couple of nurses, who gave Rob wary glances, their eyes flicking over him like he was still wearing the prison stripes. He’d left that part of himself behind, but Prescott hadn’t forgotten. Andy stopped at a door and turned to Rob. His voice dropped even lower. “She’s in here. Elizabeth Carver.” Rob nodded, pushing the door open slowly. Thanos Kalamidas Inside, a young woman lay on the bed, her body still, pale as a ghost. She was beautiful, blonde hair spread out like a halo against the white pillow. But there was something wrong. Her chest rose and fell with shallow, steady breaths, and her hands were folded neatly over her stomach, but her eyes, her eyes were shut tight. Too tight. As though she were trapped inside a dream from which she could never awaken. “She’s been like this for hours,” Andy said, his voice strained. “And there’s no medical explanation. No signs of trauma, no poisoning, no drugs. It’s like she’s just... asleep.” Rob’s eyes narrowed, his mind spinning. He’d seen a lot of strange things in his time, but this? This didn’t sit right. “What about the family?” “Her father’s on the way. But Rob, this isn’t the first case like this. We’ve had two other girls come in un- der the same circumstances in the last week. I don’t know what’s happening, but I do know this: it’s not natural.” Rob stood there for a moment, his mind racing. There was something here, something tied to the town’s history, something that had been buried for The sleeping beauty dilemma too long. Prescott had secrets. Secrets it was about to drag out into the light. “I’ll look into it,” Rob said, his voice steady despite the shiver running down his spine. “This town’s about to find out just how deep those secrets go.” As Rob turned to leave, Andy stopped him, his hand on his shoulder. “Be careful, Rob. There’s some- thing off about this. And I’ve got a feeling it’s bigger than anyone realizes.” Rob met Andy’s gaze. “I’ll be careful,” he said, his voice low. “But I don’t think it’s me that needs to be careful.” And with that, he walked out of the room, the door swinging shut behind him with a soft thud. The mys- tery of Elizabeth Carver had just begun, and Rob Carter was about to find himself tangled in a web that stretched back generations, into the heart of Prescott itself. And he had no idea just how dangerous the truth could be. Thanos Kalamidas i. Rob Carter’s boots echoed across the hospital floor like the last rumble of thunder before a storm broke. He wasn’t used to hospitals, not anymore, not after the years spent behind bars, where the stench of antiseptic and the sterile hum of machinery were nothing more than distant memories. Prescott had been his home, a place where he had once fought for justice, walked the same dusty streets, and shared a kind of camaraderie with the people. But now, as he walked through the hallways of the small hospital, it felt like he didn’t belong. The place had seen better days. The walls were chipped, the fluorescent lights buzzed, and the air always smelled faintly of cleaning solution. It was a town built on tradition, and in a lot of ways, it had held onto its past, just like Rob. The sleeping beauty dilemma He passed the nurses’ station, where a young wom- an with tired eyes glanced up at him. But it wasn’t her he was looking for. His eyes landed on Dr. Gina Sim- mons, the town’s medical examiner. She had been here long enough to know who Rob Carter was—not the man who went to prison, but the sheriff who had kept the peace. And though many in town had their opinions about him, half saw him as a hero, the other half as a criminal, Gina had always respected him. “Rob,” she said, her voice calm but carrying a ten- sion he immediately recognized. “You need to see this.” Her eyes flickered toward a small, dimly lit room down the hall. Rob didn’t need any more prompting. He followed her without a word, his boots making that same rhythmic thud against the tile. Inside the room, he stopped. His gut tightened. There, in the hospital bed, lay a young woman, pale as death, her features frozen in a strange, unnatural sleep. Elizabeth Carver. The town’s beauty queen, who had been crowned just last year, was now little more than a shell. Her once radiant blonde hair now looked dull against the sterile white pillow beneath her head, and her delicate, painted face showed no sign of movement, no flicker of life. She was still, un- nervingly so. Thanos Kalamidas “What happened?” Rob’s voice was low, laced with the weight of the situation. It had been a while since he’d seen something this... wrong. Gina shook her head. Her face was drawn, her brow furrowed. “We don’t know. She’s been like this for the past twenty-four hours. It’s not a coma. I’ve run every test I can think of—blood work, imaging, everything. But there’s nothing physically wrong with her. It’s like... she’s stuck in some kind of sleep, but without any obvious cause. No drugs. No trau- ma. No infection.” Rob stepped closer to the bed, his eyes scanning Elizabeth’s still form, but there was something in the air that made his skin crawl. The room felt too qui- et, like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something. His hand brushed the edge of the bed, fingers lightly touching the cool, pale skin of Eliza- beth’s wrist. The pulse beneath it was steady, but shal- low. “I know what you’re thinking,” Gina said, her voice softer now, almost as if trying to read his mind. “You think it’s something... supernatural, something the doctors can’t explain.” Rob didn’t answer immediately, his gaze locked on The sleeping beauty dilemma Elizabeth’s face, studying it as if searching for an an- swer hidden there. He could feel the weight of Gi- na’s words. It was a strange sensation. He had dealt with the criminal underworld, with murders, with violence and chaos, but this? This was something different. Something he couldn’t just chalk up to a bad batch of drugs or some old enemy looking for revenge. This was a puzzle with no easy answers. He finally turned to Gina. “Not exactly. But you called me here for a reason, Gina. What do you know about this girl? Her family?” Gina hesitated, her eyes darting briefly to the girl on the bed before returning to Rob. “Her fam- ily’s been in this town for generations. Her father’s Charles Carver, the man who runs the biggest farm supply business in the area. He’s a well-respected businessman, known for being kind of a hardass, but nobody’s ever had a bad word to say about him. His daughter, Elizabeth, she’s a sweetheart. Always in- volved in local events, charity work, the usual.” Rob nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he pro- cessed the information. “So, what’s the problem here, Gina? This doesn’t make sense.” “Here’s the thing,” she continued, her voice drop- Thanos Kalamidas ping even lower. “Elizabeth isn’t the first. We’ve had two other girls in the last week with the same symp- toms, same exact condition. One of them was a col- lege student from out of town. The other... well, she was local, too. She was just a waitress at Millie’s Din- er, but it doesn’t matter. They all have the same thing in common.” Rob took a slow breath, his gut already churning with the sense that this wasn’t some isolated incident. “What’s that?” “They all came from the same side of town,” Gina said, her voice tight with unspoken concerns. “The east side, where the old mines are. You know, the ones that closed down decades ago. No one talks about it much anymore. But I’m telling you, Rob— there’s something going on here, and it’s not just a coincidence.” Rob’s brow furrowed. “You think this is connected to the mines?” “I don’t know,” Gina replied, her hands trembling slightly as she folded them together. “But something’s wrong, Rob. I’ve never seen anything like it before. And I’ve seen a lot in my time as medical examiner. This... whatever it is... it’s beyond my training.” The sleeping beauty dilemma Rob felt the sharp sting of frustration clawing at the back of his mind. This wasn’t his usual line of work. But it didn’t matter. Someone needed to figure this out. And that someone had always been Rob Carter. He hadn’t stopped fighting for what was right, even after all these years. “Get me everything you have on the other two women,” Rob said, his voice suddenly firm. “I’ll start talking to their families. Find out what’s going on with the east side of town, too. If there’s something out there, I’ll find it.” Gina nodded, her expression serious. “You’re go- ing to need more than just those two families, Rob. The town’s changing. We’ve got new blood coming in, but it’s still an old town at its heart. There’s always something beneath the surface here, something peo- ple don’t talk about.” Rob stood silent for a moment, staring down at Elizabeth’s motionless body. There was a pit in his stomach now, a sinking feeling that this case would be like no other he’d ever dealt with before. Prescott had secrets, and they were about to resurface in ways no one expected. He turned to leave, his boots heavy on the floor. Thanos Kalamidas “I’ll find out what’s happening, Gina,” he said, his voice low but resolute. “And if someone’s behind this, they’re going to regret it.” As Rob made his way back down the hallway, the lights flickered overhead, casting long, jagged shad- ows on the walls. The hospital felt colder now, the si- lence more oppressive. Somewhere out there, on the east side of town, someone knew something, some- one had answers. Rob would find them. He would drag whatever secrets were hiding in Prescott out into the light, no matter what it took. And he had a feeling it was going to get a whole lot worse before it got better. The sleeping beauty dilemma ii. Rob Carter’s truck rattled over the dusty dirt road as the sun began its slow descent behind the jag- ged hills. The golden light filtered through the thin branches of the scraggly trees, casting long shadows over the land. The town of Prescott looked peaceful from a distance, like it always did, a forgotten relic of a time when life was simpler. But Rob could feel it, deep in his gut, the town was changing. It wasn’t the same place he’d left behind, and something darker had started to seep into the very soil. He gripped the wheel, his fingers tightening as he thought about what Gina had told him, about the strange condition the girls were in, and how Elizabeth Carver was just the latest victim. Two other wom- en had fallen into the same inexplicable coma-like state, and Rob knew it wasn’t coincidence. There was something connecting them, something buried deep in the past of this little town. Thanos Kalamidas His truck groaned as he pulled into the long drive- way of the Dawson ranch, a sprawling property just outside town. The house sat atop a small hill, sur- rounded by weathered barns and the remnants of old farm equipment. The land stretched out like an end- less sea of yellowing grass, a few cattle grazing lazily in the distance. The porch light flickered as Rob approached the front door, his boots crunching on the gravel. Claire Dawson, a woman in her late forties with gray- streaked brown hair, opened the door before he could knock. Her eyes were puffy, red-rimmed from days of sleepless nights. She looked like she hadn’t seen peace in years. “Mr. Carter,” she said, her voice tight with strain. “Thank you for coming.” Rob nodded and stepped inside, his eyes scanning the small entryway. It smelled faintly of wood and old cooking, a comfort that contrasted with the tightness in the air. Claire led him into the living room, where the muted light from the setting sun struggled to fill the room. There was a picture on the wall, a younger Claire and a smiling Marissa, her daughter, both full of life and warmth. Rob could barely make out the faces through the haze of grief that seemed to hang