Proving that heroes and protagonists dont have to fit a specific mold, King introduces 70 year old Ralph Roberts, a recent widower, in the novel Insomnia. Shortly after the death of his wife, Ralph begins experiencing strange phenomena related to the recent onset of insomnia. He begins to see colorful manifestations of life-force surrounding people and eventually the diminutive white-coated beings he calls "little bald doctors. Over the course of the novel, events unfold that necessitate Ralph intervening into the lives of many residents of Derry, most notably Patrick Danville, who plays an important role in Kings Dark Tower series. Ralph is tasked with stopping his one-time friend and neighbor, Ed Deepneau, who has fallen under the spell of another King antagonist, The Crimson King, from crashing his light plane containing explosives into the Derry Civic Center during a heavily-attended rally, which would kill Danville, thus preventing him from fulfilling his destiny and setting the path for the Dark Tower series.