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| I wish I still had the Christmas lights on my bed. |
I am listening in the dark. My mother is quiet at the moment. If I listen a little harder I can hear the click and hiss of her oxygen machine.
Earlier this evening as my friend Ellen and I sat on the couch, my mom was talking in her sleep. Not just a mumbled word, not just a line or two, but a monologue. Excuse me, I said to Ellen. I have to check out what's going on in there. I stood to the side of her partially open door and listened.
"And now they roam the house at night. Two of them. And they're not really fond of each other." My mom was speaking in a dramatic voice like she was telling a ghost story. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. I can't even watch TV because the commercials for scary movies terrify me. Now I'm imagining Thing One and Thing Two roaming through my house, stalking one another--stalking me.
If there ever was a night to have a friend staying over, this is it. A few months back, Ellen and I both leapt from our beds and nearly collided at the top of the stairs after my mother yelled at the top of her lungs. For a moment it sounded like my mom was arguing with someone and we thought there might be an intruder in the house.
I may have to sleep with the light on. But then again, that might make it easier for Thing One and Thing Two to find me.
3 comments:
You don't have a dog? Might be helpful to have a dog or a cat to snuggle with. If you're not ready to commit, maybe rent-a-pet has been invented or you could ask a friend with an animal to come stay with you.
Yes, a dog!! (Get a small one that Nelson likes and I'll take care of it when you travel)
I remember these nighttime monologues so well. I think the veils between the worlds grow thinner as we age, and sometimes, the worlds merge, but don't be afraid.
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