A Prompt

Found a small prompt I found intriguing. Mayhap you might too. Tell me what you think.


I wake up to the sound of quiet sobs… I roll over in bed and I can see her there. I can tell she’s trying really hard not to cry loud enough to wake me, but it’s too late. And even through my sleep-addled eyes, I can see the moonlight reflecting off of the tears streaming down her face. I bolt upright, panicking slightly as I have no idea what is going on, but I do know that tears aren’t something anyone should be shedding this late in the night. I don’t mention this to her, but typically I find her “just woken up” sort of bedhead style to be fairly attractive. The aura of innocence and sleepiness is hard to ignore, and the half-awake look in her eyes is too adorable to not be instantly enamored with. But this was neither of those things, and that very much scared me.

“What’s wrong,” I asked, “Is everything okay? Are you in pain? Did you hear something? Did I wake you?”

She shakes her head with each question, as she tries to wipe the tears from her face in an attempt to assuage my worries. A nice gesture, but sadly futile, as I am already quite worked up now. But it then dawned on me the real reason.

“Bad dream?”

A nod. I can see in her eyes a jumble of mixed emotions, but most of it seems to be fear, sadness, and a little bit of pain. I don’t know what it is that upset her so, but I’m not sure I want to find out. She’s usually so… happy-go-lucky. So effervescent and energetic. No rude words, no mean-spirited language, not even a pessimistic phrase to be heard uttered from her lips. Even when faced with adversity, she’s always been steadfast and difficult to dislodge from her usual cheery state. It would have been difficult to imagine her like this. At least, before now. Faced with her visage in its current state, I’m genuinely worried she might burst at any second, trying to hold back the flood of feeling she’s likely holding onto with all her considerable emotional strength.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

She shakes her head. If it’s that bad, I really don’t want to know. Probably better I don’t. I wouldn’t wish to put her through that now that she’s awake to truly contemplate it.

“Would you like to snuggle a little closer to me? It might help a little.”

She nods, after a little hesitation. And then she moves closer until she has firmly wrapped around me with her entire body, like a child clinging to a precious stuffed animal. It’s a bit tight, but I don’t particularly care at the moment. She needs this more than I need my usual comfort. I can feel her still attempting to control her cries, as her whole body shakes and she tightens her grip. I can feel her soft skin and hair as she buries her face in my chest trying to forget the nightmare that so recently haunted her dreams. Her little heart is beating so fast… And her breathing is so erratic I almost wonder how she’s getting enough air to continue.

“Shh… shh… shhh…” I whisper softly. “It’ll be okay. It was just a dream. I’m here. You’re here. Just breathe.”                                                                       

 She’s so warm… Just like the tears streaming down her face.  Slowly but surely, after her weeping spell, she starts to calm a little.  There’s less of her tears now, which is a good sign. Her heartbeat slows down, her breathing regulates, and her cries wind down to soft little whimpers as she regains her composure. She pulls her head out of my chest and gazes into my eyes. Those beautiful eyes of hers, still red from crying, are now full of much different emotions. Compassion, love, and gratitude radiate from them, and she gives the barest hint of a smile. She doesn’t speak a word, but she leans up, kisses my cheek, and then leans back in and nuzzles herself into my neck. I can feel her breath there, slowing little by little, as she falls back asleep.

I don’t bother attempting to extricate myself from her grasp, not wanting to wake her up again and risk the scenario beginning anew. The poor dear has already suffered enough this night, with her normally restful sleep being so rudely interrupted. Instead, I hold her close, whisper a soft “sweet dreams”, and close my eyes too, drifting back to sleep to the sound of her softly snoozing away. What a lovely sound…