In this dim chamber, bathed in the subdued radiance of a primrose night light, lay Baby Jack, cocooned in dreams of infantile innocence. A phosphorescent timepiece, its green hue barely noticeable, chronicled the ceaseless march of time. Its ticking sounded out against a deafening silence, precisely marking the hour as 3:33 AM. Suddenly, a silent interloper entered — a man whose face was half-concealed in the muted penumbra, clutching a pillow. In the baby’s features, one might perceive a mirroring of the man’s own countenance. The man hesitated, the pillow seeming almost menacing in his grip. The atmosphere grew thick, and each tick of the clock became a ponderous thud, seemingly extending the very fabric of time. While Baby Jack rested, oblivious to the tableau unfolding around him, the room stood charged with palpable tension.
With the dissipation of his menacing grin, the man, as if in a trance, began the descent of the pillow. Yet, in a miraculous turn of fate, spectral hands emerged, halting the foreboding action just a hair’s breadth away from Baby Jack.
His wife, having observed the vacant space beside her in their marital bed, realized the familiar somnambulistic spell had taken him once more. Swiftly, she wrested the pillow from his grip, sending it into the farthest corner of the room. After ensuring the tranquillity of Baby Jack remained unbroken, she, with a grace and care born of love, clasped her husband, guiding him back to the realm of conscious reality and away from the infant’s chamber.
Once back in the sanctuary of their bedroom, she gently tucked her husband into the warm embrace of their sheets. Moving to her own side, she perched on the bed’s edge, fingers combing the cascading waves of her auburn locks. Her heart raced, skipping a few beats here and there. Tomorrow, they would have a heart-to-heart. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled a sigh tinged with sorrow, tears trickling down as silent witnesses to her emotional tumult. She settled onto her pillow, seeking solace in sleep.
Suddenly, his voice pierced the quiet. “Don’t let me forget the trash tomorrow.”
Her eyes snapped open in surprise.
