Another Scene

She smiles gently back at me, all hair business aside. “I'm going to head to bed now. It’s late and a storms coming in, which means there’s really nothing else we can accomplish today. You should go to bed too, Iris.” She grabs a candle off the table and walks over to the staircase that leads up to our bedrooms. She slowly makes her way up the stairs, one hand on the railing beside her the other holding the candle in front of her body, so she can see where her next step will go.

I hear the faint shuffle of her feet above me as she gets ready for bed. Walking around the inside of the house, I blow out every candle that is lit, but one. Taking this candle, I grab my belt off of the kitchen chair and make my way up the staircase to my own bedroom. I open the old rustic door, its hinges creaking. Walking over to my bedside table, I place the candle down and then sit on my bed. The corners of my room are dark, still hidden in shadow. I sigh and rub my face, now aware of how exhausted I am. My goggles still remain on top of my head, so I take them off and place them on the table beside the candle. Dragging myself off the bed, I walk over to my dresser and grab my nightgown, decide the night will be too cold for it, and reach for the onesie instead. I place my leather jacket on the door handle, and strip off my jeans, t-shirt, bra and socks, leaving them all on the floor, content with picking them up in the morning. I slip on the onesie and fall backwards onto my bed, my arms outstretched beside me. I could fall asleep right here, with my legs dangling off the edge of my bed I'm so tired. I drag myself up into a sitting position, my legs crossed. I scoot backwards until my back hits the head board and then I snuggle down under the blankets, my head resting on my pillow. I roll onto my side facing the candle, and blow it out. Closing my eyes I let myself fall asleep, warm under my blankets.