“Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in. Let it out. Sniff your nose! Do you smell that?”
He turned aside and cupped his hands around his mouth making soft, trilling bird noises.
“Do you hear that?”
He quickly reached for a towel and pulled it taught, rubbing it back and forth beneath her toes.
“Do you feel that? I was at the shore, just like you are now in your mind. Do you remember Tan-Tan’s house? I wasn’t far from there.”
“I remember. I can see it now. The sand feels so good and the sun feels so warm against my skin.” She said her eyes still closed, her hands and arms still stretched out as if she were trying to keep her balance.
“Well it wasn’t for me back then. Oh no, I was cold. I had stumbled out there in my sleep.”
“Why would you do that?” She said, her eyes snapping open to examine her father quizzically.
“Have you never heard of sleepwalking before?”
“Nope. What’s that?”
“I’ll get to that in a little bit, but first, the rest of my story.” He chuckled a bit under his breath and reached out to put her hands back up in their previous position. He brushed his fingers over her face so she would close her eyes again.
“Now no more interruptions!”
10 minutes. 224 words.
MJ Muñoz 