- Text Size +
Story Notes:
*The usual disclaimers apply—this story came to me while babysitting—big surprise—and wouldn’t let me go until I finished it. Hoping it works—thanks to Cheryl for the idea, and to Jayson the little night-owl for the inspiration. Enjoy :)*
Go To Sleep

4247 Maplewood Dr.

Friday , September 23, 1991

7:35 PM

“Goat says ‘Rhyme me a rhyme,’” Amanda read aloud as she turned the page. She sat on Jenna’s bed with her daughter snuggled up beside her, holding her Barney doll. “And come to my party anytime. The end. ”

“Tome to my party?” Jenna repeated, looking up at her.

“That’s right.” Amanda ruffled Jenna’s hair. “Do you like parties?”

“Uh-huh.” Jenna nodded emphatically. “With take.”

“Yes, cake definitely helps.”

“Take with tocklet?” Jenna asked.

“With chocolate, yes,” Amanda replied. “Chocolate cake is yummy.”

“Daddy like take?”

“Yes, Daddy likes cake a lot.”

“Jamie like take?”

“Jamie likes cake too.”

“Where Jamie?”

“He’s sleeping over at a friend’s house.”

“Oh,” Jenna said. “Where Daddy?”

“He’s at work right now—he’ll be home soon.” With any luck, she added silently. This mission was just a simple milk run, but if Amanda had a dollar for every time one of those had gone wrong—she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She wouldn’t let herself think like that; she had to think positive.

‘No job for a pessimist.’ Lee had told her that so long ago. She noticed her daughter’s eyes watching her curiously.

“I think it’s time for you to go to bed, sweetheart,” she told her. “Daddy will be here when you wake up, okay?”

“ ‘kay,” Jenna said. “I have ‘nack now?”

“You already had your snack.”

“But I forget.”

Stalling—that had been the boys’ favorite tactics when they were young and didn’t want to sleep; luckily she knew how to deal with it.

“Well I remember—you had your snack and now it’s time for you to go to bed.” Amanda stood. She bent over, her lips brushing Jenna’s forehead. “Good night, sweetheart—I love you.”

Jenna held up the purple dinosaur. “Kiss Bawney too, Mommy?”

“Okay,” Amanda kissed the stuffed animal.”Night night Barney.”

She looked at her watch. Not even eight-o-clock yet. She’d go downstairs with a book or maybe watch something on the TV— wait for Lee to come home—she couldn’t really relax until he was home.

And once he got home, if it wasn’t too late, maybe they could—

“No turn the light!” Jenna cried out in alarm as Amanda’s hand neared the light switch.

“It’s okay, you have a night-light—a Barney night-light.” They had gotten Barney everything—a compromise so they wouldn’t have to paint the walls grape Amanda flipped the switch—a soft glow filled the room. “See? Now go to sleep.”

“Teck bed?” Jenna asked. “Pease, Mommy?”

Amanda let out her breath in a quiet sigh. Since the advent of her big-girl bed Jenna had convinced herself that there were monsters hiding underneath, waiting to grab her feet.

“Okay,” she said finally. Walking over to the bed she knelt down, peering underneath—apart from a few toys there was nothing else there. “No monsters there, sweetheart.”

“But they hide,” Jenna said. “Daddy says ‘Go ‘way, monsters!’”

“Go away, monsters!” Amanda repeated the words and then she paused, looking under the bed and then back up at Jenna. “They’re really gone now, I promise—they really ran away fast.”

“Weally fast?

“Very very fast—just like this.” Amanda ran her fingers lightly across Jenna’s tummy, making her giggle. “They went far far away. Go to sleep now.”

“More milk?” Jenna asked.“I thirsty.”

“No, you don’t need more milk,” Amanda said firmly. “You’re fine. Lie down now—good night.” As she stood left the room the answering wail of protest reached her ears.

“Mommy—”

‘Ignore it,’ she told herself. ‘Go downstairs—she’ll sleep soon enough.’ It had usually worked with the boys. She went downstairs into the family room and switched the lamp on, picking up the novel she’d started the night before. One of Mother’s novels—‘The Girl in A Swing’. Amanda usually wasn’t much for ghost stories but this one was good, though these days getting to read anything was a challenge. Amanda turned to the page she’d bookmarked—page 32— and began to read. She’d just reached the fourth chapter when she heard it—the sound of footsteps—not Mother, she thought. Little footsteps. Replacing her bookmark she closed the book and stood.

“Jenna,” she called out as she went up the stairs. “You know you’re supposed to be in bed. Jenna?”

Her daughter stood at the foot of the stairs. “I want watch Pooh,” she announced.

“You can watch Pooh in the morning,” Amanda told her. “Right now you’re going to bed.” She picked her up and Jenna let out another wail as she struggled and squirmed in her mother’s grasp, her feet kicking.

“No—no let go!” she cried. “I not tired—no bed—Mommy—no!” With every syllable her voice rose, until Amanda was certain that her eardrums would burst.

“Sweetheart, just calm down,” she said.

“Not sweet!” Jenna sobbed as Amanda placed her back on the bed. She tried to climb down again but Amanda blocked her. Jenna shrieked, her face red and streaked with tears—her feet kicked at the side rails.

“Amanda?” Amanda looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway.

“Oh Mother, I hope we didn’t disturb you,” Amanda said. “We’re just having a little bit of trouble getting to sleep tonight, that’s all.”

“So I see,” Dotty said. “Would you like me to try?”

“You can try,” Amanda had to raise her voice to be heard over her daughter’s cries. “But it might take some time to calm her down.”

“Oh, I think I know a few tricks,” Dotty replied. “You go downstairs, darling—let me handle this.”

“Well—all right—call if you need me.” Slowly Amanda turned and went back down the stairs. Jenna’s wails continued—now louder than before. Tired and unreasonable, Amanda thought—when Jenna got like this she could be downright impossible. What could Mother do that she hadn’t already tried? She sat back down on the sofa and picked up her book but the words seemed to blur together and the noise upstairs made it difficult to concentrate—she managed to make it through ten more pages before finally giving up. Amanda put the book back down and that was when she realized.

The noise had stopped. For a few moments she held her breath, listening—waiting for the noise to continue—

But it didn’t continue. There was only silence—she could actually hear the soft ticking of the clock on the mantle.

Was Jenna actually asleep? She had to see. Amanda rose to her feet and went back up the stairs.

The door to Jenna’s room was open. Jenna lay in her bed, clutching her Barney doll, her thumb in her mouth. Amanda stood there looking down at her, watching as her chest rose and fell—her breathing deep and even.

‘I can’t believe it—how—’

“Be quiet,” Dotty’s voice came from behind—Amanda turned to face her. “We don’t want to wake her again.”

“No, of course not,” Amanda whispered. “But Mother, how did you get her to sleep?”

“I yawned.”

“Yawned?” Amanda repeated disbelievingly.

Dotty shrugged. “Basically. I yawned and then she yawned—after a little bit I closed my eyes and she did the same.”

Amanda smiled and shook her head. “Yawned—I can’t believe it.”

“It used to work all the time when you were young,” Dotty replied. “Just one of those little tricks, that’s all—it didn’t work so well on the boys but I thought maybe, with the way Jenna imitates everything—she’s a lot like you were at that age.” Jenna made a soft sound, stirring in her sleep—they held their breaths, waiting until she settled back down.

“Come on,” Dotty said. “We don’t want to wake her.”

Yawning—Amanda couldn’t wait to tell Lee about this. Bending over, she gently smoothed Jenna’s bangs out of her face.

“Good night, sweetheart.”

The End
You must login (register) to review.
Terms of ServiceRulesContact Us