A Step in Time

A Story by Clyde Grauke

A very short story. This has been published in Hoi Polloi II.

I carefully roll over to the side of my bed and reach down to turn the clock so I can see what time it is. 3:24AM. Too bad. I thought that maybe it was closer to 5:00AM. I carefully roll back and adjust my rear on the extra pillow so that my rib doesn’t hurt. The only way I can sleep at all for now. I keep shifting around trying to relax and get comfortable enough to drift off again, but without any luck…

I know what I need to do. I slowly move my left foot to the side and let it drop off to the side of the bed…feeling for the edge of the covers…I kick and pull…finally, there…my foot is out from under the covers. I move it back to the top of the bed…exposed to the cold air…

I settle back…MawMaw always said we were just alike...we liked to sleep with our feet out of the covers. I would lay there in their giant bed with my feet out, listening to the adults settling in for the night. After mom and dad would get quiet in their room, MawMaw and PawPaw would go to bed. I would hear, "Oh Lordy…!" and "Mercy…!" as their tired old muscles relaxed into their bed.

Then it would be quiet, except for the peaceful ticking of the old pendulum clock…the steady pulse…now and then a far off dog barking or a car passing. The old house did its own settling down…having held itself up for yet another day.

The white, thin curtains glowed…watchful sentinels…filtering moonlight. Sometimes there would be a very slight, very silent movement…Occasionally a shadow of the window and curtains would materialize on a wall and work its spectral way around my room until it disappeared with the receding sound of a late night passenger on the highway…

And as I snuggled down into my sun-dried sheets and covers, I knew that everyone was exactly where they needed to be and everything was alright.