The Tragic Addition of Nap Time
A faint, lingering scent of medicine. A warm breeze. A soft blanket wrapping around my entire body. As I woke up, I felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity with my bed. The blanket covering me was vastly different in design from the ones Amy usually tucked me in with. No pretty floral patterns here. I pushed the plain, solid-colored blanket off my body.
"Are you awake?" The gentle voice immediately disarmed any wariness.
"Who are you?" Turning my head, I saw an old man with white hair sitting there. Sipping his coffee with a warm, relaxed smile, he slowly spoke.
"You can call me Rabin."
"Rabin?"
"Yes. That is my name."
I nodded and looked around. The room was pure white. It felt a bit suffocating, but the clean, sterile impression was much stronger. Watching a humidifier on a small table puffing out white steam, I asked Rabin a question.
"Where is Shine?"
At my question, Rabin stood up and walked over to my bedside. His relaxed gait and easygoing demeanor carried absolutely no hostility that I could read. Reaching my bed, he stretched out his hand and pulled back the white curtain hanging beside me. With a soft rustle, the curtain slid open. Shine was lying in a large bed, sleeping peacefully. The faint smile playing on her lips softened her usual sharp aura.
"Why were we sleeping here?"
"Don't you remember?"
"Pardon?"
"It seems you haven't been sleeping much lately. You two suddenly collapsed, and Amy brought you here."
Was I sleep-deprived? I nodded blankly.
"Then... where did Amy go?"
"Amy?" Rabin looked around the white room at my question. Stroking his beard, he answered slowly, "She was here... just a moment ago..." Seeing him trail off, it seemed he didn't know where she had vanished to either.
I hopped down from the bed. My entire body felt completely refreshed, as if I had slept like a log, so there was no restriction on my movements. My small soles stepped onto the cold marble floor. *Tap, tap.* I wiggled my toes and tapped the floor.
"Where are my shoes?"
"They're right under there."
At Rabin's words, I bent down to look under the bed. My white hair cascaded down all at once. Brushing it out of my face, I pulled out my shoes and slipped them on.
"My hat is gone too," I said, patting my bare head. As I looked up at Rabin, pouting, he raised his hand and pointed to the small table next to the bed.
I scurried over to the table. Looking up, I saw the large witch hat Amy had gifted me sitting on top.
"Ah." I reached out, but I couldn't touch it. My flailing hands only swiped at the empty air. Closing my eyes tight, I stood on my tiptoes. Stretching my body as far as it would go, I desperately reached out like a cat. But I wasn't a cat. I couldn't stretch my body like liquid.
Watching me flail and hop up and down on the floor, Rabin slowly walked over and took the hat down for me. As soon as I received it, I pressed it firmly onto my head.
"Thank you."
The wide brim of the hat restricted my vision. Anything positioned high up immediately vanished from my sight. That went for Rabin's face as well. With my hat pulled down, I looked around. From my short height, the layout of the white room looked completely different than it had from the bed.
"Is this a hospital?"
"You could say that."
I tilted the brim of my hat up to read Rabin's expression. He was simply watching my antics with an amused look. I crawled back onto the bed. It was soft, but I preferred sleeping in the bed with Amy. I liked the sweet scent of flowers much better than the smell of medicine.
"Should we wait for Amy here?"
"Wouldn't that be best?"
I swung my short legs. My gaze drifted toward the small door at the end of the room. There were no windows here either.
"Amy brought us here, right?" Recalling Rabin's words, I searched my hazy memories. The last thing I remembered was definitely the internet cafe. I think we were watching a funny video.
"Indeed. She came running in, pale as a ghost," Rabin said, a chuckle in his voice as he recalled the moment. "It seems she treasures you two very much."
"Treasures us?" I shifted my gaze to Shine.
"Yes." I nodded at Rabin's words. Come to think of it, she did shower us with an overwhelming amount of attention. What did we mean to her? With a complicated feeling in my chest, I pinched my cheek. My soft cheek squished under my fingers, blurring my vision slightly.
*Click.* Just then, the sound of the closed doorknob turning echoed. My eyes snapped in that direction. I felt a familiar presence. I immediately jumped off the bed.
"Amy!" The moment my voice rang out, the door opened. There stood Amy, holding a fruit basket.
"Jeff?"
"Amy!" I ran toward her. My short legs pitter-pattered rapidly. Through my bouncing vision, Amy knelt down and opened her arms to me. *Huh?* A brief moment of doubt flickered in my mind, but it vanished instantly. I threw myself forward and plunged into Amy's embrace. Her fresh, sweet scent washed over me, instantly soothing my anxiety. Amy held me tightly and stood up. My field of vision suddenly shot upward. I wrapped my arms around Amy's neck. *Huh? Wait, huh?*
"Jeff, are you feeling better now?" Amy's worried voice. Her gaze was fixed on me. My heart melted at the warmth and deep affection in her eyes. I went limp, letting all the tension drain from my body as I snuggled against her.
"Mmh..." Avoiding Amy's gaze, I lowered my head. Pulling my large witch hat down, I buried my face in her chest. Amy gently stroked my back.
"They seem to rely on you a lot."
"The kids are fine, right?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? It's just simple sleep deprivation."
"I make sure they sleep on time," Amy retorted, walking toward the bed. She pulled an apple out of the fruit basket in her hand and tossed it to Rabin.
"Just one?"
"The rest are for the kids."
"Fine, fine. I suppose an old man past his prime should just keep quiet." Rabin clicked his tongue, sat back down in his large chair, and took a bite of the apple.
"Did you miss me that much?" At Amy's teasing voice, I couldn't bring myself to look up. Honestly, I didn't understand why I had acted that way either. Setting me down on the bed, she placed the fruit basket on the small table.
"Shine hasn't woken up yet."
"Yes."
"She must have been very tired." Amy pulled a banana out of the basket and handed it to me. I took it and peeled back the skin. As the pale flesh was revealed, my mouth began to water.
"Maybe it's because she worked so hard solving math problems?"
"Is that so...?" Amy's voice trembled slightly at my words. Taking off my witch hat, I peeked at her expression. Hearing my explanation, she seemed lost in serious thought.
"They were... just too... too hard. I think that was the problem..." I carefully added my opinion. I kept stealing glances at Amy's face. At my words, she slowly nodded.
"I see..." Yes! She bought it. Overjoyed, I stuffed a huge bite of banana into my mouth. But just as a happy smile spread across my face from the sweet flavor, Amy's next words made my face fall.
"In that case, I should add a nap time to your schedule."
How on earth did she reach that conclusion? Mumbling around the mouthful of banana, I shook my head frantically.
"You think so too, right?"
No, no. That's not it.
"No?" I nodded vigorously. But Amy shook her head firmly. "No, I think that's the right call."
"I... I really don't think so..." I said cautiously after swallowing the banana. But she didn't even pretend to listen.
"From now on, I'm adding nap time to your daily routine."
The day was already too short. We already had to sleep so early that we couldn't even watch late-night TV. Having to take a nap meant the day would become even shorter.
"No!"
"Why not?"
"But... the day is already too short." I twiddled my fingers as I spoke. Seriously, the day was way too short. In the morning, I'd wake up, eat, and play with Shine. When lunchtime came, we'd eat again. After that, I had training with Victor. Then I'd play with Shine. Then we'd go back to our room and play with Shine some more. And then, Amy would present me with a grueling ordeal: a thick workbook, forbidding me from playing until I solved every single problem. She had no idea how exhausting that was. And it took so much time, too.
"If... if we didn't have to do math... I think taking a nap would be okay..." I tentatively suggested, testing the waters, but Amy shook her head resolutely. "No."
I hung my head at her refusal. A sudden wave of petulance washed over me. I shoved my discarded hat back onto my head and threw the banana peel in my hand onto the floor.
"Jeff!"
Pretending not to hear Amy's voice, I pulled the blanket over my head. Rolling myself up like a burrito, I buried myself deep inside and squirmed around.
"Amy?" Just then, a familiar voice drifted over. It seemed Shine had woken up. But I couldn't see her. I grunted and twisted my body, but every movement was restricted by the tightly wrapped blanket. After panting and wriggling like a worm, I finally managed to poke my face out of the blanket.
"Jeff," Shine said, sitting up and looking at me. I offered her a grin. "Shine. Did you sleep well?"
"What are you doing?" At her question, I looked down at myself. Having only my face poking out of a tightly rolled blanket was incredibly embarrassing. The tips of my ears burned hot. But I couldn't move. The rolled blanket held me completely hostage.
"Help me, Amy..." After twisting and turning in vain, I panted and begged Amy for help. Looking down at me, she let out a small sigh and unrolled the blanket.