A Sleeping Child (Beautiful Challenge)

by [pens&feathers]

Add to AIMShare

I feel so exhausted, but I can’t sleep.

Instead, I find myself compelled into his room, into the serene comfort of the newly-painted baby blue walls.

He is sleeping in his crib, his face placid and peaceful, half-smiling. One little fist is curled around the corner of his favorite blanket – the blue and yellow one I knit for him over the growing swell of my pregnant stomach.

He is so innocent.

I stare into his sleeping face and I am able to see pieces of myself. I feel infinite – this child, my child, has an entire life ahead of him, an eternity of decisions to make and lessons to learn. But in this one moment, he is safe. He is protected from the world as he sleeps here in his crib, too young to know that things like hate and loss and disappointment even exist.

Still small enough to be able to love unconditionally.

I stare into his soft face, wondering what he is dreaming, if he is dreaming of me. Because this child, my sleeping child, is my dream come true.

And he is so beautiful.

Prequels

Write a prequel

Sequels

Write a sequel

Comments

Average Reader Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5

  1. A Sleeping Child (Beautiful Challenge)

    THX 0477's Buddy Icon THX 0477

    Posted 9 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    That was lovely, the essence of parenthood for the first year or two. Then they get attitudes, and it’s all downhill from there…or uphill, depending on how you look at it. Lovely little ficlet.
    LoA

  2. A Sleeping Child (Beautiful Challenge)

    emma jo_234's Buddy Icon emma jo_234

    Posted 9 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awwww. That’s so sweet, and like THX said, lovely. =]]

  3. A Sleeping Child (Beautiful Challenge)

    Mistress Elsha Hawk's Buddy Icon Mistress Elsha Hawk

    Posted 9 months ago

    I remember those nights, but I made myself go to bed, since the baby’s crib was in my room anyway. I love the line about “now he is safe”. I always felt that way, after I checked to make sure he was still breathing. :) (Mother’s worry)

Want to comment on this ficlet? You need to sign in!