Places To Read, An Unintentional Multipart Short Story Series – Part 2

 

Before Bed

You were meant to be in bed half an hour ago. The taste of mint is in your mouth as you think about how you will definitely wash your hair tomorrow, even though you've been telling yourself the same thing for the past three nights. Blankets tucked over you, your bedroom lights off, but a string of fairy lights casting a low glow across the room.

You were meant to be in bed thirty-five minutes ago, but there's still time. You don't have to be up that early tomorrow. What's ten minutes less sleep? You pick up your book, leaning back against your pillows, and open it, your bookmark sliding down onto your lap when you open the right page. Just one chapter, then you'll sleep. But ten minutes and one chapter later, you've surely got time for one more? 

You were meant to be in bed forty-five minutes ago, but it's at an exciting bit! That's enough of an excuse not to sleep yet. Just one more chapter.

You were meant to be in bed an hour and a half ago. It's pitch black outside, you heard an owl hooting just now. You look down at your phone to check the time and are surprised about how much time has passed. You are seriously considering changing the time on your alarm, because you need more sleep than you're allowing yourself. Yawning, you place the bookmark in the book, close it and put it down, switching the lights off and pulling the blankets up to your chin. You can finish it tomorrow evening.

You were meant to be in bed an hour and thirty-five minutes ago. You can't possibly leave it there. The lights are back on and the book is in your hands again. You'll read quickly, just until this bit is over. It'll be two, three chapters at most.

You were meant to go to bed four hours ago. The book is done, you finished the whole thing. But how can you sleep? That ending... no, you must stay awake for another half an hour and consider how the author could have done that and search the internet, trying to find out when book 2 will be out...

Hello!

Before Bed, the way I have spent way too many nights (shh don't tell! I was meant to be asleep!)

(I was actually meant to be asleep when I wrote this idea down...)

I don't know how accurate this is for most people, but often have I turned my bedroom lights off, turned on the fairy lights next to my bed and curled up with a book, staying up just a little bit too late reading.

This was originally going to be a story about restraint, reading one chapter and then tucking yourself into bed. I tried this method once. The book had 30 chapters. It took me a week to read it. I think that proves that I did not read just one chapter a night.

Don't be like me. Sleep.

The book will still be there tomorrow.

(I know, I'm not convincing myself either!)

Bye!