Rest

He awoke to the sound of children playing outside his window. He didn’t know what children played in this country; hockey, probably. It didn’t matter.

The results were the same: Boisterous play, fun for fun’s sake. He lay on his side, clear headed, watching the thin blue curtain fluttering in the gentle breeze coming in from the open window. He felt like this is how one ought to feel after sleep: refreshed and happy and clear and ready.

He took a deep breath and got up. With his two bare feet planted squarely in the carpet, he said, “I am here. I am here. I am here.”