She was sleepy, but she forced her eyes open. She knew she could not sleep, not just yet.
Why?
Because?
She had to stay awake.
But why?
Because?
That was what her mother said.
Right?
But she did not know why.
Until—
"Peak a boo!"
Her hands automatically spread across her chest, clasping it tightly as her heart almost jumped out of its cage, simultaneously holding the breath trapped in her lungs.
Of course, she was stunned, surprised by a sudden apparition. She wondered if her eyes were deceiving her. She believed she looked like she had just seen a ghost.
"Hey, darling." His familiar voice seemed to snap her out of her trance as she realized he was neither a dream nor her imagination.
He stood before her, flesh and blood. Quickly, without another thought, she gladly jumped into his open arms, ecstatic to see him.