You Will Be Gone Soon

Li Xueyue tossed and turned on her bed, unable to sleep at all. The crickets chirped outside of her window as a mellow breeze drifted inside. Her curtains fluttered in the distance. There was a calm in the air that soothed her nerves.

Li Xueyue wondered if it was possible to be traumatized by nightmares so much that sleep was a terrifying thought.

"How irritating," she grumbled.

After the longest hour of lying in her bed, Li Xueyue jumped up and put on her shoes. She decided a midnight walk in the gardens should drain the energy from her system.

Li Xueyue opened her doors and wasn't surprised by the guards stationed outside. They were always there. Upon the sight of her in a nightgown, they straightened up.

"Good evening, Young Miss," one of the guards spoke up. "How may we help you?"

"I will be taking a walk in the gardens. I can't sleep," Li Xueyue said as she bent down to pick up one of the lanterns by her door.