gone on living. She hadn’t sulked in her bedroom or curled up in a ball and rocked back and forth as though she’d lost touch with reality. She had gone to school, talked to friends, gone to work, helped at the library, and had dinner with her Aunt Darla and Uncle Wayne who was home for the week. She’d lived, darn it . But the one thing she hadn’t done much of was sleep. She kept thinking that he would come when she slept, or maybe she’d just been hoping. Serenity hadn’t felt depressed as she lay in her bed at night with sleep refusing to take her under. Rather, she just couldn’t stop her mind from racing with thoughts about the mysterious Dair. As much as she tried, she just couldn’t push him out of her mind. She wondered what he looked like, what he did during the day when he wasn’t weaving dreams for people, and where he lived, or if he lived anywhere. Did he eat or sleep or have any of the normal human body needs and functions? She hadn’t dwelt on that too long because, well, she didn’t exactly know him well enough to be concerned with those things. So sleep had eluded her while her mind created hazy images of a mystery guy with an alluring voice.
Serenity brushed her teeth and then headed to the living room to tell her aunt and uncle goodnight.
“I’m going to turn in; I’m so tired,” she told them.
“You look a little rough around the edges,” Uncle Wayne told her, never one to mince words.
“Thank you for that, oh fish whisperer,” she said dryly.
“Do you work at the vet tomorrow?” Darla asked.
Serenity nodded. “Yep, I’ve got to be there by 7:00 a.m. to let the dogs outside.” She looked over at Wayne. “Any more hunting expeditions planned?”
“Hope not, we found the den of the mountain lion and waited until she came back from hunting. It was freezing but we got her. Hopefully, the Thompson’s won’t lose any more goats.” Serenity nodded and then turned back to go to her room. In her mind she counted, three, two, one.
“I got a new one for you,” her Uncle Wayne hollered just before she reached her door. She smiled to herself, knowing what was coming.
“Okay,” she said as she walked back into the living room. “Let’s hear it.” Aunt Darla was already shaking her head.
“Relax, Darla, it’s not that bad,” Wayne told his wife.
“I’ve heard that before,” she retorted.
“Why do squirrels swim on their backs?” He paused for effect and then chuckled as he answered. “To keep their nuts dry.”
Serenity couldn’t help but crack a smile, though Darla told her laughing at his jokes only encouraged him. Serenity disagreed. She always responded, I think if we didn’t laugh at them then he would just tell more because he would be determined to get a laugh out of us .
“You’re right, Uncle Wayne, compared to your other material that wasn’t too bad.” Serenity waved goodnight and headed for her room.
She set her alarm on her phone, just in case she actually got some sleep. Being late to work was not something she made a habit of, especially when she knew those poor dogs were waiting to go outside to do their business. Serenity flipped off her light and then pulled back the covers of her bed and climbed in. But just like the other nights, tired as she was, she couldn’t sleep. She stared up at the ceiling counting the fan rotations. Nearly a half hour later the blades on the fan began to grow darker. She thought perhaps her eyelids were finally getting heavy, but she quickly realized that she still wasn’t the least bit sleepy. He was back.
Serenity shot up and she realized how comical she must have looked but she pushed away her embarrassment. She had more important things to worry about besides being self-conscious.
“Dair?” she nearly whispered into the now completely pitch black room.
“Yes.” His voice was every bit as potent as it had been the first time he’d spoken to her. Serenity shook off the effects. Focus Sarah, she
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