Insomniac (Part 1)

She hasn’t been to her hometown since she was a little kid. Her parents used to tell her lots of stories about it and about her relatives living there. They told her whenever she needs a warm heart and welcoming smile she can always turn to them in their little town. She was planning her trip to pursue her dream of becoming a performer, when she decided she would stop there. Was it just because it was on her way to the big city that she decided to stop by, or was she longing for a warm heart, as promised by her late parents? Or was it something else she didn’t even know yet? Something telling her it’s about time to go there, something telling her it’s about time to find her home.

She reached to the little inn owned by her uncle. She has been corresponding with him and his family using mails. She has been sending them her photos and telling them about her hopes and dreams. They too have been sharing all their stories with her. It was a warm reunion, she couldn’t hold the tears. She felt like she’d known them all for a lifetime, although it was the first time for her to see them face to face.

Another familiar face caught her attention. She can not recall where she had seen him before, yet she can swear she knows him well, may be better than the whole family. Those angelic blue eyes were looking at her so keenly, as if they were her guardian angels. He was not family, neither was he someone she’d met before. He had started working in her uncle’s inn only a month before her visit. Yet she feels she had known him all her life. They talked for hours. He loves writing and she is a reading addict. They keep playing that game where he mentions quotes and she tells him which writer the quote is for. He had been suffering a mind-block, unable to write anything for ages. One day after her arrival and his pen started flowing on paper. She has inspired him with her energetic soul. He wanted to help her in return. She has had a sleeping problem all her life. It started at the age of 6 when she lost her parents to a car accident. Before that they used to sing her lullabies and tell her bedtime stories to sleep. It wasn’t the lullabies or the stories that got her sleeping, but the warm feeling they gave her inside. They’d talk for a while, then look each other in the eye lovingly, then look at her. She felt there was so much love in the room. She felt safe. After they were gone, sleep didn’t come to her easily. Even if it did, she’d wake up in the middle of the night terrified, remembering they are not there for her anymore. Sleep reminded her of their absence. It has become her enemy. She started training herself not to sleep. Indeed, she never had two hours straight sleeping since then. He wanted to help her out. He sat on a chair by her bed and started telling her bedtime stories. A few hours later, he was still on that chair, yet in deep sleep, while she sat in bed watching him, watching her guardian angel.