I was woken recently at one o’clock in the morning by Demon Duck’s voice calling out:
“MUM! Can you come here please!”
I lurched out of bed and stood in the dark, disoriented.
“Where are you?”
“In my bed!”
So I staggered to the lounge room (which is where the girls are sleeping these days) and flicked on the light. What was wrong? Had she fallen out of bed? No, she was lying on her back, one arm flung over her face to shield her eyes from the sudden light, but otherwise seemed fine.
I knelt on the bed next to her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” She groaned. “Bright lights!”
Typical kid, I thought as I went back to bed. Probably calling out in her sleep.
I noticed that the Carnivore wasn’t in our bed any more. Hey, I’m sharp at one o’clock in the morning. I assumed he’d been disturbed too and taken the opportunity to go to the bathroom.
He was a long time coming back, though. When he finally got into bed, I realised from the glow through the doorway he’d left a light on somewhere.
“Why’d you leave the light on?”
He looked at me, perplexed. And maybe a little exasperated. “Baby Duck had a nightmare. Didn’t you hear him calling out?”
Whoops. Poor Demon Duck. No wonder she had no idea why her mad mother was looming over her yelling “what’s wrong?” in the middle of the night.
I try hard to be a good mother, I really do. I’m just better at it when I’m awake!