Under The Covers

Under the covers
He’ll not find her there
She’ll lie very still
Quiet as a mouse
Not a peep
Not a whisper
No, he’ll not find her

Eyes clamped tight shut
For fear of noisy blinking
She holds her breath
Counting in her head
Counting in her heart
Counting.. counting.. counting
“Ppahhh!”, she exhales
“Uuhhh!”, she inhales
Resuming her count, in tandem
With the pumping of her heart

Under the covers
Airless but not careless
She listens but dares not look
She sniffs but dare not speak
Shivering and trembling
Knees knock and teeth chatter
As she senses him enter the room

Floorboards creak
Calling out his progress
Nearer, nearer, nearer
Until.. he stops.. he pauses
And almost silently, whispers her name
She senses his arm reaching out
Reaching down
Reaching for her

Small hands grasp covers tightly
Small form curls involuntarily
He’s here, he’s here, he’s here!
Then, fresh air and light meet her
As strong arms reach down and grab her
And strong fingers begin.. to tickle her
“Daddy!”, she gasped loudly
Before collapsing into a giggle

© 1999 Robert M. Ford – All rights reserved

Thanks to Wes Peck for the header image.