The Sleepy Girl

The freckles on her nose stretched out to the sides in a hug that wrapped around her cheeks. Her lips, a little too plump for her petite face, pursed over the other as if she was not entirely satisfied with her dream. There was tranquility in her escape from consciousness into slumber.

The girl would draw for some time on the sidewalk with her chalk. Usually, she would either stop drawing when the chalk ran out or when exhaustion struck, it was often the latter. She was not fussy about a resting place when her eyes fell heavily closed. Sometimes her mother found her laying on the ground next to her art. Her mother did not like this and told her daughter to go lay in her room before she fell asleep. She said this with a tone of worry in her voice and a subtle look over the shoulder.

The girl obeyed her mother. When she layed on her belly with her face smashed into the pillow, nothing could wake her. Not the sound of the blinds clattering in the wind or her window squeaking when opened. It made things easier for me.

I could watch her at a breathing distance, touch her hair and feel her peace, until she began to stirr. Usually, I would leave before she would start to wake up, but I was greedy for more.

The girl’s muffled screams and tensed body were unpleasant to me. My hand clasped around her neck. I did not stop the pressure until I felt her body going limp and her eyes closing. There was a purple outline on her neck which I quite liked. It made a necklace of some sort, drawn onto her skin. She drew my hands once with her chalk and now I made my stemple on her neck. It is as if we bonded in our own artistic way.

It was a shame that it was the last time I could lay eyes on her sleeping body, but at least I had a longer time to watch her. I am sure I did her and myself a favour, as she was in an eternal sleep where she would be happy.

Experiment

This short piece was an experiment of a few things I learned in literature. I tried to make it my own by playing with the double narration, adding a little of my psychology fascination and art hobby to the piece.

In the first paragraph, my goal was to romanticize the girl and her sleeping habit. I neither gave her a personality nor a name to make her universal. I played with the narration by using an objective third-person narrator in the first half and then a peripheral first-person narrator in the second. Yes, I did write it very vague and short so it may be a bit difficult to spot. In the end I gave more insight into the “Peeping Tom”, which is also a universal character, by giving him/her the sadistic and narcissistic traits which is visible in their reasoning and actions.

I hope you enjoyed it! I would appreciate any feedback, critique or advice. The photographs are my own, taken with my iPhone. The short story and "analysis" is also my own. Thank you!