A Badtime Story
It was still light when Jacob and Jacob were lowered into their bed that evening. The curtains were in tatters from the events three nights previous, and the sun hung stubbornly outside the window like a sore which simply would not heal.
“I can’t sleep with the sun staring at me that way,” said Jacob.
“I haven’t finished my bone,” said Jacob.
Nurse Mariam gave the bed sheet winch an extra turn. “It’s summertime,” she said. “Winter can’t last forever.”
“But we–” said Jacob.
“But he–“ said Jacob.
“Sleep,” instructed Nurse Mariam. “Before the bedbugs wake.”
The elderly nurse placed a dusty kiss on the forehead of each child and then followed her shadow out through the door. The children blinked once in unison at the sound of the key turning in the lock and once more for each nail she hammered into the door.
Then they turned their heads towards the other and smiled that thin thread of a smile.
“I can’t sleep,” said Jacob.
“Nor can I,” said Jacob.
Together they wriggled out from under the sheet and lowered themselves to the floor. Jacob reached a hand towards the window.
“No,” said Jacob. “Best not.” His twin recoiled from the window and, as he did, noticed something against the far wall.
“Look,” he said, tipping his head.
Jacob looked.
Sat upon the wall, between the portraits of Jacob and Jacob’s failed siblings and at the end of one twin’s shadow was an enormous black spider.
“Watch,” said Jacob. He waggled his fingers and the wall spider waggled its legs. “Shadow puppets,” he said.
Jacob grinned and cracked his knuckles before positioning himself near the window. He raised his hands and threw an elongated centipede onto the wall and made it pretend to eat the shadow spider.
The boys performed a complicated battle between spider and centipede and then lowered their hands as huge smiles spread across their faces.
Smiles which didn’t last long.
Looking back to the wall, Jacob and Jacob saw the spider and centipede still writhing and pacing. As they watched, the insects began to crawl down the wall, their shadow mandibles tearing at the wallpaper.
Jacob looked at Jacob. Jacob looked back at Jacob. Both boys fell to the floor and closed their eyes and stayed perfectly still.
It was going to be a long night. It was going to be a long summer.
Goodnight.
—
Illustration © 2017 Carl Pugh