Sleepy

“Nnnmmm…” Rusty squirmed in his bed of hay, trying vainly to close his eyes and just sleep. Yet, everywhere he looked, there were demons and monsters and he only became even more restless with the darkness that had swallowed him a few hours before. Soon, Rusty made to his hands and knees, his tentacles instinctively wrapping protectively around his pudgy waist and thighs. “A-Auntie Lil…?” he whispered hesitantly, afraid of what might come if he awakened his sleeping relative.

A groand from across the room, then a voice run rampant by smoke and tar and sleep. “Wot es et, Rusteh, boyh?”

“Um…Ah-” he paused and crawled to her side, placing a hand on her supple hip innocently. “Ah’m scared.” A tentacle wrapped around his chest, as though hugging all the fear from him, though it failed to work.

A deep, almost angry sigh. “Uf wot, deer?”

“Woll…it’s…dark…”

“Dark ev’reh night, hon.” she reminded him and rolled onto her back, unaware or not caring that Rusty’s hand had been on her hip and now, with her sudden movement, was now on her crotch. Rusty blushed and gasped and pulled his hand away furtively, saying nothing.

“Woll, Ah know, but…” he fidgeted, knowing that her eyes, eyes glazed over and reddened by meth and illegal things, were staring at him. What did they see in him? Could she see further into his mind than even he could? “Ah cun’t stop thankin’…’bout Deddeh…where is ‘e?”

“I tell’d yew a’fore.”

“Remind me?”

“Earleh’s in prisawn. Gonna beh lawcked up a LAWNG time, if we lucky.” she laughed, then coughed hard, sitting up to catch her weakened breath. Rusty scooted closer and patted her back comfortingly.

“Oh, yah, Ah ‘memb’r…” he said, even though he really didn’t. In fact, if he did remember correctly, she had never mentioned his father’s name before, just a grunt and maybe a “BAH, g’d riddance, Ah sayh” without answering his question. She must be dead tired. Great, now he felt guilty. “’M sorreh Ah woke ya, Auntie Lil…’s jus’…Ah wonted tah know, ya know?”

But she didn’t hear him, she was already laying down, on her side again, her tentacles slipping around between her thighs. Rusty bit his lip and looked around him. God, it was dark. Dark, dark, DARK. Terrified, he slipped beside her, and spooned his body around her, even though he was a little bit shorter than she was, considering he was still so very young. There was another sigh and Lil turned to lay on her other side, wrapping her tentacles and arms around the boy, pulling him close. Rusty did the same, pressing his head into her bosom with an almost collective sigh of relief.

“Tha’s ah gewd boyh…tha’s a gewd boyh…” Lil hummed, petting her nephew’s unruly, wiry red mullet. Rusty melted into her and promptly fell fast asleep, and Lil followed suit.