In the Night

In the darkness she sits cross-legged on worn out carpet. She hears the clock in the kitchen going tick tock, tick tock. The refrigerator begins to hum and almost drowns out the ticking. The furnace kicks on and the dog jumps from his circular bed and run to the heat register and lies in front of it. Sleep has not come yet. The veins in her hand are quite noticeable as she types word after word on the keyboard. Light comes from the laptop screen and it's brightness allows her to see the keyboard. The furnace stops running, the refrigerator ends its hum and becomes quiet. She only hears the tick tock of the clock now, her mind wanders. It is far into the middle of the night and she wonders when sleep will come. A train whistle blows once and then again. The typing stops and she tucks her hands under her legs to warm them and stares at the whiteness of the computer screen. The nightlight shines bright in the hall. A small voice calls out "Mom where are you?" She stops typing and goes upstairs.