Me, her and the teddy

It's three o'clock in the morning. The cool September night is looking caressingly at me through my window; stars twinkling in her bosom as if playing hide and seek with each other. Not a trace of sleep in my eyes. I am so excited.

I keep twisting and turning in my bed; every time I move, the bed cries out a disapproving creaking sound, as if flustered by my ingratitude of not being nice to her. Tired of feeling like an insomniac, I desperately want sleep to seduce me but she betrays. My entire being, from head to toe, is bursting with a strange, incomprehensible feeling. I am awake, thinking of my love, when the entire town is in deep slumber. Unable to stand my bed any longer, I jump out of it. Putting on a shirt, I take the stairs leading me to the door that opens to the terrace. I flung open the door. A gentle burst of cool breeze, smelling strongly of fresh jasmine, welcomes me. The fragrance leaves me softly intoxicated. The night is very beautiful and soothing. Too splendid a night to be wasted under the blankets, I think. The entire locality is enshrouded by the darkness of the night - the darkness only occasionally broken by flashes of light of the fireflies which abound the air at this time of the year. There is no sound except for that of the crickets who seem to be having a grand party with the fireflies as their guests.

My mind is wandering. 'What could she be doing at this time of the night?', I ask myself. 'Must be sound asleep as a baby', my mind retorts back. I conjure up her image, sleeping soundly in her cosy bed, a big teddy beside her. My lips broaden into a lavish smile looking at the gargantuan size of the teddy. He has very impressive features. Eyes as black as the night itself, giant drooping ears that almost seem to cover the sides of his face. He has rather short and slender legs for his heavy frame, making me wonder if those legs can stand his weight. Beside him, to his left, sleeps the lady. I look at her, admiring her immaculate beauty. She has one arm around the teddy. They seem to be enjoying each others company. All of a sudden, she grimaces, tugs the teddy closer to her, as though annoyed by my invasion into her privacy. Then a whiff of wind ruffles the curtains, blows a tuft of her hair across her face. She curls up her legs drawing them towards her chest. Apparently, she is feeling cold. I reach out for her quilt and gently pull it over her. My eyes turn to the teddy, who is looking at me, annoyed and irritated, a slight tinge of envy in his big black eyes. He presumably does not want me to come between him and her. As I prepare myself to apologise for my misconduct, her hand flings in and goes round the teddy's waist, pulling him closer to her chest. In an instant the envy in his eyes disappears only to be replaced by a teasingly mocking look suggestive of saying,'Back off, Weirdo. She is my girl!' I give out a suppressed laugh, careful not to wake up the sleeping beauty.

Suddenly, I feel the wetness of water around me and instantly I am out of the trance. It's drizzling, the rain drops piercing against my face like sharp needles. In an instant, the irritated but cute teddy, the sleeping beauty and the ambient atmosphere of the room are all gone. I am back at the terrace. A faint smile comes over my lips, as I think of the teddy approaching the rain gods and secretly conspiring to drive me away so that i am no longer an unwanted guest in his room. The faint smile widens into a yawn. My eyelids are feeling heavy now. I return to my bed. Sleep is beckoning me and this time I really want to yield to its temptation.