The Quiet Night

After a long day I switch of my daughter's bedroom light to help lull her to sleep. Instantly the room is plunged into darkness and I fear that she will be frightened and not able to relax. After only a few fleeting moments however, the room has begun to turn from a black hole into a wonderful collage of shadow and light. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I am soon able to see small streaks of reflected light through the vertical blinds. As the air moves the blinds the light dances and shimmers on the wall. I see the texture of the carpet softened with the orange light leaking in under the door. Eventually I can make out the images of Pooh and Tigger on the wall, and as I look at my little girl I can see her eyes glistening in the quite calm of the night. Then, in an instant, her eye lids close and she is asleep. I sit for a few minutes more, taking in the tranquility of the moment.