Sam & Penny Short-Stories *English*

ORPHANS - Nocturnal Insights

The boy woke up suddenly when something kicked him in the leg. He looked around the dark room but couldn't see anything.

After a week of constant walking and sleeping in shelters in horse pastures and abandoned barns, he didn't want to leave the warm and cozy bed, but his sister next to him kicked in her sleep. She always did, but since they lost their mother it had gotten worse.

She kicked him again and he climbed out of bed. He would now love to have his stuffed dog or even a cuddly toy, but he had nothing left. The bag his mother had packed for him was in the car, which had burned.

He sniffed softly as he remembered his sister telling him that her mother would never come back because of this. He couldn't believe she was gone forever. He missed his mother so much.

He got thirsty and went out the door. Curious, he looked into the next room, whose door was open, and saw Penny lying in bed. She was sleeping soundly. He liked her. She was nice to them. He just didn't see Sam anywhere.

He went downstairs quietly because he didn't want to get scolded. His mother always scolded him when he sneaked into the living room at night to watch TV.

He went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There was no glass anywhere and he couldn't get to the cupboard at the top where he saw them standing through the glass door, so he drank from the bag. His mother had always hated it. Did Penny not like that either?

He wanted to watch some TV until he got tired again and took the juice carton with him.

He stopped in front of the couch when he saw Sam lying on it. He also slept soundly. The boy cocked his head to the side, wondering what Sam had done.

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Sam's POV

I woke up sluggishly. I had this eerie feeling like someone was watching me, which of course was nonsense. I was laying on Penny's couch and I doubted she would sit next to me and stare at me half of the night. I certainly wasn't that interesting to her. Unfortunately. So I stretched extensively when a tired yawn overwhelmed me and blinked briefly. It was enough to scare me to the bone.

"Woah!" I gasped in shock and jumped up to press myself into the back of the sofa when I saw two eyes staring back at me.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized just a moment later that it was the boy and at the same time hoped that I hadn't been loud enough to wake Penny and the girl. But it remained quiet on the upper floor.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night? You should be sleeping," I asked the boy, confused.

"Can't. Have you misbehaved?" is all he said and I thought feverishly what he meant by that.

"What? Why?"

"Because you sleep on the couch."

"What..." I really couldn't follow his question. "What do you mean? Where else should I sleep?"

"Well, with Penny. Mum always let her last boyfriend sleep on the couch when he misbehaved," he said and then suddenly avoided my gaze.

"Well...I...Penny and I aren't...well, we're just friends, you know?"

"Why? Don't you like her?"

"Yes, of course. But..."

"Not fond enough to cuddle with her?"

"So actually...I..."

"Do you want to kiss her?"

"I would...so..."