Hush, Shush The Children are sleeping

Chapter 1

 "Hush, shush, the children are sleeping." That sentence rings out in my ears every night while I sleep. I feel like they are getting louder each night that I can't get proper sleep. The nights where I am up too late on my phone, where the only source of light is the screen.

I have grown up listening to nursery rhymes and stories where there is damsel in distress and a prince saves the day. I lived off of those stories, hoping that I too will someday eat an apple and a prince wakes me with a power of a single kiss or he'll save me with the power of "true love," even though he barely knows me and he doesn't even know my last name. I have always wished that true love was real and that it would be mine someday, but then I grew up and put my fantasies behind me.

"Quiet, quiet, the kids are weeping." I thought that maybe those words were just a memory from my childhood that I had forgotten, but I would remember such odd words that would wake me in the middle of the night, sweating. 

I had always wanted to wake up to a man lying besides me, telling me it was just a dream, but I had too many heartbreaks to ever let a man in my bed ever again. I let myself be fooled and used by men too many times and it is a mistake that I promised myself I would never repeat.

I sat up in my bed, wiping the sweat from my forehead and ripping off the big sheets off my bed that were making me burn up.

In Iowa, it can get really hot at night in the Fall or the Summer. I kept forgetting to buy a fan for my room anytime I go to the store since I never bring a shopping list. That's also why I would forget to buy stuff for breakfast.

I turned and looked at my blue alarm clock that was sitting on my bookshelf next to my bed. The digital numbers read 4:53 AM. I groaned and decided that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. I got up and went downstairs to the kitchen. I flipped on any light switch I would walk by.

I then rummaged through the fridge looking for some orange juice, and the ham and cheese for a sandwich.

Since it was a Thursday, I had to be at work in like 2 or 1 hour. I work as a school counselor for my town's middle school. I was able to get my Master's Degree for it. 

I put two pieces of bread in the toaster to make my grilled ham and cheese sandwich. I stand above the toaster, looking down at the bread starting to turn brown. The toast pops up and causes me to jump. I sigh and almost get scared out of my skin again by the old grandmother clock that hangs on my wall. The clock rings loudly 5 times, telling me it's now 5 o'clock.

I continue my routine normally. I run around my apartment losing things one second then finding them on my bed or the kitchen counter.

I'm 24 years old and I feel like the rest of my life will be full of days that repeat themselves.

My day goes by normally as it always does, kids come in complaining about their friends, some kids come in that were being rude to their teachers. I work on paperwork and clean up my office from the kids that came in that threaten to throw a chair, but the worst part I dread is when sometimes parents come in to try to complain about a teacher and saying the teacher is too rude to their kid. I wanted to help kids with their problems, but all I am doing in this awful school is listen to kids complain and to try to get another kid in trouble. I have learned a way to get through the day by just nodding and smiling.

My lunch break started and I let out a sigh of relief. This job is getting harder and harder to deal with. I love the kids, but I wanted this job to help kids. I want to quit my job, but it pays the bills and what else am I able to do? I'd have to go back to school if I wanted to be a guidance counselor at the high school.

"Ms.Miller?" One of my co-workers walked in the break room and spoke to me.  I looked up at her and I stopped eating my lunch. She was standing next to the table I was sitting at. She has always been a shy person and never talked to me much. She was much older than me and she had 3 kids, so I never understood why she was such a shy person. 

"Mrs. Gebhart wanted me to tell you about the assembly next week that's going to be talking about The new lunch system that's starting soon." She said in a formal way. She spoke to me as if she never have talked to me before. That lady was weird.

I smiled and nodded. " Thanks." I breathed. She nodded back at me and left the break room. I let out a sigh once I saw that she was gone. I continued to eat my sub sandwich that I had bought.

I walked out of the school towards my car to head home. The day was finally over. I could finally go home. I still had to pick up some dog food for my American Staffordshire Terrier at the pet store.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I took it out and pressed the little home button. It was just a nonfiction for some dumb game I was playing. I sighed, hoping that it was a text from my mom.

I then was almost knocked off my feet by a guy who ran past me. I was able to gain my balance and I turned around and yelled, "Hey! Watch where you're going!" The man stopped running and turned around to look at me. 

He was wearing an odd sort of suit cape. The outside was a dark black, but it kind of looked like the night sky. On the inside of the cape it looked like the galaxy. I saw stars all shapes and sizes and bright bold colors that made my eyes hurt. He wore plain black dress pants with black dress shoes. I kept looking back at his galaxy cape. His hair was a long dark brown but it was covered by a black top hat. A top hat? Why was he wearing a top hat? I couldn't see his eyes very well, but I could tell they were a dark brown and it seemed like one of his eyes was darker than the other. Odd.

"My apologies, Miss. I'm in a bit of a hurry." Miss? Do I look single?

"I can tell! Watch where you're going next time!" I scoffed and turned back around heading for my car. I heard him chuckle. This is why I hate men!