Shhh…

Shhh..
Rattle
‍Did you hear that?
Rattle
‍Flash is on
I see…
I see.

A dark figure immensing from the floor 
Too fast! 
It jumped!
So sneaky
I stay on my bed 
Will it jump on me?

I hesitate
I think
What now?
What do I do now?

I grab my things 
I stuff them in an empty backpack
Making sure I don’t touch the floor

Tiny little feet scattering around me
Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat
‍I turn the lights on. 
It’s gone.

I wait for the perfect timing.
I quickly sneak past,
Closing the door behind me as to not let them escape and go somewhere else

I walk over to my mom’s room
It’s dark and chilly
She wakes up
“What’s wrong?”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” 

It’s a rat, I tell her 
It’s lurking in the shadows 
I have no idea how it got inside
Is there a hole somewhere I don’t know of? 

The owner mentioned for us to keep the windows closed 
They like to jump in
I never thought it would actually happen to us
However, our windows were already closed 
I’ll sleep in my mom’s bed tonight

It’s cold 
I want to cuddle but I hold myself back
She’s coughing 
Not too close, I tell myself
This pandemic is really serious
I huddle, forming a fetal position with my legs and chest
Now covered in goosebumps 

–

I’m chillin’
Like chillin’ chillin’
Literally chillin’
Drinking cocoa like I’m sipping down water
Air particles almost as if dancing out of my mouth

Hands are wrinkly cold
Under five layers of blankets
And a hoodie thats thick but not thick enough

It’s freezing
The heater’s on
But I don’t feel like I’m cooking enough
As I speak,
Talk,
Scream,
Scream?
Ah yes, the heater is also screaming.
Working it’s tiny little buttocks to the core 
It tries … but not enough
Not warm enough

It’s icy
I freeze 
It’s not warm enough
How can I suffer twice?
Living my next morning in a freezer?