by Mick Jackson
First published 2025
A young girl boards a sleeper train with her family as darkness falls. They will journey through the night across India's countryside and arrive at their destination by morning. The train sways and rocks along the tracks, but the girl cannot fall asleep. The experience thrills her too much. She lies awake thinking of every peaceful place she has ever slept. She remembers the warm spot between her parents in their bed. She recalls a hotel room by the ocean. She thinks of sleeping in a tent surrounded by open fields. She remembers her mother's old bedroom at her grandparents' house. Each memory brings comfort as the train continues its nighttime passage. The girl wonders if these thoughts of familiar sleeping places will finally help her drift off to sleep on this exciting journey.
Genres: literary-fiction, family-life, adventure, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: nostalgic, slice-of-life
Setting: India
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
34 pages · Kindle Edition · Candlewick Press