Bedtime Story (7/2/2018)

Welcome back to the weekly bedtime story!  

I hope everyone is well as they read this.  Unfortunately, it's that time of year when coughs, colds and Winter viruses are still everywhere - as I write this, my throat feels as though I've been gargling with razor blades.  Ugh!  

But what happens when you simply refuse to admit that you're not well?!  I thought I'd write a story to find out...

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"Go Back To Bed, Lottie!"

Lottie never sat still for long.  There was too much to do, too much to see, too many games to play...

But Lottie had been a little under the weather for a few days.  She found that running around made her tired much quicker than usual, and it made her cough, too.  Her face felt hot and she was rather sniffly.  Each day, when Lottie got up and began noisily playing, her mum would tut to herself.  "I think you're coming down with something," she'd say, pulling a worried face that made her forehead go all crinkly.

Then, one day, after a particularly bad coughing fit, Lottie looked up at her mum and knew exactly what Mum was going to say, before the words even had chance to leave her mouth.

"Go back to bed, Lottie," Mum told her.  "Your face is all red, your chest sounds rattly and I don't want you to get worse."

Despite Lottie's protests, her mum ushered her up the stairs.  "We'll see if a day of bed rest helps you feel better.  If not, I think we'll have to go to the doctors, tomorrow."  She tucked Lottie into bed and left her to lie there, staring at the ceiling.

Lottie's bed was very comfy.  And her head didn't ache so much when she was lying down.  But Lottie wasn't a "stay in one place all day" type of girl.  Within minutes, she was bored.  She threw back the covers, kicked her legs over the edge of the bed and began scanning her bedroom for something to do.

Eventually, she decided to play with the dollhouse she'd got for Christmas.  Sitting up made her feel a bit wobbly, but she curled her legs beneath her on her bedroom rug and began playing.  She was just getting into a really good game, where one of the dolls was bouncing on the bed and making lots of noise, when she heard her mum's footsteps on the stairs...

"Go back to bed, Lottie!"  Mum insisted, as she opened the door to Lottie's room.  "Your cheeks look flushed and you need to rest!"

After much huffing and puffing,  Lottie eventually crawled back beneath her duvet and waited until her mum had gone back downstairs, before she let out a long sigh.  She was really fed up, now.  Her eyes felt tired and her throat was scratchy, but if she just stayed in bed, surely she'd only end up bored, rather than better?!  And so, Lottie decided she'd go to her bookshelf and choose something to read.

Lottie's favourite book was wedged between a thick colouring book and a collection of bedtime stories that Mum read from, sometimes.  It was stuck firmly and it took Lottie a lot of effort to pull it out.  She tugged and tugged, making herself cough more and more in the process.  By the time the book finally became unstuck, the force made Lottie fall backwards to the floor with a bump, bringing several other books down from the shelf at the same time.

Within seconds of the crash, the sound of footsteps on the stairs made Lottie's ears prick up once more.  Mum burst through the door.  "What on Earth are you doing?!  Go back to bed, Lottie!"

She put a hand on Lottie's forehead and pulled a face.  "You're burning up and your skin's all clammy."  She hurried to open the window a crack.  "No more playing around.  You have to go to sleep and get some rest!"

Lottie dragged herself back to bed, frowning and protesting all the way.  Her chest hurt and her whole body felt much heavier than normal.  Her bed was so soft and the temptation to close her eyes was huge, but Lottie was worried she'd miss out on a day of playing.  So, as soon as the coast was clear, she crept out of bed and decided to play dress-up.

She opened the cupboard where her fancy dress box was stored and began searching for something to put on.  Every time she bent down, she went dizzy and there was a strange buzzing in her ears, but Lottie was sure she'd be fine if she just had some time to play.  She tugged out a feather boa from the bottom of the fancy dress box.  The feathers tickled her nose and she sneezed once, twice, three times.  The third one was such a big sneeze, Lottie tripped over her own feet in her rush to grab a tissue.

"LOTTIE!"  Mum's voice yelled up the stairs, when she heard the crash.  

Lottie scrambled back to bed, before the bedroom door opened.  "I thought you were out of bed, again," Mum frowned.

"No," Lottie said, with a grin.  She sank down against the soft pillows, pulling the warm duvet up beneath her chin.  Suddenly, her bed felt like the perfect place to be.

"Well, that's good," Mum replied.  "Because you really do need to rest."

Lottie nodded.  Her eyes felt ever so heavy and her ears were sore.  Her face was hot, but she shivered, as she wrapped the duvet around herself.  "I think..." She began, with a yawn.  "I think I might go to sleep."

"Promise?"  Mum asked.  She turned away to clear up Lottie's dressing up things.  "Because you ought to be resting," she continued.  "You'll feel much better after a nice, long sleep, I'm sure.  That's why  I kept telling you to get back into..."  She turned back and smiled.  "Bed."

Tucked up under the covers, Lottie was fast asleep.  And this time, she wouldn't get out again until she'd had a proper rest.

"Feel better soon, Lottie," Mum whispered.  She closed the door, tiptoed down the stairs and settled herself on the sofa, to enjoy some peace and quiet at last.

THE END