February 13, 2022
The baby howled in anger. He bashed his fists against the crib. He shook them. No one came. He was desperate. He was so hungry. The baby was only 6 months old, although unknown to his parents, he had learned to speak English on his own. He was a quick study. He never spoke in front of his parents, of course. That would be too disturbing for them to handle. It might shake and contradict their beliefs of reality. It might make them question the true nature of the universe. The baby thought it was a good idea to let them continue with their beliefs, however wrong they might be.
The problem was that his parents no longer came to his side when he cried in the night, in an attempt to teach him that crying for attention when his parents were sleeping was not tolerated.
The baby was so hungry. At dinner he’d only eaten two spoonfuls of baby food and now he regretted not having at least 3. He was tempted to scream out the first names of his mother and father. He wondered how they would react. He imagined them waking suddenly to the sound of a 6 month old baby calling their names. Would they grow scared, or might they think they were dreaming?
The baby’s stomach groaned like a lazy mule. He took a deep breath and clenched the bars tight, preparing himself mentally for what he must do.