Under her covers, a teenage girl lies in her room attempting to fall asleep. The pitter-patter of rain falls against her window and the loud booms that occasionally echo throughout the house from the storm outside are the only noises that she can hear. 

After lying there for a few minutes, staring at the seemingly empty abyss that is her ceiling, she realizes that she will not be able to fall asleep at the moment. She turns over and looks toward her digital clock which reads 3:32 a.m. and inwardly groans, knowing that if she gets any sleep, it will be very little. 

Eventually, the girl decides to get up and get herself a cup of tea to help herself relax. Opening her door slowly, so as to not disturb her parents that are sleeping a room over, she makes her way towards the kitchen and takes out everything that she needs. Right after heating up her water and taking her mug out of the microwave, a voice speaks up from behind, effectively startling her.

“What are you doing up at this time, Iris?” they question.

Turning around, Iris sees her mother standing in the doorway of the kitchen, hugging her pink bathrobe close to her trying to stay warm. 

“I couldn’t sleep. Figured I would make some tea and read to try and help,” she whispers back, “Sorry if I woke you up.”

“No worries, I was already up anyway. Seems we had the same idea,” her mom responds with a soft smile.

Iris returns the smile and grabs another mug to make her mom a cup of tea as well. While waiting for the second cup to heat up, Iris and her mom make mindless small talk to pass the time, talking about what happened the previous day at work and school. Once each of them finishes making their tea, they go back to each of their respective rooms. 

“Goodnight, honey, try not to stay up much longer,” her mom whispers.

“I’ll try not to. Goodnight, Mom.” Iris quietly responds before heading into her room.

Iris heads to the opposite side of her bedroom to a small reading corner right beside a window that looks out at the vast fields of grass that surround her house. 

Getting comfortable, she grabs her favorite book and decides to start re-reading it for what had to be the tenth time while sipping on her warm tea. Small drops of water could still be seen falling from the sky, tapping against the window like a woodpecker pecks against a tree. Through the small crack of her open window, she could smell the earthy smell that is left behind as each drop hit the ground outside.

At this moment in time, reading her favorite book and looking outside at the rain, even though she is unable to sleep, Iris feels completely calm and serene. I wish I could stay in this moment forever she thinks to herself while finally starting to feel drowsy.