Nighttime Drumming Sleep

I rolled that green pencil all the way across the park grass, bumped it up the concrete stairs, and squeezed right back into the warm apartment! My plush legs were wobbling, so I scrambled straight onto the sofa cushions. I pulled my tummy zipper down slow and steady—zip! Out slid the stiff card with the purple star. I propped the card against the folded knitted blanket, then tapped the pink eraser end against the wooden table tray beside me—thup, tap, thup! It made the softest, quietest bedtime beat. I tucked the card and the pencil into the blanket fold right next to my hip, patted the wool three times, and settled down.