A Heavy Awakening

A shudder ran through my belly, and my eyes snapped open. I was alive, breathing, and completely trapped. Dozens of squirming little bodies pressed against me, chirping with clingy affection. Sighing deeply, I strained to shift my bloated weight and nudged the edge of a scratchy blanket with my toes, desperate to carve out an inch of peace. It barely budged. Exhaustion washed over me as the little ones swarmed closer, but the faint glow of the lantern in the back reminded me that quiet spaces must exist somewhere.