A story about tiredness
Snoozy and the Day That Went On Too Long
Snoozy stays up for the whole of the Long Day and turns into somebody nobody recognises. A story about being tired, and what tired does to feelings.
3 minutes to read aloud · 😌 Calm
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The Long Day comes once a year in Candyfloss Land, and nobody goes to bed. That is the whole point of it.
Snoozy had never managed it. Snoozy is the cosiest, dreamiest, slowest fluff there is, and usually falls asleep somewhere around the middle of the afternoon with a biscuit still in one paw.
This year, Snoozy was determined.
Snoozy made it past teatime. Snoozy made it past the lanterns. Snoozy made it past the bit where Tipsy went to bed, and the bit where Mopsy went to bed, and the bit where even Winky lay down in the grass and started snoring.
By midnight, Snoozy had been awake for nineteen hours, and Snoozy was not Snoozy any more.
When Squirmy bumped into Snoozy, Snoozy snapped, "Watch where you are GOING."
When there was no more cake, Snoozy's eyes filled up as if the world had ended.
When Glowy said something perfectly nice, Snoozy said something not nice back, and then sat down on the grass and cried about a cake that Snoozy had not even wanted.
Glowy, who is used to the dark and is not easily put off, sat down too.
"None of this is about the cake, is it."
"I'm FINE," wailed Snoozy.
"You've been awake since yesterday."
Snoozy stopped, mid-wail, and thought about it. The world did look strange and sharp and difficult. Every small thing had grown enormous. Snoozy's feelings had all come untucked, like a bed with the covers pulled off.
"I might be tired," Snoozy admitted.
So they did the wind-down. The lanterns went low. Snoozy found a plushie and gave it a squeeze. Three slow yawns, and the third one was so enormous it made Glowy yawn too.
Snoozy slept for eleven hours.
In the morning, the world was back to its proper size. Snoozy went and found Glowy and said sorry, and it took about four seconds and did not hurt at all.
"Rest is a superpower," said Snoozy, who had always said so, and now actually understood it.
