*Click* *Click* *Click*
In the living room, I sat on the floor with my leg crossed in front of the TV. My eyes were glued to the screen and I had a gaming controller in my hands resting on my lap, my left thumb on the analog stick and my right thumb on the action button. I was playing Luigi Kart Hero World Tour, tilting my body left and right to the go-kart I'm controlling in the video game.
"Honey, it is time to go to sleep. Weekend is over, you have to wake up early for school tomorrow."
"I'm almost done, this is my last round, I promised," I replied without turning my eyes away from the TV screen.
"Haaaa? I remembered you said that you were on your last round ten minutes ago and I just saw you hit the 'play again' button."
I make no move to reply, pretending I didn't hear her and continue to focus on my game.
Sound of soft footsteps came from behind me.
"You think your old mother never played any video games before?" Suddenly, a pair of hands clasped on my waist and her fingers pressed into the side of my waist, tickling me full on while she giggled to my ear.
"Hahahahaha..St-Stop mom! Stop! " I shrieked and laughed uncontrollably, letting go of my gaming controller to put my hands on hers, trying to pluck her fingers away but she slapped my hands out of the way and dove her hands back to my waist, making my body twitches from side to side from her tickle assaults.
"HAHAHA! HEHEHE! I'M SORRY MOM! I'LL GO TO SLEEP NOW! STOP TICKLING ME!" I curled my body up like a caterpillar and fell on my side to the floor, crossing my hands over my abdominals to cover the side of my waist to block her from tickling me further.
Mom, after getting the response she wanted, let out a snort of victory before pulling her hands away and moved around me to the TV cabinet, bent on her waist to switch off the TV and the gaming console.
She reached her hands out to grab on mine, who was laying on the floor attempting to catch my breath from laughing my lungs out. "Come on, get up, you little troublemaker," she said as she pulled me off the floor, with my small hand in her grasp, she led me up the flight of stairs to my room.
Turning on the lamp on the nightstand beside the bed, she sat on the edge of the bed and tucked me into the bed at the corner of the room.
"Now, close your eyes and go to sleep. Go to sleepppp…" Mom breathed softly like a witch casting a sleep spell, skimming her fingers from my forehead down to my eyes lid, shutting it close with her index finger and middle finger, trying to hypnotize me to sleep.
"But mom, I don't want to sleep yet. I'm not sleepy." I took her arm away and held it on my chest, looking up at her beautiful face that was illuminated by the orange night lamp. She had long wavy black hair and particularly bright blue eyes, a trait that people around us always said we shared.
Laying beside me on the bed, she propped her head up with her right elbow and used her free hand to tap on my round nose, wiggling it side to side. "Wait till you become an adult, you would be begging for just a quick nap," she said with a wry smile.
"What is it like being an adult?" I asked with a curious tone, turning on my side to face mom.
"What is it like being an adult? Hmmmm,"-She tilted her head up to ponder a bit-"Instead of going to school every weekday, you will be going to work on every weekday and sometimes you also work on Saturday. And you may need to stay late for work sometimes, very late-"
"Just like dad?"
"Yup. But at the end of the month, you get paid with money. And you can use that money to-"
"Buy games!"
"Heh, that's the only thing you can think of, you little brat. Unfortunately, you will be too tired all the time and you will fall asleep halfway into the game. By the time you wake up, it will be a whole new day and you need to go to work again, and this will continue forever… forever… foreverrr." She imitated an echoing voice, repeating the last word again and again with a decaying voice.
"Scary… I don't want to grow up."I pulled my blanket up to my nose and started imagining how my life will be ten years from now.
"Don't worry, you can still use the money to eat the burgers that you like so much to your heart's content but moderately of course, I don't want my boy turned into a fatty. Now, close your eyes, I will be here with you until you fall asleep." Both of us shared a pillow, she snuggled closer to me on the bed and hugged me, pressing our forehead together.
"Goodnight mom." I closed my eyes and wrapped my arm around her waist to reciprocate her hug, her nightgown clad breast pressed against my chest and the scent of sweet honey from her body wash mixed with her natural body fragrance wafted my nose, it was a calming smell.
"I miss you, honey." Mom said with a tinge of sadness in her voice, I could feel her arms around me were getting tighter and she used one of her hands to pull my head toward her chest.
"Hehe, you talk funny mom. I'm with you everyday, what is there to be missed about." I giggled, feeling her warm embrace surrounding me.
"You know mommy loves you right?" She asked with a trembling voice
"I know mom…" My voice grew weaker and my mind had started to get fuzzy from sleepiness.
"Can you tell me you love me?" Her voice trembled and was filled with desperation but I was too young to catch up to it.
"I.. love you… mom…" I murmured and soon my mind succumbed to the darkness clouding my thoughts, forcing me to sleep.
—-
I opened my eyes to total blackness and my face was buried into something cold and extremely soft, I could feel a hand around my waist and fingers brushing my scalps.
With my hand on the soft surface, I pushed it away to be dazzled by the morning light, I squinted my eyes until I could adjust to the brightness to find that the Tall Lady was lying beside me on the bed. She had a worried look on her face.
After a moment of prolonged silence, my sight blurred from the tears welling up in my eyes, realizing that what happened just now was all a dream. The Tall Lady upon seeing my reaction used her hands to wipe my eyes and used her tongue to licked away the tears streaming down my face.
"Hehe. I'm okay. I'm okay. You don't have to do that." I chuckled when her wet tongue touched my cheek, it was ticklish and weird.
She pulled my face to her massive milkers again, I could sense that she was trying to comfort me and I allowed it with no resistance. Reciprocating her hug with my hands placed around her waist and snuggled closer to her.
I miss you too, mom.