(Thank you @blissful119 once again for the inspiration)
Youâre sitting on the couch, one leg tucked under the other, half-distracted as I slip the vinyl from its sleeve.
âYouâre going to laugh,â I say, smiling down at the label, âbut I found this in a hidden little shop near the station. Dusty. Uncatalogued. Almost missed it.â
You glance up. âAnd what is it?â
âNo title,â I murmur. âNo artist. Just⊠this.â
Still, you donât stop me.
A soft crackle, and then sound.
The melody is slow. Gentle. Almost nothing.
A few high notes, drifting.
A low hum underneath.
It builds so gradually, you donât realize how much itâs drawing you in until your head tips back.
Youâre still watching me, but softer now.
I sit beside you. Close, but not touching.
âDonât you just love this musicâŠ?â I ask.
You exhale, slow. âYeah⊠itâs pretty. Like aâŠâ
Your voice drops into the word.
ââŠlike a lullabyâŠâ
I smile. âMmm. It does sound like a lullaby, doesnât it?â
âThereâs something to be said for that word⊠lullaby...â
I let it linger in the air between us.
âAll soft sounds. No edges. Such a sleepy word.â
A pause. Then, very gently:
âYouâre not sleepy, are you?â
You laugh. Soft, embarrassed. âNo.â
But your eyelids flutter.
I watch the side of your face, your throat, the way your breath has begun to stretch.
âDo you know why lullabies make people sleepy?â
You shift slightly. Then dryly, a little too quick:
I glance at you, amused. âMmm?â
A beat. Your brow furrows, just slightly.
âBecause⊠theyâre slow. Simple patterns. Obvious.â
Your voice is defensive now. Trying too hard to sound clinical. Like youâre quoting something.
âThatâs part of it,â I say. âSlow. Simple. But itâs more than that.â
You donât interrupt me this time.
âItâs the intervals,â I say. âMost lullabies move in whatâs called stepwise motion. No leaps. No sudden jumps. Just soft, careful steps.âÂ
âBack⊠and forth. Like thisâŠâ
I move my hand in a gentle arc, left to right, then right to left. Smooth. Predictable.
âAnd more than that,â I say, voice softening, âitâs the direction.â
I change the gesture, now slowly lowering my hand in the air. From above your eyeline, down to your chest level. Down⊠and down again.
Your gaze flickers up to my hand again, now rising slowly and falling again in that same downward path.
âThat downward pull youâre probably feeling right now.â
âYouâre feeling it, arenât you?â
âAnd that downward motion,â I whisper, âit mirrors something in the body.â
âThey feel like sinking into bed. Like sliding under water. Like the weight behind your eyes.â
Your eyes flutter. You try to shake it off. A tiny shift of your shoulders. A breath pulled deeper than you meant, like it startled you. Like you caught yourself on the edge of something.
I let my hand drift again, slow and downward. Your eyes catch it⊠and stay.
âFeels good to follow, doesnât it?â I ask.
You hesitate, just for a beat.
Your lips stay slightly parted after you speak.
âFeels easy to follow,â I murmur.
And after a second, just above a whisperâŠ
I smile. âMmm. Thatâs it.â
The music settles deeper now. Your eyes lift once more, trying to follow my hand, even though itâs stopped moving.
âYour eyes must feel so heavy by now.â
Your lashes donât quite rise all the way.
âYou must be so sleepy.â
â...sooo... sleeeepy...â
Your eyes flutter once more.
And this time, they stay shut.