I returned home from a day out in the world, exhausted. I knew what I needed, where I wanted to be. I grabbed my things and made my way down the hallway towards my space. My comfort. I opened the solid wood door, damaged from the years of service, and breathed a sigh of relief. I was finally able to relax. I put down my things and removed all the uncomfortable bits of clothing that had been oh so bothersome all day, then I set up my bed. A queen size, perfect for a night of watching movies and playing games. I grabbed the pillows from the ottoman and moved to my bed. A pillow behind my back and one under my legs, my laptop at the ready with a movie. I was at peace. I glanced upwards at the slanted cathedral ceiling like I have a thousand times before, and felt the same each time. Light. Like I would float off the bed at any second. My eyes moved to the posters hung across the room. Sherlock and Doctor Who. Should I watch them again?
Below them was the papasan, currently out of use and on top of an old wicker chest. Both were filled to the brim with things. The papasan being stuffed with clothes and extra pillows, the chest with cookbooks from the kitchen. On the floor I saw my rug, something that desperately needed to be cleansed of the cat litter that's been tracked in over time. Speaking of cleaning, the heater in the middle of the rug needed some attention as well. The old space heater had such a thick layer of dust, it was surprising that it hadn't caused any problems. My speaker! I had forgotten to turn on my Bluetooth speaker. I got up and walked to my dresser, making sure not to burn myself on the heater as I walked around it to reach the top shelf.
The dresser was big, an inch or so from my chin when its height was compared to my own. Three feet wide and two thick, it held more than half my wardrobe, and many knickknacks ranging from old toys to mementos. There were many things on top next to the speaker. Books, a doll a friend had made, makeup, anything you could think of. I'd even found a piece of food once or twice up there. Just another thing that needed to be cleaned.
After I was sure my laptop had connected to the speaker I realized there was a suspicious lack of light in the room. My lights were off! I walked from the dresser towards the right of the papasan and chest and looked for the step switch I had stolen from the Christmas decorations. It was supposed to be for the tree, but why not use it as an easy way to turn on the lamp and string lights during the rest of the year? My foot found the button and after a loud "click" the lights were on. The lamp in the corner of the room between the closet door and the papasan lit up with a warm light that went up the poster above it, creating a kind of movie theatre look. The string lights produced a different kind of light. A trail of soft white made its way up the side of a large window, hooked on the curtain rod, and swung across the glass. It continued over the cat tree to another corner of the room and turned, hanging onto a corner of another poster. The lights went on to the second smaller window. Not crossing it, but draping itself on the end of the curtain rod and ending with a foot to spare. Now that the lights were on I could turn off the overhead light and get back into bed. Oh no! Someone had taken my seat. A cat was curled up between the pillows. How did he fall asleep so fast? I gently picked him up without disturbing his curl, and set him to the side. After I was in bed I thought to myself, "This room is more than just a room. It's mine.", and I hit play.