Right Into Place

Thirty-Seven

"Shall we go?" Taylor asked once she's completely dressed neck downwards, wearing a dark green scarf, a red coat, sweaters of some colours underneath and brown boots. She's holding her red beanie and a questioning look on her face.

I had to resist the urge to tell her that she looked like Christmas. It's her birthday so I let her have her way.

I took the gift for her and handed it to her, that averagely-sized box wrapped in a white wrapper with a floral pattern. As she was standing in her doorway to her room, it was easy to lead her inside. "Come on now, you've got to open this gift first."

She pursed her lips, scanning the box and running her fingertips through. "Can't I just open it later?" She asked.

"No, it's probably much better to open this, here, now. Plus, this will fit much better here than in your room in the house," I reasoned out.

I could tell she was confused, only she didn't let it get in her way. "Okay then," she mumbled, almost in a singsong way. "Hold this for me." She handed me her beanie and I held it in my hands. "If this is a Jack in the Box, you better tell me not to open it because those things creep me out."

"Finally something that creeps you out," I said.

I heard her scoff as she made her way towards her bed. She sat there while I leaned on the wall near the doorway, watching her while she ripped the paper off. I walked towards her and she looked up, an arched eyebrow and a half smirk upon her lips.

"You didn't. . ." She opened the box, and smiled. "No way. No way!" Alright, maybe I didn't expect that kind of excitement for her. Once she brought the gift out, she said, "Oh, I'm totally going to use this! Can you shut the lights please?"

I did and since her apartment barely gets a breath of fresh air or light from the outside, the darkness would be enough to let her see what the effects are. After turning the light off, I sat beside her in the darkness. She plugged it in and turned it on.

As soon as she flipped the switch, the night lights went up, the cylindrical of the outer side started spinning very slowly and then played the theme song from Tim Burton's film, Alice in Wonderland. The dark room went alive with the lights up on her sky blue ceiling, looking like a dark forest, with swirls, unrealistically curved branches, grass, fireflies and butterflies.

"Whoa." I heard Taylor and it made me smile.

Here I am glad that it was successful.

After buying it earlier today, I sort of tinkered with mechanisms inside, adding in a music box that played the whole theme so it wouldn't be as boring. I took it from one of the music boxes I have at home and, I am very thankful that it worked well.

"Oh God, I want to go to sleep," she said quietly in a slightly whining tone and lied down. Her eyes reflected the bright creamish lights as they slowly moved. "Thanks, Harry," she whispered. "It's wonderful, thank you."

"Well, you sort of told me that you loved gardens and forests, so I took them to your bedroom," I said.

"Yeah, well, but Harry, I said that to you like two days ago," she said in a hushed tone, sweet as ever and still calming as the sea. She sat up, still looking at the ceiling, now we're seated side by side.

"And?"

"W-Well, it was a random statement, I can't even believe you were taking note, much less listening."

To think of it, even I don't recall how I remembered that, I just did.

She laid her head on my shoulder, still looking up as the theme slowly played like a lullaby though it should be far from that. That kind of tune would have me awake in ages, but it has a different effect on her. Then again, most things tend to be somnolent around her.