Unwanted child - стр. 21

In an instant, the silence that had hitherto reigned in the recreation room, supplemented by the peaceful music of nature, was filled with children's delighted shouts and the clatter of beds hitting the floor under the impact of jumping. Like the lifeguards that they partly were, Mrs Donova's assistants flew into the room. They were mostly young female students on teaching practice. They began to help the teacher to quiet the crowd of children, who were overflowing with activity and demanding fun and amusement.

Much to the children's dismay, their cots had already been determined in advance and their names were signed on each one. Therefore, they were deprived of the possibility to choose on this issue. All the babies were redistributed to their cots. More often than not, the beds were much larger than the size of an average three-year-old, as they were assigned to older children up to the age of six, who were already taller and larger than the younger preschoolers. The sounds of nature intensified, attracting the attention of the babies, the main light in the room went out, and the ceiling was transformed into a dark blue sky with stars sparkling on it, which from time to time went out and then appeared in a new place. The cots vibrated, tuning the children's hearts to the rhythm of their upcoming sleep. Some were still on their feet, leaning against the wooden barriers of the cot, others lay down, feeling tired.

Theodore sat on his knees with his legs tucked under him, looking up at the stars twinkling in the artificial sky. The music slowly began to fade until it was barely audible. The children's eyes began to close and they gradually began to fall into a deep sleep, full of colourful and unique visions filled with adventures. Mrs Donova quietly and subtly took a seat on a small stool near the entrance, guarding the dreams of her children. She pressed a small switch on the inside of the door and the sticker of a crescent moon with a baby hanging from it began to shimmer. The baby's mouth began to move and the letter ‘Z’ began to appear from time to time, slowly moving upwards. The crescent moon itself turned a bright yellow colour and tiny craters were clearly visible on it. This meant that this room was occupied at that particular moment. Please do not enter or disturb the others.

The Theodore group's afternoon nap lasted only 45 minutes. Another 15 minutes were allowed to lull the babies to sleep. After the allotted nap time, the ceiling began to change into a clear and blue morning sky. Yellow silhouettes of birds began to pass by now and then, chirping loudly and calling the sleeping babies to wake up. The sounds of the singing birds gradually grew stronger until there were no more slumbering children in the common room. Ted woke up almost as soon as the extraneous sounds came. In addition, with the help of the floodlights emitting artificial sunlight, the room grew brighter and brighter by the second until there was not a single dark corner left at all.