Feverish and four years old


La Serpiente had the day off school with a fever; she’d been a little peaky yesterday but by 10 this morning she was at 40 degrees and being dosed with both paracetamol and ibuprofen, and by 11 she was asleep, forgoing the pleasures of TV for her bed. Destroyer played on, blithely unconcerned by her sister, and I blundered through work.
When I got home, La Serpiente was no more energetic, despite having spent most of the day on the sofa resting. After a tearful moment where she demanded the warmest of all her pyjamas, and we told her she couldn’t wear winter weight long johns and a sweater, I brushed her teeth and put her to bed, reading four stories from an enormous library book. I too was battling fatigue; I don’t think I’m sick (or anywhere as sick as her) but I still felt zapped, and so it was a mercy that both girls were asleep before nine.

My wife passed out soon after, possibly a tactical move given La Serpiente might wake again before long, while I stayed up, wasting time reading things on the internet and wondering what I’ve done with my life. Well, mostly just reading things on the internet. I’m hoping tomorrow La Serpiente’s fever declines a bit, and we get back energetic La Serpiente rather than the current, slow-speed model. Well, we can but hope.

So, Monday night and it’s dark and cold. This has been a funny old year, one way or another. Onwards to the end!


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