Why Haven’t You Gone to Bed?

Jacob's mother leaves with one instruction: bed by eleven. His headphones are too loud to hear the rest, and at eleven something asks why he is still up.

Dark Night

Jacob noticed the silence only after his music stopped.

Until then, the house had been full of noise.

A heavy bass line pulsed through his headphones as he sat curled into the corner of the living-room couch, one knee pulled against his chest. Blue light from his phone washed over his face while the rest of the room slowly surrendered to the evening shadows.

His mother stood near the front door, slipping on her coat and checking the contents of her handbag for the second time.

“Jacob, I’m leaving now,” she called.

He saw her lips move but couldn’t hear the words clearly. The music was too loud. He lifted one side of his headphones.

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Quick answers about Why Haven’t You Gone to Bed?

What is Why Haven’t You Gone to Bed? about?

Jacob's mother leaves with one instruction: bed by eleven. His headphones are too loud to hear the rest, and at eleven something asks why he is still up.

Is Why Haven’t You Gone to Bed? free to read?

Yes. Every story on RapidTale is free to read in the browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.

How long does it take to read?

This story runs 1 chapter — most readers finish in one sitting, and you can stop and return to any chapter using the contents list.

Who wrote it?

Nimra Khan — original fiction published on RapidTale.