Awake While Beauty Sleeps

"Gedoff meTommy, gedoff!” I says angrily, snatchin' me hand away from him. He is holdin' tight so I has to struggle to stop me basket of blueberries from fallin'.
“See whatcha almost done? These be for Princess Rose's bir'day. Mama would give me a spankin' if I dun't bring them back,” I continues, shakin' the basket under his small nose. Tommy giggles, the silly lad.
“Comma see Jon, comma see,” he says happily, clappin' his chubby hands toge'er. I rolls me eyes an' follows, keepin' a careful watch on me precious blueberries. One can't never be too careful with Tommy aroun'.  I dun't want him to come, but mama made me takes him. Shes makes me watch him oft, 'cause I is older then he, me bein' a'ready eight an' him bein' on'y four. No amount o' beggin' nor pleadin' makes her change her mind, so I is stuck with him. Tommy runs afront of me gleefully.

We reaches the castle walls an' slips through the servants' entrance.
“Look Jon, look,” Tommy points, star'in' to giggle again. At first I dun't see nufin' amiss. The servants' garden is full as ever. But then me notices the quiet, an' the fact that nobody moves an' how nobody seems to be standin'. All are sittin' or lyin' or slumpin' over walls an' on the floor an' the benches.
All are asleepin'.
Even Fluffer the cat is lyin' there an' he ain't movin' no muscle. I looks at Tommy, all perplexed- like.
“Why's everyone asleepin'? Isn' there work to be doin'?” I asks. Mama had said that there ain't no time to play today, 'cause its the princess's bir'day an' all an' there is tons an' tons to prepare.
We continues walking to the huge kitchen to give the blueberries to mama. She wouln't be sleepin', that I knew for sure. Mama never slept when there was work to be doin'. But the kitchen were as silent as the garden. Mama were slumped o'er the huge wooden table, snorin' gently inno a lumpa dough. Her face were covered in flour, even more then usual, an' her huge rolling pin were still in her hand. I is startin' to get worried by now, but Tommy is happy as usual. He rans up to mama an' hugs her big leg.
“Mama! Mama! We got blueberries mama, like you asks us!” he shouts joyfully, but she's no answerin' him. I puts the blueberries down an' takes Tommy by the hand.
“Come, she's restin'. Lets go play.” I says, 'cause I know that's what mama would want. “Stay outta the way,” she woudda said, “An' take Tommy with ya”. So we plays Hiders an' Finders in the sleepin' castle an' I pushes the questions outta me head.

Evenin' falls, an' still me an' Tommy are the only peoples awake. We goes back to the kitchen, 'cause we is both  gettin' hungry. I goes over to mama, an' I shakes her arm.
“Wake up, mama. I is hungry.” I says. She dun't move. I sees her breathin' so I know she's only sleepin', but why i'nnt she wakin' up?
“Mama, wake up,” I says again. Tommy begins cryin'. I is feelin' tears in my eyes too, but big boys dun't ever cry, so I wipes them away.
“I is hungry, Jon” Tommy wails, so I tries wakin' mama up again. At last me own hunger is gnawin' too badly so I goes to the larder an' takes out some bread and splits it in half an' Tommy an' I eats it hungrily. There be other foods at the table, lots of 'em, but I knows it's for the princess's banquet, so I dun't dare touch it. Tommy an' me dun't wanna play no more, but we dun't wanna go to sleep in our bed without mama there, so we ends up curled on the kitchen floor between mama's legs and we goes to sleep there.

In the morning, nufin' has changed. We takes more food from the larder an' goes lookin' 'round. We plays again Hiders an' Finders, but this time both me and Tommy is the finders and we is findin' someone else who is awake. But we dun't find no one but sleepin' people in the servants wing. So we gives up an' play chase. At night we sleeps again next to mama's feet.

The next day me thinks that mayhaps all the awake people ain't not in the servants wing, but in the rest of the castle. So we goes inno the halls of the castle, all shakin' and scared- like 'cause we was never allowed to goes there before But here everyones all asleepin' too, snorin' in colorful dresses an' tight pants an' strange hats I ain't seen the likes of ever before. Me and Tommy has some fun tryin' them on, 'cause the people are all sleepin' anyways so what does they care?

At night we goes back to the kitchen again. I has star'ed likin' night when I dun't feel alone 'cause I am sleepin' just like everyone else. But I gets scared sometimes that when I goes to sleep I will not wake, jus' as everyone else.

So me and Tommy manages somehow, waitin' for the worl' to wake once again. The days start turnin' to nights and the nights to days an' I is sure weeks an' months an' maybe even years are goin' past but I ain't feelin' it. The days are all the same, explorin' the castle an' eating from the larder an' sometimes even goes to the woods for a bit, jus' to hear uther things movin' an' to pick berries 'cause we finished the blueberries a'ready. But we has to stop that after a while 'cause huge thorn bushes start'd to growin' around the castle, an'  it pricks too much to pass 'em. I feels they is trappin' us with the sleepin' peoples fore'er more.

So we explores the castle more an' more 'till we knows everythin' there is to know about it.
One day we finds some steps an' we starts climbin' an' climbin', goin' up an' up an' up 'till our legs ache an' we starts to pant but at last we reaches the top of the tower. There we finds a lass, lyin' on a huge bed. We walks up to her slow- like, 'cause both me an' Tommy feels that there is sumfin' differunt about her. We sees her and she is the most beautiful maiden we has ever seen, tons prettier then any of the maids in the castle or the sleepin' noble ladies. Her hair is golden an' her lips are pure red an' she just is so pretty, lyin' there inna beautiful gown an' I know at once that this be Princess Rose herself.
“Kiss her, Jon,” Tommy whispers from besides me.
“Why?” I asks, feelin' my face gettin' red.
“'Cause that's how you make her wake up,” Tommy explains, an' I gotta smile, 'cause I knows he gets that from all the princess stories mama used to tell us. An' then I wanna cry 'cause I want mama awake again, an' I want her to tell us stories again like she used to but big boys dun't ever cry so instead I says: “But I ain't no prince.”
“Please Jon. Please try,” Tommy begs, his eyes wide. “I wants her to wake so badly.”
“So does I,” I whispers, an' without thinkin' I leans over and kisses her quickly on the lips an' pulls away quickly again an' wipes me mouth on me sleeve, tryin' notta throw up. We both stare at her, wishin' she would wake. Somehow we both knows that if she wakes up, everyone will. Or we hopes, but whats the differunce anywho? But nufin' happens.

When the food in the larder finishes, we start eatin' the banquet food. None of the foods has rotted or gone bad one whit, an' the princess needs no banquet whilst she is asleepin'.
Tommy an' me waits, an' we waits an' we waits for the prince that has to be comein' sometime to wakes everyone up, 'cause they can't be asleepin' fore'er. But he ain't comin' and still we waits an' we waits more days an' more nights an' still nufin'.

So much time passes an' everythin' stays as was. Me and Tommy stays the same an' the castle stays asleepin' an' no one wakes up an' the food never spoils and the princess  be sleepin' an' sleepin' an' sleepin'. We has food an' a place to stay, an' it never  gets too warm or too freezin', but we is bored an' all we have is ourselves an' I jus' want all else to wake a'ready an' I wants mama to hold me again an' to sing me to sleep an' to tell me stories an' order me aroun' an' even spank me when I dun't do sumfin'. Tommy has gotten quiet, he barely giggles no more. I understands him. I  feels like I never wanna smile for ever and ever again. I jus' wan' everythin' to be back the way it once be'd. Nufin' is changin' an' we is stuck in the quiet an' the silence jus' the two of us, an' sometimes we even runs aroun' the hallways, shoutin' loudly jus' to 'ear the echos we makes an' it makes it easier to pretend that we ain't alone. We waits for what feels like fore'er an' ever an' ever an' I is scared sometimes that the whole world is asleepin' an' only we is awake an' no prince will never come to wake the princess.

Me an' Tommy sits for more days an' more nights an' sometimes we sits in the tower an' we stares at the princess still asleepin' as if she will wakes up if we wishes it hard enough. An' even though I know years have been gone by I is still eight an' Tommy is still four an' mama's hair is not turnin' white an' nufin' ever changes an' its as if only yes'erday me and Tommy went to pick blueberries an' came back to find all asleepin. Tommy cries oft an' I wanna cry too 'cause I jus' want it to end an' I just want everyone to wake up again an' not to be stuck like this fore'er. But I dun't never cry.
Then one day, after so long it feels as a century,  we hears a noise when playin' chase in the garden an' we gets a scare 'cause we ain't heard another noise in so long. Me and Tommy runs back inside an' inno the main castle an' we sees a man, another man with a sword an' a cloak an' he is dressed all fancy like, but different from the sleepin' nobles. We follows him silently, 'cause we are scared that its a ghost or a spirit or sumthin' 'cause he is awake an' we are awake an' everyone else is still asleepin'. The man goes up the stairs of the tower an' Tommy tugs at me tunic an' whispered “It's a prince, Jon. I knows it,” an' he is soundin' all excited- like for the first time in ages. I wanna be excited too but I is scared that he ain't no prince an' I dun't wanna get me hopes up. So we sits down an' we waits to see if any a thin' will happen an' we holds each other an' I feels meself shakin' despite meself  'cause what if he is the one, an' what if he will wakes the princess up?

An' then suddenly everythin' starts to stir an' we sees the sleepin' people movin' an' stretchin' an' rubbin' their eyes an' joy floods through me an' I feels happy again' an' I ain't felt happy for so long, an' me an' Tommy sits there an' we stares at all the movin' people. Then we remembers mama an' we runs back to the kitchen an' we sees her there, standin' up again' an' lookin' aroun' all confused- like an' movin', finally movin' an' we runs up to her an' I hugs her tightly an' I dun't ever wanna let go. An' mama strokes me hair an' holds me back an' asks where be the blueberries an' I ain't able to answer 'cause I is cryin' an' cryin' an' cryin'.