Dan remembers being the last one awake: tucking legs under blankets, clearing toys off pillows. Then years when he couldn’t compete with PS4 and streaming, asleep before the texting stopped.

He’s here again: last one awake. Closed doors, lights that haven’t been on in years.

He thought it wouldn’t hurt.

Robb Lanum is a failed screenwriter in Los Angeles. His longer, epic works have been appeared on 101words.org.