The First Babysitting Job

Thalia has babysat her younger cousins before, but tonight is her first real paid job. The Alvarez family lives just two houses down, and their son Jori is five years old. Thalia has promised herself she won't panic, no matter what happens. Mrs. Alvarez leaves a long list of instructions taped to the fridge before rushing out the door.

Everything goes smoothly until bedtime arrives and Jori flatly refuses to sleep. He wants three more stories, then a glass of water. Then he wants the hallway light left on a specific way. Thalia has read the same book twice already, and her voice is getting hoarse.

She remembers something her own babysitter used to do years ago. If Jori helps her build a blanket fort first, he might finally feel tired enough to sleep. It's a small risk, since fort-building usually makes kids more awake, not less.

Surprisingly, it works. Jori arranges the pillows with total concentration, discussing exactly where each cushion should go. He insists the biggest pillow must go at the very top, like a roof. By the time the fort is finished, he's yawning between sentences without even noticing.

Thalia tucks him inside the small fort instead of his usual bed, and he's asleep within minutes. She checks on him twice before his parents return, just to be sure. When Mrs. Alvarez gets home, she finds Thalia quietly reading on the couch. The house is completely, wonderfully quiet.

"How did you manage that?" Mrs. Alvarez whispers, peeking into Jori's room. Thalia just smiles and says some things are better explained tomorrow.