The Nightie

Say you are born into a world where everyone sleeps naked. People everywhere are sprawled blissfully on their beds, relishing the feel of cool sheets on their body. Rising in the morning and tramping unencumbered to the bathroom for their morning pee. Stretching their arms wide in a yawn, then contentedly scratching their belly. And you do it too, but in the back of your mind, you have this idea for something that you call a flannel nightie, and you think that if you just had one of those, you might enjoy your sleep a little bit more. You wonder what everyone else knows about sleeping naked that you don’t know, because you just don’t seem to enjoy it as much as them. After all, flannel is so cozy and nakedness is just so…well…naked. Are you missing something?

So you start to talk about this idea of flannel nighties, but people look at you as if you have three heads. ‘Are you crazy?’ they say. ‘Why would you ever want to wear clothes to bed? No one would ever want to wear such a thing!’

But secretly, you buy some flannel, and you make yourself a nightie. You wear it to bed, and OH MY GOD this is the best thing ever! You sleep like a baby! You wake up refreshed!

And you keep it a secret, because you’re tired of people looking at you like you have three heads.

And as the years go on, and you get a collection of flannel nighties, you come to realize that there must be others who might like them. You just can’t be the only one. So you start talking about flannel nighties again. And when you get that look, you ignore it. You just keep talking.

And one day, a person walks up to you, crying tears of joy, for they, too, have spent their life wondering what the big deal is with this naked sleeping. They, too, have been craving something more. And you have just given it a name.