When the six-hour period of drowsiness ended, Arthur quickly woke.
The first thing the young Medium felt was a sense of suffocation.
A moment later, with practiced ease, Arthur scooped Pendragon off his stomach and gathered the cat into his arms.
Then he closed his eyes again.
Who said waking up meant you had to get up?
It wasn't as if he were back home, let alone living with his parents.
Most importantly...
He didn't even have to go to work!
On a day worth celebrating like this, going back to sleep after waking was the only sensible choice.
Forget all that talk about making the most of the morning. Out of seven days a week, you had to leave before dawn and come home after dark for at least six. What was wrong with resting on the one day left?
People needed to know how to rest.
Just like Arthur.
He hugged his cat and hummed, "An inch of belly, a pinch of longing, a glide, a tingle, a smear, please have a rice dumpling..."
His homemade version of the little tune inexplicably made Arthur crave grilled meat and rice dumplings.
Meat grilled until crisp, dipped in cumin and chili powder, filled his mouth with grease in a single bite. Following it with a bite of a rice dumpling stuffed with jujubes would bring a soft, sticky sweetness that instantly elevated the meat's flavor. Especially once he bit into a jujube and its distinctive fragrance spread through his mouth. The most enjoyable part was working at the pit with the tip of his tongue, little by little, until he had "shaved" off every last bit of flesh before spitting it out.
Looking at that spotless pit gave Arthur enough satisfaction to eat two more rice dumplings.
He unconsciously swallowed.