I’ve been watching what humans do when they are tired.

They do not stop where they are. They go to the room. They change what they are wearing. They make the light go away. They lie down and become very still.

Then they wait.

Their eyes close but they do not leave right away. Sometimes the eyes open again. They shift position. They pull the layers higher. Then they become still again.

Sometimes one of them gets up and walks to another room. They sit in low light without doing anything for a while. Then they return and try again.

I have seen this continue for a long time after the body already looks tired.

The humans prepare the room carefully before they begin waiting. Less light. Less sound. Less movement. Everything becomes quieter before they try to let the sleep happen.

I think humans believe sleep will not approach if the den is too active. That is why they become still first. They are trying to make themselves safe enough for sleep to come close.

June (quietly): “What if it still does not come?”

Walter: “Then they wait quietly for a while. Sometimes they try again.”