Inklings 2022

Origin Parker Martorella And then I feel someone, or something, reaching under my pillow, and that’s when I realize I’ve tricked El Ratoncito Perez into thinking I’m asleep. Out of respect to him and his secret identity, I keep my eyes closed. And then I catch a whiff of his breath. The same hot, choco - late-scented breath my grandfather always has before going to bed. I hear the rustle of dollar bills slipping under my pillow, and El Raton- cito Perez walks away, leaving me a little richer and a little more doubtful of whether or not he was ever there at all. But my grandfather is good, and honest, and smart, and would never commit identity fraud and pre- tend to be someone he’s not. So with a couple dollars under my mother’s pillow, with the angels guarding the corners of her bed, and with only a sliver of doubt clouding my trust in El Ratoncito Perez, I roll over and finally fall asleep. 12