...of a kicking baby

"You'll learn to do it again." Joe Saul laughed. "But not now. The work you are doing is much more important. I was telling Friend Ed how startled I was when the baby moved - lying in bed, and I guess I was half asleep, and then I felt this little secret movement, and it wakened me." He looked upward, smiling in his remembering. "At first it was as though someone had touched me to catch my attention, but very gently. And then I felt a creeping like a soft cat - stealthy. And then there was a little push, and then - you can believe this or not - there was shaking like silent-laughter and then a scrabbling movement. I felt it climb up my spine and then come tumbling down again. And then the small shake like laughing. Well, it startled me. I thought at first one of the dogs had crawled in bed with us. And I sat up and turned on the light. Mordeen didn't even wake up. And do you know what it was?" He pointed. "It was that one playing in the darkness of his mother." He laughed with pleasure, and Mordeen smiled. Victor moved restlessly.

[Burning Bright, Steinbeck, J.]