Odd Prompts: Nursery

I give you a scene. I'm really tired now. It was a sedate adventure. And then I added more adventures on after it, until my weekend was all gone and I'm happy but exhausted! 

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Her fingertips brushed down over the light panel, and the room dimmed into darkness. Before her eyes had a chance to adjust, to make out the shadowy shapes of the crib and mobile over it, the glimmering light in the corner dazzled them. The nightlight, in the shape of a tiny wizard with his glowing staff, came alive in the night. 

She stood in the doorway for a long moment, staring down at the small plastic whimsy. The nursery had been designed to be neutral, fit for a boy, or a girl, with all the details to come later. After the baby. It was to be a surprise. The nightlight had been an uncle’s gift, presented with an impish grin. She hadn’t been able to protest, and if she admitted it, she hadn’t wanted to. A light very like that one had been part of her life for years. She wondered what had happened to it. That last night in her childhood home... She shook her head, and stepped out of the doorway. The door slid out of the wall and closed with a gentle thump. Quiet enough, but was it silent enough to not wake a sleeping child? She made a mental note to have a word with engineering. She wouldn’t be the only one with this problem, in time. 

The hallway lights had come on when she’d moved into it, set to sense motion. The nursery was not, for good reasons. Lights coming on would certainly startle and waken a baby. She looked down the long, clean hallway. The floor was white like the walls, but flecked with colors in tiny marks, and soft underfoot without being able to trap dust. Allergens. She frowned, and lifted her wrist, pressing the face of her commband. 

“Personal note: introduce allergens to the ship. Sterile environments are unhealthy.” 

The magical promise of the little wizard forgotten, she headed for the lab. There was more work to be done, before this place was ready for families and life.

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My prompt this week came from Leigh Kimmel with "The night light took the form of a tiny wizard with a glowing staff." 

I prompted Fiona Grey with "The golden interior of the red rose glowed and scintillated." 

You should really read that prompt response! You can find it, all the others, and how to join in on the challenge over at MOTE. See you there!