'"Nng" Is the Universal Sound for Lifting Something Heavy' by Sumitra Shankar

The kids are magicking everything heavy – “Nng!” they say, trying to lift feathers, pencils, the dog. I watch them, laughing, from my exhausted splay on the sofa. Seeing that the kids are occupied, the husband gestures hopefully towards the bedroom, eyebrows raised. “Nng!” I say, unable to lift myself up.