Here's why:
* Short vowel sounds are typically found in words where the vowel is followed by one consonant. In "waking," the vowel "a" is followed by the consonant "k."
* Long vowel sounds are often found in words where the vowel is followed by a vowel or a consonant and a silent "e" at the end.
Therefore, the vowel sound in "waking" is a short "a" sound, similar to the sound in "cat" or "hat".