He left a gentle smile and replied, “Then, why did you invite me to come with you?”

I was speechless at what he said.

This old man really has enough wisdom to fool the youth. My jaw dropped as he said that.

Then we both laughed at that scenario.

Then I said to him, “You see, father, you are very old now. Maybe, if you stayed there a little longer, maybe someone will take you to the home for the aged. I don’t want that to happen to you. You see father, I love you so much. You’ve done too much for me already. I don’t think that’s really a way to show gratitude to the parent who took good care of you ever since you were very little. That is quite disappointing. I don’t wanna feel regret to that time that come that you will leave me forever in your sleep and never come back again. If possible, I wanted to take good care of you and will be able to see you to your last days.”

I hugged him directly and tears fell from my eyes.

I could feel the same warmth that held me from the very day I was born. I wanted to feel that warmth until I grow as old as he is. I wasn’t able to feel the mother’s warmth anymore. Because she left us in a time when we are in the verge of such difficulty that we can’t even put our plates with even a potato.

I don’t want to see her again after what happened to us. She only thought of herself. I couldn’t even have the nerve to call her as my mother.

I just can’t help but an unhealable anger of her.

Because she is my mother. She should’ve done what she should.

Now, all I could care for is my father.

He didn’t say anything after that.

Days passed, I noticed that my father isn’t feeling quite well.

So, I took him to the doctor for checkup.

The doctor checked his heartbeat and I could see the worry in her eyes.

“Your father is quite old. But I think he has heart issues. His heart isn’t doing well. Its beat is quite slow.” She said.

“Yes, Doc. He has them.” I replied.

“Also, I have bad news…the bad news is he has Viral Pneumonia.” She said.

My eyes widen in shock.

“Pneumonia isn’t quite a serious thing to worry about. It’s quite common with children and senior citizens as well and as it lasts only for a short time. However, the flu virus can cause viral pneumonia to be severe or even fatal. This’ll be tough for your father especially because he has heart issues.” She stated.

She then left after her statement as she slowly left the room, like she really felt sorry for me.

My whole world crumbled into pieces. It is compared to a glass mirror that fell and broke into many uncountable pieces of shards that pierced me in the heart one by one.

I never felt so broken in my entire life

I looked at my father, lying weak on his hospital bed.

I feel so sad. Just looking at him makes me feel even worse.

If I could do anything that’ll make him happy, I’d take that diseases from him and throw them away in the deep abyss of the Pacific Ocean.

I then went home.

It doesn’t feel the same way as it did before when my father was still there. I know that nothing can change. The doctors might try their best, but right now, I think not. He’s very old now. They’ll probably just let him lay peacefully in his stretcher.

I understand. It’s okay.

I just don’t know what to do anymore. So, I wrote a poem about my father.

I didn’t want to publish this to the public. I just wanted to express how I love my father.

And so I finished. I have never written a poem that deep before. All my life I have been used to writing books, writing novels, writing short stories, that I forgot the rules on how to construct a poem.

Then my cellphone rang. I quickly picked it up and answered a call which was from Ivan.

“Ivan, hello!” I said in the phone.

Then I hear him sobbing and crying.

“Ivan, what’s wrong?” I asked.

“It’s…It’s your father…quickly!” he weepily said.

I didn’t even have the time to do anything at all anymore. I wasn’t even able to lock the house door. I immediately started the car, and drove to the hospital as fast as the car could ever do.

Then, I ran to his room. Then, I saw him. I approached him, and sighed in relief knowing that he’s still breathing. Then, he whispered to my ear.

“You were right, Tiffany. The time will come, and you won’t have to regret anything anymore. I wanted you to know something that you should’ve known before. But I was too scared to let you know. So, I wrote you a letter. I guess there isn’t much time left for me anymore. Let’s spend our last minutes together now while we still have.”

Tears flowed softly down to my cheeks.

I held his weak hand, inserted with dextrose, and whispered weepily, “Father…I know that this day will soon come. I wrote my first and last poem to you. Because I love you so much. I really don’t want to lose you.”

“Dear, I can no longer see. I cannot read the poem you made for me. But please, I would love to hear your voice reading it to me, as I have done before when you were little and I used to read you your bedtime stories.”

I did as he wished. I read it to him as my tears kept flowing.

Then, as I finished, He gave his last gentle smile to me.

I felt his weak old hand and it was very cold. There were no more pulses.

I ran away and cried.

I went back to my house by just running. I just ran with my tears flying across the air.

And I went inside the house and sat there with W-formed legs. Then I read the letter…

“Dear Tiffany.

You were everything that I wished for. You were like an angel that shined so ever bright. The first time I saw you, I felt the cold temperature coming from the tears that went across my eyes. I cried as I saw you. You were so gentle, so precious, so adorable, and so helpless. I should’ve told you this before so that you won’t ever feel sad once I leave you alone forever and never come back again. That was something I could never do to you from the very first day I met you….”

My eyes widen as this sentence just had such a significant meaning to it.

Yet, I read it further.

“…You see darling, I am not your real father. So is your mother whom left us from the day the antique shop almost closed down. The truth is, the day you were born, your real mother left you because she was expecting a boy. She could never accept you because you are who you are. She wanted to throw you away. The doctors wept when they plan on doing this. I took a long time to think. Because, if you were my real daughter, I would never mind all your mistakes. You’re my daughter. And you will always be. Even if I just took you from her, I will take care of you. I was afraid to tell you this because I thought that you might leave me. Even though you don’t really have the business skills of any antique shop owner, even if you don’t look like any of my relatives, you will always be my little princess. Just like any story I tell you before you sleep. I will always love you dear.

Your father, Johnny Bennett”

That explains everything.

I just loved him even more. I could never be able to return that kindness he has done to me. He will always be my father. Blood could never do a thing about it.

Until…

A girl dressed in marvelous laced dress came unknowingly. I stood up from my stool in shock and exclaimed, “Who are you?”

“Tiffany…the Dream Box calls for you…it has heard your cries. Do you want to be given a solution to your cries?” she said.

“First, tell me who you are! What is this Dream Box you say? How did you even know where I am? I’m quite sure we haven’t met before…” I exclaimed.

She nodded her head and said, “It is true on what you said. But, I have pitied you so much. And, I’m afraid that you have no more chances in having to know the Dream Box anymore because it is already too late. I have come to you directly and personally, yours truly. Now, I wanted you to have your wish. Please, come now and tell me what it is. The dream box is waiting for you.”

“But…what is the dream box? Why do you say that it has come to me?” I asked.

“The dream box is a magical box that will grant your one greatest wish. I am Morticia, the guardian of the Dream Box. The dream box has chosen you to wield and have a slice of its power. Now, tell me your wish…” She answered.

I have nothing else to wish for…

“I wish…to live with my father in paradise…That’s it…nothing more…nothing less. That is all I want…to live in heaven and spend all my life with my father like we used to do.”

Then, she smiled and she opened the box.

“Your wish is granted…” she said with an echoing voice.

Then, I looked around my house…she was gone.

It felt all just the same. But…something grabbed me.

I looked to my ankle, and I saw the owl from my book, the Silent of the owl.

It was such a peculiar thing to happen. In fact, in that novel that I made, It was such a rare owl that not one would be living here in Paris. They barely even migrate.

The, I looked around the floor, and it shined. I was standing on top of a gigantic book, and the house walls turned into giant book shelves.

The floor turned book has real pages of the novel I written called The Silent of an owl. This is why the owl from that story actually appeared. This is quite surprising.

Then, the pages flipped fast like a strong wind went across it. But, since I was standing on top of it, and in between the pages, the pages flipped by a strong wind, stopped at me.

It was heading to an unknown direction until, I saw the picture I added in the book. It was a painting made by my fiancé Ivan. A painting of a lighthouse standing on a little island. I suddenly noticed that this isn’t the book of the owl. This is a different book. This is from ‘The alibi of Ms. Thompson’

I recognize this scenario. This is the scene that Ms. Thompson murdered a con man and decided to bury him by the docks. Until everyone saw the floating corpse, they weren’t able to discover that it was she who did it.

Then, the deer from the novel ‘Footsteps by the seashore approached me. I remembered that this was the deer that no one could hunt. The deer that lived in the clouds.

The deer looked at me in the eyes. Then I sat on its back. He flew across the sky. I saw all the pages of my books. I recognize every single chapter that flew across me.

It was truly a wonderful sight, a wonderful feeling to be like those characters that experienced this.

Now I know…imagination has in immense power.

Then the deer stopped and took me to a willow tree.

This is exactly one thing that I did not remember.

Then, the owl gave me a paper by its beak. I took it, and saw…

A picture of my father…

Then, I heard a laugh behind the tree. I somehow recognized that laugh…

It was my father.