…Startled she turns around. The sight in front of her was
unbearable yet she could not turn away. Shannon felt as if she had been struck
with lightening, puncturing her lungs so she could not take a real breath.
“Daddy…?” She whispers,
“Daddy, are you there?” Reaching out her hand she grazes his face. Trembling
she pulls in for a hug, then suddenly realizes he has disappeared, like sugar
in water. That simple, that fast. Shannon is rattled at this point, to say the
least. Her mother was right, and she had been fooled yet again. Shannon saunters towards the shed still
vibrating from the invigorating thought that her father was not dead. She was
too embarrassed to tell her mother, so she sat down outside the shed, curled
her legs to her chest and wept.
-A
voice speaks to her yet again but without a figure-
“Hey, Shan. I know youre strong, and your power within
will allow this house to bring me back… I promise.” Shannon smiles because he is giving her hope.
She remembers the song her father used to sing her.
Baby girl your sparkle shines, throughout
the dark night
Never fear, Daddy is here, and will be by your side
Never fear, Daddy is here, and will be by your side
Her
body tingled from the toes up to her silky blonde hair. The love from her
father was so strong she could feel it through his “imaginary” voice. But it
seemed the strength of the song prevailed. From then on, Shannon sang the song
from her father every day until the calendar his his birthday—May 3rd.
She thought to herself how perfect sense this makes for him to appear on his 40th
birthday. As she is pulling her arm through the sleeve of her jean jacket, a
note falls from the pocket. “Freaky…” She gasps. She unfolds the paper and as
the words pass her lips another gasp occurs but this time, Shannon faints.
“Shannon,
oh my! What happened?!”
“Shannon,
are you okay?”
“Shannon,
wake up!”
A
million voices cohered into unison blurring Shannon’s brain with fog. Holding
her palm to her head she slowly rolls up. She is beyond confused, she had never
fainted before. Her Aunt brings over an ice pack, “Shannon, you really need to
tell us what happened did someone do this to you?”
“No!
No, I was just… in a daze and I guess I haven’t been getting much sleep. Im
just tired. That’s all.”
“Are
you sure nothing else is going on?”
“YES,”
Shannon snaps, “I am fine. I will BE fine. Now would everyone just leave me
alone?”
Her
family was appalled. They had never seen her behave this way, it was unusual.
She realized perhaps her anger may have proved there really was something
wrong. She decided to turn the anger into passion and determination, to make
her father appear. Shannon sang the song everywhere she went. She wrote it in
chalk on the sidewalks, and engraved it into trees. If the song surrounded her,
maybe it would create a greater force. Maybe
she was crazy, she thought. But what she did know was that she would do
anything to bring her father back to her and her family, in the house they
built for him.
As the night approached and the
summer stars were appearing, she waited patiently. She brought along a picnic
blanket, and laid it outside the house. She sat in the spot where her father
had made her stand to take a picture on the first day the house was completed.
Shannon felt she had done everything thinkable to create a mixture of a
possible potion to bring her father back.
The night progressed and her
patience was wearing thin. Where was he? She thought. Did he really want to come back for me? Does
he really love me? As she pondered these heart aching questions, she
smelled a potent scent of cinnamon buns… her favorite! Her father would always
surprise her afterschool with one on special occasions. She just knew he was
finally here, she felt her throat close shortening her breath from her
overwhelming excitement. A dark figure came around the corner and she stood up
straightening her sweater, it was her Daddy’s.
“Daddy?” The shadow became a full coloured figure, her
jaw dropped at the sight she had seen. This was not what she expected, she
begins to back up in fear, her father was not here.
“My dear Shannon… I have come for you…”
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