Pocketville Lost Diamonds: VOLUME 2

23.2~ Memories of a broken villain

Eva was walking through the East Tower, to the Throne Room.

The elegant dark red collar, sign of grief, was swinging on her neck, but she didn’t care.

The new arrived five days before, but Eva felt like it happened only one minute before:
She was playing alone in her bedroom, all alone. She still hadn’t said sorry to him, since they fought one week before, she really wished to when he was coming back home.
Suddenly, a Royal Guard opened the door. Mum came in and, without a single word, hugged her.
Then, she told it to her.

“Landsaid” “riding horse” “icy river” were the only words she recalled, after realizing the last phrase: “Dad is dead”. 

It was the worst nightmare…
Her daddy… he wouldn’t come back anymore.

She couldn’t see him anymore.
They couldn’t play together anymore.
They couldn’t study plants anymore.
They couldn’t cuddle anymore.
He couldn’t give her goodnight kiss anymore.
He couldn’t hug her when she was scared anymore.
He couldn’t pick up flowers for them anymore. 
She couldn’t apologize anymore. It was too late, and the last words she told him were terrible.
He was lost, in a place she couldn’t reach. 

That pain was unknown, too deep for her small body and heart to stand. She never suffered that much, neither when she was sick and neither when she had stomach ache. It was different, it was the most deep fear eating away her heart from inside. She wanted it to stop, she desperately wanted to.

She wanted dad back. 
But he couldn’t come back.
She knew it, even if the search for him hadn't ended yet.
“We must find him, dead or alive! Maybe he came out of the river just in time!” said one Guard. 
She didn’t deceive herself: it wasn’t possible.
The landsaid destroyed everything and the river was icy.
She really wished it could be possible… but a part of her knew it wasn’t.

The kitty hid her tears. She didn’t want people to see her crying. Not again.
Since days she couldn’t do anything else, because even breathing was impossible. Nothing could stop that feeling and tearing up was the only way to vent it out. 

Ava was crying too, but she couldn’t understand her: she didn’t fight with dad before he left.
She said hi to him with a kiss, as always.
He promised to be back soon, as always, But he didn’t. 

Next to her, there was the living room. She went in, trying to calm before going. She pushed the door and ran to the sofa, jumping on it and hiding her snout into the pillow before bursting into tears again.
But she wasn’t alone.

Someone moved on her side, sweetly touching her with one paw.
The kitten looked up with big bright eyes:
- Grandma?

Grandma Talia was standing there, gazing at the huge portraits hanging on the walls.
She was… smiling.

- Hello, Eva. What are you doing here?
Eva sighed softly, determined to not cry anymore.
- I was going to mum.
- Good girl. Relatives are waiting for you. – the grandmother smiled again.
Her charming and mysterious snout was always the same.

Suddenly, Eva realized she never saw her cry, even after… that day.
Why? She was his mother… shouldn’t she be the most sad?
Mum Emma would cry a lot, if she or Ava would die. 
The cat looked even…. Cheerful.
Didn’t the news touch her?
And what was she doing in there?

Something, inside the young princess, moved: run! Go away from there! Get away from her!

- You arrived just in time, my dear. – continued the cat – I wanted to talk with you… privately.
- W-why? – asked Eva.
- Do you remember the secret you told me that day?
- The one… - “dad told me”? Words blocked in her throat.
- Yes. That one. – Talia sat on the floow and raised a paw to rub Eva’s head – Did you say it to anyone else, but me?