SUBMIT

32

        It's beautiful, but it's awfully quiet.

The clear water before her was gentle as it rolled on top of each other, slumping against the shore as they tried to reach towards her standing figure before they were pulled back. The white, soft sand underneath the soles of her feet shifted as she dug her toes into it. The heat from it seemed almost nonexistent as Menreiki was soothed from the chilling breeze that danced through her locks of hair. The sun beamed down at her in an aggressive way, but she ignored how it beat against her skin as she stared off at the horizon.

Her eyes, a translucent white, shimmered just as the sun changed the course of its rays. Even as the rays struck her eyes, she didn't flinch from the sudden brightness, as her gaze stayed focused upon the figure upon the horizon.

She couldn't see their features or what they looked like. She could only notice how their large movements beckoned her forward, an arm stretching up and waving her to them in a slow, but friendly manner. Menreiki didn't move from her spot, but as the wind whispered for her to move forward, to have her satiate her curiosity of who wished to see her, the young woman treaded forward. Her footsteps were unsure, doubtful and fearful as she approached the ocean, and as she reached the water, her feet were not submerged in it.

She walked over the waves that calmed down as she approached, but she was not worried about whether or not the waves would playfully kiss her feet. Her gaze was too focused on the one who waved her over, who was awaiting her as they continued to wave both arms in the air as if to signal her where to go.

As she trekked along, Menreiki's ears picked up nothing.

The waves did not speak over one another and the winds did not sing.

Not even the sound of her footsteps was heard.

But she didn't need to hear anything when the sound of her heart made up for it. The way it beat against her ribcage hurt, but she could feel it in her eardrums; it was disgustingly loud, but it only served a purpose of showing her that it was real. Or at the very least, as real as she wanted to believe it to be. Menreiki's eyes teared up as she took in the sight of the one before her, lips quivering as she parted her lips, but her voice didn't leave her.

"My daughter, you made it to me," A voice, serene but powerful, crooned to her. "How delighted I am to see you again."

Menreiki pursed her lips when her eyes began to sting, inhaling with a shuddering breath. A hand came to cover her eyes, but it proved to be all for naught when her knees buckled under her and she toppled down to grovel at his feet. Hot tears, fueled with guilt, rolled down her cheeks as she began to crawl towards the one before her, grasping onto his ankle. Her head thumped against his shin, "Father! Father, I am sorry! I have done wrong! Please forgive me! Forgive this insolent daughter of yours!"

Strong hands grasped onto her forearm, and the weight wrapped around it was comforting, grounding, almost. One moved to cup her face, encasing her with a warmth that was so tender and loving, it made her heart clench. Oh, how she had missed her father so, and how he did not withhold his adoration for her. She would be locked inside her family home yet again with no complaints or desire if it meant that she could have her father back. A coarse thumb rubbed the apple of her cheek, directing her tears away, "You need not ask such a thing. It is your father's fault that I have brought upon such loneliness within your heart."

Menreiki sniffled, shaking her head at his words, "No . . . it was never father's fault. It is mine alone."

There was silence as Menreiki's eyelids fluttered down, indulging in the warmth of her father's loving hand; she wanted to relish in what she had long forgotten, even if it was but a figment of her mind. Her father hummed, and Menreiki's eyebrows scrunched as his hand moved to cup her jawline and his fingers dug into the flesh of her cheeks. Her eyes shot open at his actions, but she was only met with her father's hazy eyes, filled with adoration, "Yes, perhaps it wasyour fault, my dearest daughter. If only you had kept your mouth shut . . . If only you had been stronger then you would not have been preyed upon."