Sunburst

Epilogue

The sun is already set in the clear spring sky when a little girl discovers the storage room in their house.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

The little girl was surprised when she heard someone's voice. She knows that no one's allowed to go to the storage room since it's messy and full of stuff.

"Look at that." The little girl points out a painting of a lady in the fields of pink flowers over the sunburst horizon.

"What's wrong with that?" The other child looked confused and wondered what makes the painting special.

"I want to go there."

"Pops said, pictures like that are far away."

"But we can."

The young boy thought for a second, weighing the pros and cons of agreeing to his sister. "I guess," he shrugged.

"Then, we should," she said excitedly.

"Why?" The boy frowned, not seeing the benefit of going along.

"Because..."

"Because what?"

"I don't know. It's pretty."

The boy looked at the painting once more and admired its beauty. Indeed it was pretty, he thought.

"Hey kids, let's go" A call from a distance made the kids run away from the room.

"Pops," they said in unison.

The kids went along with their pops until they were in the car when the little girl curiously asked about what she saw in the storage.

"Pops?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Why is there a painting of a beautiful girl in the storage?"

The man was surprised by the question, but he knew the kids will find out sooner or later.

"Did you read what's written below the painting?."

The girl shook her head, but the boy seems to have remembered such writing.

"I'm not sure, but it says something like Sunburst?" says the boy.

"Is it true, pops?" the girl asked one more, which made the man smile.

"Before we go to mom, would you like to go on a small stroll with me?" He asked the kids, which they answered with an excited yes.

The man took the kids near Chinatown, on a record shore. The shop's cozy but full of life inside due to the music playing.

"What are we doing here pops?" The kids asked again in unison.

"I want you to listen to something for me, then tell me what you think of it."

The man looked through the records until he found what he was looking for. He asked the shopkeeper to play the song on a turntable, and soon the melody of the song echoed to the whole shop.

"What is this song? Why is it sad?" The young girl commented.

"It's called Dawn," the man replied.

"But the teacher said sunrise is a new beginning. Happy days. Is she wrong?"

The man patted her head said before responding. " Not all sunrises start happily, and not all sunsets end in sadness."

The shopkeeper changed the song to the new vinyl that the man handed in. This time, the melody became more lively and hopeful.

"It changed. What's this one?" The boy asked as he stared at the vinyl.

"It's called Dusk. Do you like it?"

The boy just nodded in response like he's drawn in the music to focus on the man's questions.

"Pops, can we buy it?" The kids said in unison, which made the man chuckle.

"Sure I guess. Did the song capture your heart somehow?"

"I don't know, but it's good. Like... I've heard it before." The boy exclaimed.

"Me too. I don't understand all the words, but the sound makes me feel sad and happy and warm and light and like I'm in a flower field." The girl excitedly said as she described her feelings.

"Just like the girl in the painting." The boy cut his sister off.

"Yes."

The man chuckled once more as he looked at the kids talk about the music and the painting. He's happy to see them appreciate the music and art, but he's more than grateful to know how they felt connected just by looking and listening.

"You know kids, someday. You'll be able to meet the man behind that song and that painting. And I hope when that day comes, you'll be able to tell him all your stories."

The kids didn't quite understand what the man had said but still managed to give him an answer.

"Someday, I wanted to meet him." The girl answered.

"Me too. Hopefully, we could meet." The boy responded.

"In due time kids. In due time."

The day ends in the blink of an eye. As the man remembered the memories of the past, the kids excitedly walked to their favorite book store. Every Friday they visit the bookstore and wait until the clock hit five in the afternoon when the sign flipped from OPEN to CLOSE, they know it's time for their favorite person to come home.

"Mom!"

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Thank You for Reading!

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