The Window

Ten Years, Ten Locks

The regular, usual, annual question: "Dad, what day is it today?", on the 3rd of January, a snowy Friday, Luna asked. "Your birthday", i answered. Two years passed.  Mia, Luna's friend since grade one, traveled to Australia the previous year. It was Luna's number one big heart break, but she went through it okay. Brandon, her friend since grade three, helped her a lot, and now he is the closet friend of hers. Roger could enter the magical land with Gwen, but he didn't seem to be as welcomed as Gwen was. He was always out before Gwen, and there were some creatures that he couldn't see, yet Gwen could. It was the best year to both Gwen and Roger. Instead of solving the mystery, they were the mystery. Oh and! They got engaged at the age of twenty two! L..Luna, Luna has a lot of friends, humans and..non-human. 

Luna came running towards me with a wide, really wide smile drawn on her face and occupying the most of it. "Dad! Dad you won't believe", Luna said breathlessly, "Calm down Luna. Take a breath then talk", i said, "No! No time! Come come. Hurry!", she said then ran back upstairs to her room and i followed her also running but not as fast as she was. I stood in her bedroom breathing heavily, while she didn't have any sign of tiredness on her face. "Dad come on hurry!", she said not moving her eyes off the window. I didn't like it. Not at all. But i approached the window. "See! this is so beautiful dad", she said looking at the open and smiling, "Luna, there's nothing but the view that is stuck there since ever", I said. "What?", she said, finally not looking at the window, "Dad, dad can't you see the stars outside, please say you do. I'm not crazy dad i swear i'm not. It's thirty past eleven in the morning dad, it's no way it's dark normally!", she added. I looked into her wide-opened eyes, she was disappointed and optimistic..at once. I sighed then, "Luna there is nothing out there but the familiar". She looked at the window then back at me and tears were now rolling down slowly, "Dad, dad please, look better. It's there, those pink and white stars and the blue moon away, there!", she said pointing, but all i could see is that she was pointing at cars and trees down the street. I felt angry. So angry that i was afraid to talk. I took several long breaths, but it didn't seem to help much. Then, andvery slowly, Luna said, "Dad, this.is.magic". I got even more angry, "No! No this isn't magic Luna! These are hallucinations! You're imagining things! All because of the stupid story i'm telling you before sleep! Done with the story. And this window will be locked!" , I yelled, i couldn't not to. Luna was tearing fast and shaking her head with disappointment. She crossed her brows then said, not yelling, but with a high voice, "I am not hallucinating! Dad it is all real. Please believe m-", "Done with this! I shall look this window", i said then went on to buy locks. 

I came back. Luna was in her bedroom sobbing on her bed and her pillows were drinking her pure tears. I felt terrible, but i had to lock that window, and so I did. I finished, then I said with a low and calm voice, "Luna I..I'm so sorry. But trust me, this is for your own good". But she didn't answer, so i understood that she needed some time alone. But as i reached for the door she said, "Thank you for this amazing birthday gift". I felt so terrible, like super, super terrible.