I'll Be There

I'll Be There- Part Ten

It was near midnight on Christmas Island, and Shadow, Sonic, and Silver each had gotten ready for bed. Rouge had flown home to her parents for the night, and Vanilla and Mephiles were tucking their children into bed. "Goodnight boys", Mephiles said with a smile. He gave Silver and Sonic a kiss on their heads, and when he got to Shadow, he gently rubbed the depressed hedgehog's back. "Hey, buddy", he gently told his son. "I'm sorry for yelling at you at dinner, I should have never said anything." Shadow didn't respond to his father. He was curled on his side, his eyes red from crying, and his expression was blank. He didn't look at his father, and felt too depressed to say anything at all. Mephiles proceeded to gently rub little Shadow's back. "I'm so sorry for your loss", he continued. "I can't imagine how hard this must be on you." Shadow then slowly looked over at his father, and tears began to shine in his eyes. "Daddy?" He asked, nearly crying. "If Maria is dead, where is she now?" Mephiles was quiet. The tone of Shadow's innocent voice was enough to make him cry, and he had to fight hard not to. "Well", he managed to say. "Since she's lived an obedient life, she is up above the clouds, watching over you right now." The sound of that caused little Shadow to excitedly jump out of bed and look out the window. As soon as he looked outside, his face turned depressed. "Daddy?" He questioned again. "If Maria is above the clouds, why can I see the stars, but not her?" Mephiles then walked up to his son and hugged him from the back. "Buddy", he began. "When I said she was watching over you, I meant that her spirit was. You can't see spirits, but you can feel them in your heart."  Shadow looked back at his father. "Is that why my heart hurts, Daddy?" He asked, his eyes glistening. Mephiles gave his son a kiss on his forehead. "No, buddy", he said. "Your heart is hurting because you miss Maria. One day, you will think of Maria and your heart will feel happy because of all the memories you've had together. You'll remember her forever, and you'll be very excited because you know you'll see her again someday. That is when you'll feel her presence". Shadow looked at his father once more, still depressed, but he understood what he had said. "I can't wait to see Maria again", he said with a small smile. "It will be the happiest day of my life". Mephiles let out a small smile at his son. "You're absolutely right, little buddy", he said, picking Shadow up and setting him onto his bed. "I hope you get a good night's sleep, Shadow", he said, stroking his son's quills. "I'll see you tomorrow." The pair hugged once more, and Mephiles exited the room. Before Vanilla left, though, she smiled at Shadow. For she knew the next day would be one he'd never forget.