My Golden Life

Chapter 24

The party was filled with so much excitement and laughter that my feet were aching by the time everyone left. I sat on one of the steps leading up towards the stage, eating another slice of cake. Shrek and Fiona were slow dancing with each other, while Donkey was sat on stage with a frown of his face and singing a song in a gloomy tone. 

I did try earlier in the evening to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to work, though. I spotted Puss walking with two women either side of him, which didn't surprise me at all; he's a ladies man who can charm anyone.

"Amigo, we are off to the Kit-Kat Club. Come on, join us." Puss said to Donkey.

"Thanks, compadre. I'm... I'm not in the mood." He replied, sighing to himself.

"We will cheer you up! Find you a nice burro!" Puss chuckled.

Then came a sudden sound of shrieking, we all looked up and spotted Dragon flying towards us. She then glided down to where we were. Donkey's face lit up when he saw her, and it brought a smile to my face as I headed over near to where Dragon had landed.

I couldn't exactly make out what they were talking about (after all, I don't understand Dragon, but I guess Donkey does.), but it did look like he was apologising about something. I then heard yet another shrieking sound, but this time it sounded like multiple shrieks. From the sky, I spotted five small things flying towards Donkey. 

When I took a look at what they were, I got a massive shock. They were baby dragons, but bizarrely they looked like donkeys as well. To this very day, I'm still quite shocked that it's even possible to have a dragon-donkey crossbreed. How it all happened, I will never know, and honestly, I don't think I ever would like to know how Donkey and Dragon could... eww no. 

The thought of it makes my mind grossed out. Despite all of this, I was overjoyed for Donkey; him being a dad was terrific. And I was excited to see him take on this massive job.

I stayed in Far Far away for a couple more days, and it was such an enjoyable experience. I didn't want to leave everyone, but I knew I had to head back home. Mum was still sick. She needed me. Before I left, the King and Queen wanted to see me, and I had no idea why.

"I understand that your mother is seriously unwell, Katie," the king said.

"That's why we want to give you this." The queen added, handing me a small red box.

It had gold plates on each corner and had the royal shield engraved on the top and sides. I peeled open the box to see a multitude of shiny gold coins. There were also six glistening gemstones placed neatly on top. I could feel my mouth trembling, and my hands were slightly shaking. I kept taking deep breaths and was processing what I had been given.

"Your Majesties, i-I- I don't know what to say." I stuttered. "I... I can't accept this."

"Please, Katie, take it." The queen smiled, slightly pushing the box back towards me. "This can help you and your family, especially your mother. You'll be able to pay for whatever treatment she needs and find a better doctor for her."

I could feel my eyes filling with water; I was a sniffling mess and quickly whipped a tear from my cheek. I put on a crooked smile before bowing to them.

"T-thank you. Thank you so so much."

Once I said goodbye to everyone, I took the next available carriage to take me somewhat close to my village. The sun was starting to set by the time I walked up to the front of my house. I reached for the rusty doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open. I peeped my head around and glanced at my brother cross-legged on the floor, a toy soldier gripped in his hand. My eyes peered across the room to see my mum slumped back in her armchair with a large blanket covering her body; her head leaned to one side, and her eyes were sealed shut. Daniel jerked his head to the door; a huge smile emerged on his face. He got to his feet before dashing over to me.

"You're back!" Daniel wailed. "How was it? What did you do? Did you get us anything.-"

"Woah, slow down! Did you eat a bag of sugar today or something?" I laughed.

"Katie?" A weak voice called out. I looked over Daniel's shoulder to see my mum staring at me. The bags under her eyes were the first things I noticed; her radiant skin had disappeared. She was pale and drained. No colour existed on her face.

"Mum?" I gradually walked over to her. I was asking myself how long I'd gone for.

"Sweetheart," she smiled. "I'm so glad you're home. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," I said in a low voice, crouching down to meet her eye level. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." She sighed. "In a bit of pain, but mostly tired."

"Ah. I see you returned from your holidays then." I turned my head to see my dad walking into the room. "While you were running around having the time of your life, I was here looking after your sick mother."

"Matthew," Mum said sternly, slightly shifting her self up straight. "Leave her alone. I told her to go; she needed some time to have fun and enjoy herself."

"Carol, she needs to learn to be an adult, she's not a child anymore," Dad argued back.

"I said, leave her alone! She hasn't done anything wrong." Mum snapped back. Daniel carefully put his arm around her and lifted her to her feet. "Now Kaite," she groaned, a half-smile formed on her face. "I guess you bought me a present from Far Far Away."

I nodded and smiled back, as I helped Daniel get her up the stairs and into bed. I spent the rest of the evening talking about what had gone on in Far Far Away, and the shenanigans that took place. Dad leaned against the doorway of the bedroom listening in, his frown never leaving his face. I then showed them the box of coins and gems, and it was only then that my dad's face lit up, and he moved further into the room. His eyes were glaring at the sight of the box's contents.

"So... the king and queen gave you this?" He asked. "You didn't steal it?"

"Katie wouldn't do that!" Daniel yelled. "And certainly not from them of all people!"

"No, I didn't steal it. They gave it to me to help us get by and get mum better too."

"That was so gracious of them." Mum coughed. "When you next see them tell them I'm grateful for their gift."

"I'll say." My dad said, still gawping at the box. He was now brushing his fingers over the coins and feeling the texture of the gems between his thumb and index finger. "That is a lot of money we have here. Think of what we could do with all of it."

"This is all going to be used to help mum," Daniel said, glaring at him. "She comes first before any of us."

"Exactly." I nodded.

"You're both right." Dad nodded, placing the gems back. "Family come first before anything else. Now come along, you two, your mother needs some rest."

Daniel and I kissed mum goodnight before leaving the room. Dad instructed me to put the box in a safe place, so I placed it in the very back of my wardrobe, and all the while I was doing this, he was watching me from my doorway.

I was happy to be back home once again and to be able to help look after my mum. As I promised her before I left, I was going to try and get along with my dad. Even if he would frequently make me mad. I was going to be kind and civilised. Mum needed all of us, and we were going to be right by her side to get her well again.