The First Ballad - Dear Father

Curious about how her friend's 'date' went, Yaya texted Mary as soon as she got home and freshened up. It was 11 pm now, 'She should be back by now right?', she wondered as she popped a text to her friend.

[Sooo?? How did it go with Henson? Are you dating now? Are congratulations in order? ]

The message was received but hadn't been read. Yaya brushed her wavy hair as she waited in anticipation of her best friend to spill all the tea. They had been best friends since 5th grade and basically knew everything there was to know about each other. To her Mary was a rare species to get by, short-tempered but highly intuitive. This meant that her anger was mostly rightly placed, yet she could try being softer, but that's probably what she liked about her the most. Mary would never sugarcoat anything, so any compliment from her meant that it was entirely genuine. A glass-like person, who could wear a poker face when she wanted but always so righteous.

In all the years she knew Mary, there were only a few reasons why she would not immediately reply, she was either sleeping or in the bathroom. Mary was a cranky person if anyone interrupted her sleep for any other reason than the world ending, she probably wouldn't even care if the world was ending.

"How could she sleep without giving me any tea?! Let me ask Sara if she's asleep or not"

Sara was Mary's older sister by two years. She, unlike her feisty sister was an entirely different species. Such an angel could not be found on earth. "Why did I end up with the demon of a best friend" she sighed.

[Hello Sara! Sorry for bothering you, is Mary asleep or is she taking a huge dump?]

Again, the message was received yet not read. Hmm, I wonder if they've gone out for dinner. Mary didn't exactly get along with her parents. Probably because she thinks nobody understands her.

Yaya sat on her bed waiting for the sisters to reply to her. Something felt off. It was her best friend's intuition. She googled [Nightmares about Monsters]. She scrolled down looking at all the weird cult-like answers present. "Ugh, how does Mary deal with this?"

She stopped by a website that wrote [Nightmares about Strange Creatures], Mary had a lot of crazy dreams, maybe she was extremely stressed because of the exams, or her parents had high expectations of her getting into med school. She recalled how they didn't speak the entire sixth grade because Mary's parents compared her getting fifth place and me getting the highest grade in the class. She had heard them degrade her for not working hard enough and being prideful when she had no true worth. She frowned thinking about it. For someone so hardworking, would it kill them to be a little kinder? Yet when Mary talked back about how hard she worked, she was only met with deaf ears. It took an entire year for Yayas effort to muster her courage and become friends again. Since Mary had become a harsh empty shell. And whenever Mary would become apathetic it was Yaya who held onto her because she believed in their good friendship.

[There are many strange creatures beyond the realm of dreams. Who controls our subconscious? Are we truly in control or is someone else in charge? ... Read more for 10 dollars.]

"Agh, these fraud websites"

Suddenly her phone rang. Sara was calling. She picked up the phone.

[Hello Yaya, this is Sara, we are in the hospital right now, Mary is probably at home, try contacting her phone.]

[I hope everything's okay?] Yaya replied confused as to why they are at the hospital.

[Yes, well, it's our aunt...] Sara paused.

[Is she okay?]

[She's still in a coma, but...]

[Yes?]

[She keeps calling Mary's name]

....

'It's not that hard?! You liar!' I shouted to be heard by the narrator. Yet there was no reply. Something is strange, the narrator seemed so supportive, why is he acting so cold?

All I could hear was the voice softly reciting my every move as I walked to the left side of the wrecked house.

I reached the plank the little girl had been standing on. The little girl was nowhere to be seen and the left side of the house was dark and gloomy. Dust filled the air and it was now dark inside the house. The moonlight helped me trace the room back into the TV lounge, where the little girl had been watching her movie.

A foul smell spread throughout the room, like burning flesh. It suddenly flashed the image of the burning ship in my head. 'Why does everything smell like ash?' I covered my mouth with my hand. I stopped three feet away from the rocking chair that the girl's father had sat on. He was still sitting on it. At least, what remained of him. It seemed more like a dead body than a living person.

"..."

"Um, are you alright?!"

"...."

'Maybe he can't hear me like before'

"Sa..rina" the man who was barely alive muttered.

Again with that name. Cut it out! I could feel my anger flushing my face.

"My songbird..."

I stood silently behind him for a minute. Till I asked

"Do you think you deserved this?"

"..."

He probably won't answer. 'Based on what those women at the tea party said, Margeret was probably a miserable lady', I couldn't help but recall my own mother and tears slowly rose in my eyes.

"I didn't...." he started to speak.

Maybe he thought he worked hard to earn a living for the family and didn't deserve to be treated like this. I pitied him.

"....deserve her..." he muttered before falling entirely silent.

'Why? Why didn't you tell her that when you had the chance!' I whined as I had never expected such a response. This is just cruel.

As I fell to my knees, I felt small hands tugging my shoulder. It was the little girl. I wanted to apologize to her, till she said, "You have to move to the next world now" She smiled.

"What?" why does everything here keep me dumbfounded?

The little girl pointed to a door on the left, that was never there before. I wondered if I had completed the trial in some way.

I walked to the door and the little girl gleefully greeted me out, muttering a 'thank-you' before shutting the door behind her.