Upon a Red Balloon [ON-HOLD]

Chapter One

August 27th, 2027.

"Leila, dinner is ready!" I said loudly. She came running to the kitchen and I picked her up, kissing her cheek. She smiled, her dimples showing. "What are we eating daddy?" She asked, her child voice is the cutest thing in the world. "Well, we're having my famous spaghetti and meatballs." I said and put her down in her seat. She giggled. "Daddy, it's just spaghetti." She said. "Shh, no one needs to know that." I said and we both laughed.

"Daddy, can you sing me a song before bed time today?" She asked. "Of course princess." I smiled. "And tomorrow we'll go buy me my Halloween costume?" she asked. "Yeah, we'll buy you your fairy-princess costume." I chuckled. "What are you going to be on Halloween?" She asked me, chewing on her meatball. I smiled. "I'd dress up as this old, awesome, handsome singer that was back in the days named Bruno Mars." I joked. She giggled. "You can't dress up as yourself!" She said. "Why not? I have the original costume!" I said and chuckled. She shook her head as she giggled.

Her eyes then lit up, as if she had an idea. Her face were full of sauce, I giggled and wiped them off. "You can be a fairy-princess too!" She said. I laughed. "You want daddy to be a fairy-princess?" I asked. She nodded. "Let's think of something else for daddy..." I said with a smile.

Her eyes slowly closed as she drifted to sleep. I smiled, kissed her forehead and pulled her blanket over her small body.

She is the best gift I've ever got. After I lost my two most important women in my life, my mom and my wife, having to raise a little girl by myself was hard. But the second I saw her for the first time, the way she examined me, it was the most adorable thing I've ever seen. And I knew I had to put all my attention on her. It was hard at first, but I figured it out eventually.

I went to the living room and watched the news.

"Now to a braking news." The reporter said. "The 5 years old boy who went missing a month ago in Hollywood, was found lifeless today close to San Diego, in a wood. The police didn't find any trails of murdering. They suspect the young boy got lost and walked all the way to there, eventually died due to the lack of food and water." She said. I was shocked. The poor boy, and the poor family. "How can a boy walk all the way from Hollywood to San Diego without anyone notice?" I said to myself. It is kinda stupid. "It's the sixth missing event of a child in the last three months. The police keeps on investigating." She added. I turned the tv off. I've had enough for tonight.

I stood up from the couch and started walking to my bedroom. I stopped at Leila's door. I smiled as I saw her sleeping peacefully.

Gosh, this little one is my everything.