Fiend

Questions

Mr. Fletcher, a widowed father, sits on his recliner, footrest up in front of the fireplace, watching his eight-year-old daughter Cassidy or Cassie as he and her aunts and uncles call her sit on her the floor playing with one of her birthday plush toys which she had got only three days ago - Cassie had got four plush toys for her eighth birthday, an elephant, a rabbit, a cat and a teddy bear - she was playing with the rabbit, flopping his little ears up and down and feeling the soft fabric of the material used into creating the toy. Cassie enjoyed her time with her dad, just as much as he enjoyed his time with her. When it came down to Cassie, all his problems wouldn't be an issue, because as long as he had his precious bundle of joy to have a tea party with, that was mainly all he cared about. Duncan loved his daughter Cassidy so much that he spoiled her with any chance given with anything that she asked for. But he always made sure to raise her right, to be kind and considerate of others and not to be selfish and entitled, because he would tell her that being a selfish and entitled person wasn't going to earn you any friends, it wouldn't matter what the popular kids would think. As long as Cassie did what Duncan had told her to do, he couldn't complain, because he knew that somewhere down the line, his little angel was going to have kids of her own and that she would need to pass down some blessings down on to them and when she does have kids of her own in the future, Duncan can feel like the most accomplished man to have known that his own blood had raised a child of her own with the blessings that he had taught her. Duncan was plain and simply a proud father who couldn't have asked for anything more. Everything he could possibly want in this world was sitting on her knees in front of the fireplace, fiddling with the stuffed rabbit's long floppy ears. Duncan smiled at her as she began to sing to nameless tune all to herself, or it was a tune that Duncan hadn't recognised, as her small, slender hands moved over to the arms of the rabbit toy, she held it front of her and made it dance about in the air. Watching this motion in front of his eyes just made his smile broaden. He had never been so happy then to have his daughter in his sight, even if she was just minding her own business, he loved her company and savoured every moment he had of her time. 

'Hey, Cassie?' he asked down to her, putting the footrest down with his feet and turning around and staring at his daughter's sweet round face. She looked like an apple that had just been picked ripe from the tree.

'Yes daddy?' she responded to him by tilting her head slightly in his direction. Most of her attention was focused on the stuffed rabbit toy, but Duncan didn't mind, as long as he had his daughter's attention in some shape or form, he didn't care what she was doing.

'Do you love me?' he then asked her. It was like a daily ritual for him to ask these words to her every night at around seven, around thirty minutes before he would ask for her to head off to bed for the night. He already knew the answer, but he still always liked to make sure that Cassidy still loved him as much as he did her, hence why he had treated the question as if it were a thing that he needed to do daily.  

'Of course, I do daddy, I would be entitled if I didn't, would I?'

Duncan chuckled wholeheartedly. 'Yes, you would be my sweet. Yes, you would be.' he said. Cassie said nothing after that and went back to playing with her toy rabbit and having a good time. Duncan watched her some more, blinking slowly and thinking that nothing could ever possibly take this moments grace away from him, not even the clock that would eventually tell him when it was 7:30, and not even the thought of knowing that he had to wake up early to take Cassie to school and then go to his own job at the Falls real estate. Everything in this point in time was all he could want, and he wished that he could just stop time so that he wouldn't need to worry about sending Cassie up to bed. This moment was nothing short of bliss for Duncan Fletcher.

Everything was silent and peaceful for the next few minutes or so and the next time Duncan looked at the watch on the mantlepiece, seeing that it was time for Cassie to head to bed, the sides of his mouth drooped slightly. He would have to say goodbye to his child for now, but at least the main thing was that he was going to see her again in the morning and after work and things would be a repeat of tonight. Everything he could possibly want in this life. 

'Okay!' he said, getting off the recliner, hearing it moan as he got his buttocks off it. Cassie looked at him, her toy rabbit, still in her hands and then she looked at the clock. 'Is it time for bed now?' she asked in a curious and polite tone. 

'It sure is, my sweet, I'm sorry to say, but you have school tomorrow morning and I have work. But don't worry after we both finish what we got to do, you can have all the time you want with me, we can play dress-up games, have a tea party, you name it, we'll do it!' he spoke jovially.

'Daddy, before I go to bed, I want to ask you something.'

'Anything, my dear!'

Cassie was now looking right into his eyes, inside them was a peculiar kind of twinkle in them that he had never seen before. It made him slightly nervous. But even so, he kept a brave face, for her as she opened her mouth to ask him the question that she had on her mind. 

'Daddy... where's mummy?'