Short Stories

Sparks

"I'll be back in a minute."

 

•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•

 

There was a very light rap on the door, and the 5 year old girl turned her head towards the sound. She placed the hair brush she had been using to smooth the fur of her stuffed, princess costume-adorned bear on her bed and began tugging its small arm through the hole of a pink dress, not removing her wide eyes from the door. Just as she got the sparkly fabric on properly, a brunette head poked it's self through the now open door, making the child gasp in happiness and surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Daddy!"

"Hello, there. Do I have permission to enter, your majesty?"

"Always!"

Her father chuckled and closed the door behind him while his daughter sat up in her bed and spread her arms wide for a hug.

"C'mere you!"

He swept the girl from her bed, lifting her into his arms. She giggled as her father peppered small kisses all over her head and forehead.

"I missed you so much, angel." The words were spoken into her hair as he placed one last kiss right on the top of her head.

"I missed you too, daddy." He released his daughter back onto her bed and sat down on the side. She crisscrossed her legs and pushed her pigtails behind her shoulders, unable to keep the beaming smile off her face.

"I must say, that is a beautiful bear you have there, princess."

Her father grinned playfully and she laughed, showing him how she brushed its chestnut fur regularly to keep it smooth and well-kept. After a few minutes of chatting lightly about the conditions of the bear and how well-kept the young princess' sleeping quarters were kept, ("I have a really good maid! Though, mum doesn't really like it when I call her that...") her father folded his hands in his lap, and glanced at his daughter, who tilted her head to the side. He hesitated a moment before changing the subject. "Now, excuse me if you will, your majesty."

A stifled giggle left the girls lips at the continuation of their ongoing fairytale-themed game. Her father glanced down at his folded hands for a moment, "I have been informed by your mother, the Queen, of your lack of interest on the subject of reading. If you'd please excuse my boldness and if you don't mind me asking, well..." He continued, glancing at her once again, "Why exactly would that be, your highness?"

His daughter sighed with a small hint of annoyance, and played with the tarnished pink tiara on her stuffed bears head, poking at the plastic jewels. "Oh, mum has been over this with me countless times," she responded in a dismissive tone, "I mean it's not like I don't know the basics. Besides, it's really no big fuss."

Her father sighed, unfolding his hands and leaning on his right one to support his weight while he eyed his daughter. "Really," he said, dropping the playful tone, "what's the matter?"

Noticing the absence of the usual twinkle in her father's eyes, the young girl averted her own eyes down to her bear once again, fussing with the bottom hem of its dress. After a moment of silence, she huffed, "It's seems so boring!" she whined, "And the books you and mommy read are so long! Why can't we just learn everything through TV? I bet more people would pay attention!"

"Honey, I'm afraid things don't work that way." her father responded in a softer tone than before, "You're going to have to learn to read eventually, whether you truly want to or not. It's a skill you're going to need."

"But why?" his daughter persisted, giving up on the loose string of the pink dress, "What's so great about reading? Why can't I just learn everything I need to know out-loud? All those practice books on words are so boring!"