Colided

Chapter 7

Alyssa heard a faint voice.

"Who is there?" She asked with a mixture of fear and courage, sitting upright on her bed.

She jumped from the bamboo bed to the door and opened it carefully. No one was outside. She went back to her bamboo bed and looked underneath. There was no one in her room. It must have been a nightmare. She thought to herself. To be sure, she tiptoes to check on her father in the other room.

In desperation and fear to know who spoke, she woke up, fully conscious now.

She saw her father looking for a book.

"Father? You're really back!" She hugged his back and exhaled deeply. "I'm glad you're safe."

"You're awake so early?"

"Yes." She giggled. "Good morning."

"How was your night?"

"It was eventful. Are you alright?"

He let out a yawn. "I'm exhausted, is all."

"I will serve you some chicken soup left from what I made for me, okay?"

He was so grateful his daughter was an angel to him. It's one of the reasons why he worked so hard for her.

"Thank you, child."

"Are you tired?"

"It's been a long journey. I just need to rest a little while."

"As do I. I had a terrible dream, more like a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'll tell you all about it. I have to drop off the cart quickly by the river so everyone can use it." Alyssa told her father.

"That's my angel. I to meet with the Sultan for a moment. He is talking to the council as we speak."

"Hurry back, papa." She kissed his forehead and left.

"Hurry back too."

The council accepted the proposal and will work with Dr. Adler and the other scientists, but they needed a month. This gave him hope, but that was too long. Overwhelming feelings overflowed him thinking of all the lives that would be lost. He didn't want more lives dying in his hands the more time passed. Those thoughts always returned to his mind as they have the past few days. He rebuked such thoughts, but his fear seemed to grow each time.

The next day, he let the team of doctors know as they requested in a broadcast of their station.

He prepared a bath and realized some parts of his body had a skin rash.

"Oh my."

It wasn't evident yet, but soon his secret will be known. He would try to do his best to cover it with a flowing robe dress. The Cilomina virus seemed to start already, killing him slowly. It will get to a point he won't be able to hide it any longer. He hoped his daughter would forgive him for keeping this from her.

Unknown to Alyssa, her father battled with the virus for a little over three weeks now, which is more time than the sick had. The virus killed the host in under two. He didn't want to frighten his poor little girl. Although for the first time, he truly gave in to fearing for his life and leaving her behind.

Having suppressed the illness with plenty of tinctures, and some things he picked up from the doctors, no one suspected. More so, he had a good number of sick people looking up to him. His only concern was the fate of his daughter and the Barawa people when he was gone.

He got up as if suddenly remembering something his brother had told him. This would be the breakthrough Earth needed to communicate with the Alien planet. Maybe it was worth a try.

He felt death closer than ever and took out a pen and paper hurriedly. Alyssa needed to know what he knew. He didn't have much time but hoped he had enough to finish. He wrote a full-length page with instructions for his beloved daughter, not forgetting to apologize for hiding this from her, leaving his bag with all his shillings next to the letter, and then signed on the letter and kept it under his pillow.

He could sense his time was near and only prayed his daughter met him gone than to witness it.

His heart went out to Alyssa.

He knew the Sultan would take very good care of her, but tears streamed down his face. Guilt overflowing him by leaving his little angel all by herself to face this dying world.

She didn't deserve it, and he didn't deserve to die like this.

At least, he would see his late wife again. He missed her so much and was happy he would be going to join her again. Memories of times they spent together when she was alive came flashing back, how she would always bake pastries and fry pancakes for the homeless kids. She had a heart of gold, no doubt. Full of love and care, always putting on a smile. There is never a dull moment with her. She was the desire of every man, but that didn't get into his head. He was lucky to have had her. While she was friendly and courteous to every man that came her way, she knew what she wanted from the start. She was never eluded of suitors but kept them at a distance. Her future with him was more important. She needed to be safe than sorry later. Thoughts of his late wife continued to fill his mind until he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Alyssa got back to see her father sleeping soundly. She prepared his bath as he had the same clothes she saw him in that morning, so she decided to wake him up, but he laid motionless on the bed.

"Father?"

"Father, wake up."

She laid down beside her father and wrapped her hands around his cold and stiff body. She still felt it was all a dream and nudged him on the chest to wake up.

"Father, if this is a joke, you better stop it now!"

She noticed his skin rash for the first time and fear that he would die hit her. She stood staring down at her father. Trying waking him up, but nothing happens.

She wanted to scream, but she seemed to have lost her voice all of a sudden. The heaviness in her heart couldn't allow her to think. She didn't know what to do. Crying would have been an easy option, but tears weren't forthcoming. All of a sudden, her body felt so light she was surprised she had not fainted.

She blinked her eyes severally to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Father! I have prepared your bath."

"Please wake up!"

Reality hit her. Her eyes were hot with tears by now. Her father is gone, just like that. How could she not have seen it?

"Father. No, you can't leave me all alone!" she cried in much sorrow. Her hands scattered the bed sheet in the process and found his hidden tinctures. Then, she felt something and found the shillings along with the letter envelope under his pillow.