Anthea has always been weak. Even after her birth she had to stay in the hospital for six months. If there was one disease and it was curable then it would have been fine. But she had multiple diseases and would get various infections from time to time which is why the hospital was like her second home because of all the frequent visits.

"Oh my poor angel...!"

Cried the mother as she held the lifeless hand of her daughter.

Both of them had decided to take her off the machines and accept reality that is why they were now saying good-bye to their daughter.

Even if her void body remained, they still hoped that wherever she was, she could hear them.

Maybe the heavens above took pity on the little family that Chaméne or who was actually Anthea could hear her parents trembling words.

Anthea who had just told Kyría what her real name was, was waiting for the reaction of the woman in front.

However instead of retorting, the world around her started shaking.

An earthquake?

Anthea thought while desperately clinging to the nearby wall, trying to support her balance.

But this world isn't real. How could there be an earthquake?

She abruptly looked in front, only to find Kyría gone. Turning around she observed how one by one all the people vanished into thin air. The house where she stood shook at such an enormous amount that it started crumbling down like a piece of cake.

Terrified, Anthea closes her eyes and feels a shiver down her spine.

Soon she feels calmness, as if the shakiness from before was gone. Cold breeze tickled her skin when she opens her eyes. The scenery had massively changed from before. It wasn't the hospital either. This time, she stood in the middle of vast lush green grassland under an endless blue partly cloudy sky. The wall which she was tightly grasping to was no longer concrete, instead it was a huge tree whose roots and branches spread everywhere.

Another thing that changed was her appearance. More like her clothing. All her ragged clothes from before were no more. No hair accessories as well. She wore a simple white dress that felt as light as a feather. With her hair opened, Anthea emitted an aura as if she was an angel that had descended from heaven. Perhaps she was in heaven right now.

Anthea was surprised but calm. She understood she was dead when she heard her parents pleading to the doctor. Taking a deep breath, her fingers flow through the grass, gently touching their tips.

If only I could have one last goodbye with them.

As if her wish intertwined with her parents, an image suddenly appeared in front of her. Her parents holding her as Anthea saw herself laying on the hospital bed with machines that were now not working.

"Oh my poor angel...!"

She heard her mother cry. Seeing this, she moves her hand forward but it was just an image which is why she satisfied herself by only listening and seeing to them for the very last time.

"I am sorry....Anthea....I could not listen to my heart this time. If I could, I would have made sure to go to any lengths, only to have you by my side even if you weren't awake....."

Anthea's eyes become glossy upon hearing her mother's words.

Don't say that. I am proud of you for making the right choice.

Is what Anthea wanted to say to her. She knew they could not hear her, but if at least she can reply to them in her head, it would make her feel happy.

"...I love you....I love you so so much.....I didn't have big dreams for you....only to see you smile and laugh and to see you grow up happily.....thank you so much for being my daughter. I love you."

With that statement, the mother couldn't bear it anymore and went away, trying to stop the fountain of tears.

Sniffling, Anthea could feel the tears fall from her eyes.

I love you too, mom! Thank you for being my mother and loving me!

"Anthea. I......"

Anthea was never that close with her father because he was always busy working. He was an inventor that worked with the government therefore she got to see him quite rarely. However she held no hard feelings for him and loved him. To connect with her father, she first decided to write a daily diary which her father can read and then know what she did all day and then respond to it on the diary. But after a few days, she noticed how her every day life was same and boring and thought that her father would get bored by reading it, she decided to instead write about the dreams she would have.

When young, Anthea would believe that dreams were another dimensions and loved them a little too much. Whenever she lay unconscious in the hospital aside from darkness, dreams were the things that kept her happy. However her belief did change when she entered her teens.

"I....uh....I....miss you Anthy.....I read your diary every night and looked forward to it every day while working....it was truly fun......I don't really know what to say.....the day the doctor told us that there was no hope for you...no, the first day you collapsed, I thought my world fell apart. You loved to talk but now you're so quiet. At first it scared me. Your giggles....I can still hear them. I wish I could see you could smile for me just once more......"

Hearing her father who had never expressed his feelings before, say all those words made Anthea's heart ache. She bursted into tears and started sobbing loudly while taking sharp breathes in between.

"I am so sorry my little angel.....I am sorry for not being a good father. I am sorry for not being there for you at your both special and worst times.....I am sorry for not being able to save you....I am sorry for being this useless....I could only make this machine that would make your conscience be stuck in a dream.....I did not want to make you sad......I am really sorry for not saying these words when you could hear me.......I am sorry but I am also grateful. Thank you for bringing joy into our lives. I love you. Sweet dreams......"

His father kissed his daughter's forehead and then the image in front of Anthea disappeared. Her knees became weak and she fell on the ground while sobbing.

Don't say sorry. It's my fault. I am sorry....for leaving you......I love you both....please don't cry.....if you want to make me happy then please be happy and whenever you think of me, just think of happy moments and smile.....Thank you dad, for such a wonderful dream!

     _____________________________

After the funeral, Anthea's father had given his wife some sleeping pills because she had difficulty falling asleep. Even though he, himself, could not sleep as well. After checking on his wife if she was asleep or not, he then went to his daughter's room that now looked barren after it's owner was gone.

Sitting on the chair, he starts looking at her pictures as well as read the diary she used to write.

Without knowing when, he soon fell asleep.

That night in his dream, an image appeared.

In the middle of vast lush green fields, near a huge old spread out tree, his daughter stood wearing a white plain dress, which made it feel as if she was glowing. She turned around and then smiled like how she once used to.

In return, her father's corner of the mouth turned slightly upwards, with his eyes closed, a drop of tear fell down his face.

-<THE END >-

That's it guys! Hope you all enjoyed reading it! I had fun writing this book, it was different than the rest of my books. Please do comment, vote and share if you liked it.💞
The book is small but it was meant to have a few chapters from the beginning since it's a short story. ❤️

TRIVIA;

1) Chaméne is a greek word meaning lost as in the dream, she has no memories.

2) Anthea's full name is Anthea Aetos. It is also a greek word. Anthea means flower, blossom.

3) Gáta or in greek it is written as Γάτα, is the literal translation of the word Cat in english. Gáta's basic look is that of a normal cat although there are some differences.

4) Sávra or as in greek known as σαύρα, is literally translated into as a lizard. However, Sávra looks like a baby dragon and resembles to that much more than a lizard.

5) Kyría or κυρία is translated into as lady.

6) Similarly, Agóri or αγόρι means boy in english.

🌸✨💓THANKS FOR READING! 💓✨🌸🙌🏼