And then, as if on cue, I heard a voice.
"I wish I had a pet dog."

"What?" I said. No one else was around, it was just me. "Who said that?"

Little did I know, I had heard someone wish for something on a shooting star. It was the beginning of something new.

~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×~×

I ran as fast as I could, away from my spot on the hill. 'What the frick is going on?!' I think to myself.

I burst through the door, panting, only to be greeted by an angry mother.

"Lynn. Why did you run outside the house? I've been worried sick!"

"Mom," I said, "IwasoutsideandthenashootingstarpassedbyandthenIheardavoiceanditsaidiwishihadapetdogandthen--"

"Woah, young lady, slow down." 

"Mom. I was outside looking at the stars, and then a shooting star passed by." I said, slowly, panting, "And then I heard a voice, right after I saw the shooting star, and it said, 'I wish i had a pet dog.'"

"Then wha--"

"And you know the crazy part?! There was no one around, it was just me sitting on the hill!" I stated. I was confused, I didn't know what as happening. I thought I was going crazy! "Mom, am I going crazy? Does going insane run in our family? Oh, God, did we move away from dad 'cause he was starting to go crazy? Oh god, omg, omg, OMG!" I started hyperventilating. 

My mom put her hands on my shoulders. "Lynn calm down. Take a deep breath."

I did as my mom told me.

"You are not going crazy. Okay?" She pulled away from me. Her attitude suddenly changed. "Why now of all times?" she exclaimed. "You're so young, I thought this wouldn't wouldn't happen if--"

"Mom? Are you okay?" 

She looked at me, worry, fear, and a knowing look in her eyes. "We need to call your father." 

****

I heard someone knocking on the door. It sounded frantic, as if they were desperate to get inside. Mom was in the bathroom, so I decided to get it myself. It's not like I was a five year old who didn't know how to say 'no' to strangers.

I walked over to the door; whoever was outside was still knocking. I looked through the peep-hole to see a man that resembled my father. Or at least, what I remembered of him. Quickly, I opened the door to find my dad, the person we moved away from for a reason I didn't know.

"Lynn? Is that you?" He said, hope in his voice. "Oh my, how much you've grown! You're such a beautiful young lady now! Oh, I haven't seen you in forever."

He was wearing a pale blue button-up shirt, with some overused kakhis. He had a short goatee growing on his chin, with a few gray hairs. 'Probably in his 40s', I thought. His face was slightly wrinkled, but he had hazel brown eyes, like I did. The ones that I was told I got from my father. His dark brown hair was staring to gray, which matched his beard nicely.

I stared at him for a moment. Was this man really my father?

We looked at each other for a bit, until I finally broke the silence.

"Dad?"