New Story - Daddy says 'I know'

Daddy says 'I know' – Part 1

‘It’s, chaos, chaos!’

Mummy Sze Sze voice echoed throughout the whole house at the dawn of the morning.

‘What a night it has been!’

Mummy Sze Sze was busy preparing the breakfast for kids, and wanted to make something especially special to impress Epoh and Baby Sze Sze. But she was so distracted by the events of last night that it took all of her focus just to continue cooking.

‘I don’t think I can take any more surprises’, she murmured as she skillfully flipped a pancake with a flick of her wrist.   

***

‘It’s sooo delicious’, Epoh shouted as he tasted the first-ever bacon and hash browns. ‘Can I have more please?’ Super N and Mummy Sze Sze were heaping more and more bacon and pancakes onto his plate until the stack was taller than Epoh. 

Super N, An B, Kara, No 8, Epoh and Baby Sze Sze were lounging around the dining table as they finished the last bites of their meals, fiddling with various trinkets and toys brought from their bedroom. With the food now all gone, they found ways to amuse themselves, and discovering that they now have new friends in the forms of Epoh and Baby Sze Sze, the children were more than eager to share their candies & toys with them.

The house continued to echo with the sound of laughter, and as the kids continue to play their fantastical games, hours turned into minutes as the Sun began to descend.

‘Right, Baby, should we go home now?’ Mummy Sze Sze asked Baby Sze Sze.

‘No.’ Baby Sze Sze quickly turned his head away from Mummy.   

Baby Sze Sze was the only child in the faSze Szely. She has never been with so many kids in her life. As her Daddy Bearie was very strict, she has never slept over at a friend’s house. After spending what little time he had with the other kids, she never wanted to go back home. 

‘No, you have to go back or Daddy B will get worried.’ Mummy Sze Sze’s face was turning into a shade of scarlet and grabs Baby Sze Sze’s hand.

Super N, No. 8 and Kara were starting to become frightened now, as Mummy Sze Sze’s faced was turning as red as a tomato. This means she was really angry.

‘No.’ Baby Sze Sze insisted, hiding herself under the sofa. 

Mummy Sze Sze tried to hold her temper.  Baby Sze Sze was young and being herself – it was not as if she could understand her own stubbornness. Mummy Sze Sze took a deep breath, knelt in front of the sofa and said to Baby Sze Sze: ‘Do you want Bunny B?’

Baby Sze Sze who had her back turned against Mummy Sze Sze suddenly spun around and shouted: ‘Yes, Yes.’ In a sudden flash, Baby Sze Sze crawled out and standed upright in front of No 8 who was holding Bunny B in her arms.

No. 8 steps back and wants to say No. However, once she sees the joy in Baby Sze Sze’s eyes, she hands Bunny B to Baby Sze Sze. Baby Sze Sze is so happy that she would not stop jumping up and down.

Bunny B was actually made of the old clothes from Mummy Sze Sze’s Mum. Baby Sze Sze loved its colour but it was the last thing Mum made for Mummy Sze Sze. To Mummy Sze Sze, this was the last and final memory and connection to her Mum. 

‘So, let’s go home.’ Baby Sze Sze nodded.

Mummy Sze Sze held Baby Sze Sze’s hands as they began to walk outside. She turned to Super N and said ‘Look after your brothers and sisters, okay? I will be back very soon.’

As they walked towards the Sze Szerror, Mummy Sze Sze asked Baby Sze Sze, ‘how were you able to get here?’

‘I told you I don’t know,’ Baby Sze Sze was shaking Bunny B up and down. ‘I just stood in front of the Sze Szerror and thought of you. Here I am!’.

‘Try to think of me again. okay?’.

Baby Sze Sze nodded her head, closed her eyes and headed towards the Sze Szerror.

‘Oh!’.

‘What’s happened?’ Everybody was poking their heads around, trying to see what happened to Baby Sze Sze. He was lying flat on his bottom, and Mummy Sze Sze immediately hurried to pick her back up.

‘I just stepped into the Sze Szerror. But I’m still here.’ Baby Sze Sze was starting to shed tears.

‘Maybe you should try saying some magic words?’ shouted Super N.

‘Were you thinking of Mummy?’ Kara asked.

Baby Sze Sze closed her eyes and dashed to the Sze Szerror again. But once again, with a loud crash, Baby Sze Sze fell on the floor again.

‘Are you okay?’ No. 8 rushed to Baby Sze Sze and tried to comfort her. 

Baby Sze Sze tried to explain to everybody that she was doing the right thing this time. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ she shouted, desperately. ‘I have been thinking of Mummy Sze Sze.”

While everybody was figuring what went wrong, a blue crystalline light suddenly emerged from the Sze Szerror.

A Ginger Bear walked out of the mirror. Mummy Sze Sze’s eyes and mouth opened wide.

‘Dad!’ Mummy Sze Sze shouted.

‘Hello, Pink.’

Daddy says 'I know' – Part 2

 

In front of everyone, stood a ginger bear. Mummy Mi’s eyes and mouth were widely

open.

 

‘Dad’ Mummy Mi shouted.

 

‘Hello, Pink.’ Daddy Bearie smiled to Mummy Mi.

******

Mummy Mi’s eyes filled with tears – she really did not know how to react to seeing the ginger bear. It has been more than decades since she has last seen her Dad.

 

Knowing how her little daughter felt, Daddy Bearie smiled, walked towards Mummy Mi and hugged her.

 

‘Why you are here Dad?’ Mummy Mi asked. But before Daddy Bearie could answer back, Mummy immediately introduced all of her kids to him.

 

All of the kids, except An B, were just stood around Daddy Bearie – they have never seen their grandpa before and couldn’t find any words to say. But An B immediately

climbed and sat on the shoulder of his grandpa.

 

‘Remember the lucky coin?’ Daddy Bearie asked Mummy Mi and brought it out from his pocket. ‘of course, but why did you take it in the first place?’

 

The lucky coin was a gift from Rossy, Mummy Mi’s mother. She passed away suddenly one night when Mummy Mi was 15 years old. Since then, both Daddy Bearie and Mummy Mi have been mourning her and missed her every day.

 

‘No, this is mine.’ Daddy Bearie replied. ‘Rossy actually got 2 lucky coins from her family. 1 for you, and 1 for me.’

 

Mummy Mi immediately rushed into the house and searched under her pillow – it was where she usually kept her lucky coin. As soon as she found it, she immediately rushed back outside and showed it to Daddy Bearie.

 

‘Still, why are you and Baby Mi come here, dad?’

‘I honestly miss you, Pink, and that’s why I came.’ Daddy Bearie said with a smile.

 

‘I…’ Mummy Mi wanted to say she was actually sorry and missed him too.

 

But before Mummy Mi could speak a single word, however, Daddy Bearie immediately held his hand up to stop her.

 

‘I know.’

 

Mummy Mi was a stubborn girl with high self-esteem where the word ‘sorry’ was not in her vocabulary. Daddy Bearie knew her personality from all of the days tending to her, yet never had the heart to hurt her feelings by trying to change her. Before she could apologize, he hugged his little baby again.

 

‘No need to say sorry.’

 

‘Why didn’t you look for me after I left home?!’ Mummy Mi shouted, as she looked up to her Daddy.

 

Before Daddy Bearie could reply in earnest, Super N jumped forward in front of Mummy Mi. ‘Then why didn’t you ever go back home, Mum? I didn’t know Daddy Bearie was still alive!’

 

All kids waited anxiously for their Mummy to answer – they were all wondering the same thing. Mummy was not looking forward to this, but she knew that the kids were expecting a response.

 

‘I wanted to but my heart didn’t allow me.’ Mummy Mi said in a somber tone and turned to Daddy Bearie. ‘You knew I’ve been working in Sweet Bakery ever since you left - why didn’t you ever tried to find me?’

 

Mummy Mi had always been a forgiving person, especially to the kids. But the only person she could never forgive was her father. And now that he is finally here all of a sudden, she felt an impulsive to pour all of her heart out at this moment.

 

Daddy Bearie tilted his head, as if confused by the question. ‘But I did find you.’ He held out his Lucky Coin again and put Mummy Mi’s hand on it. “Close your eyes and feel it, Pink.’

Mummy Mi closed her eyes, and felt as if a wave of rippled water splashed into her eyes. She wiped her hands and opened her eyes.

 

She was no longer at home with the kids and Daddy but was instead standing in front of The Sweet Bakery.

 

The Sweet Bakery was located next to the Cathedral in the downtown of Sweet Potatoes Town. It was a small shop and built in the shape of a Cherry Blossom tree. The colours of the wall changed with seasons – pink in Spring, yellow in Summer, dark orange in Autumn and White in Winter. Despite the small size, the shop was always packed with customers because of its delicious cupcakes.

 

Mummy Mi found herself standing in the pouring rain and in front of the shop like some sort of spirit. As she got closer to the shop’s window, she could see herself, a Young Mi version, busy preparing the flour, chocolate, eggs and milk so as to make famous cupcakes. She was like a little mouse scurrying around in the kitchen, putting all ingredients into a big bowl, pre-setting the heat for the oven, and cleaning and buttering the beautiful metal molds to make the cupcakes.

 

Despite all the tedious preparation, Young Mi always wore a big smile on her face – she loved her job, and enjoyed all the little details and intricacies that went into baking those little treats.

 

As Mummy Mi looked around inside the shop, she could see a calendar on the wall next to the counter – it was April 7, seven days since she first ran away from home. Daddy had asked her to think twice before she quit school for bakery, and she shouted at Daddy and left home forever.

 

Mummy Mi wasn’t sure why she was looking back at those memories – while they were certainly moments that she cherished, she didn’t think there was anything to learn from re-living the past.

 

But as she was about to walk away from the shop, she saw a familiar figure standing off in the distance – it was Daddy Bearie. He was hiding, in vain, behind a lamppost which could barely conceal his massive figure, and was peering into the shop.

 

Daddy Bearie looked at his busy daughter making the cupcakes, and could some of the burn marks on her hands from a distance. He came every day to check on her daughter,

and the rain never bothered him on those stormy days. When Young Mi had almost finished work, Daddy Bearie would leave an umbrella on the door of the shop as he knew Young Mi would never bring an umbrella with her.

 

For months, Daddy Bearie had been secretly observing his daughter, leaving meals, hair pins and anything she needed at the entrance of the shop until finally one day Young Mi disappeared.

 

Mummy Mi felt a warm hand on her shoulders. She turned around and find herself at home with the kids and Daddy Bearie again.

 

‘So, it was you that was leaving all those things at the shop!’ Mummy Mi was shocked.

 

During that time, Mummy Mi always thought she was charming and beautiful and that there were a lot of secret admirers who left gifts for her – she after all quite popular at the Bakery. She never thought it was her Daddy who had been leaving all sorts of items that helped her get through the rest of the day.

 

‘Life is so unexpected’ Daddy Bearie said with a sigh. Like Mummy Mi, Daddy Bearie also was quite a prideful person and never had the heart to confront his daughter in person to apologize.

 

‘Daddy, why have you come now?’ Mummy Mi asked and suddenly had a very bad feeling as looked into the eyes of Daddy Bearie. ‘Are you not well?’

 

Bearie could see himself in Mummy Mi’s eyes. He was no longer the strong bear he once – his once muscular arms were limp, and his once-golden coat was now grizzled with grey hair. He wanted to see Mummy Mi again and say goodbye to her.

 

‘No’ Daddy Bearie lied with a second thought. Bearie did not want Mummy Mi to feel sorry for him. ‘I am fine but I just wanted to see how you are doing. I used the magic coin so that I could see you again. ‘I am so happy that you have your own happy family now.’

 

Mummy Mi was relieved to know Daddy Bearie was doing fine. ‘How come Baby Mi that looks exactly like me?’

 

As no one knows what would happen when parents put two potatoes into the Birth

flowers, Mummy Mi was very curious her little sister, Baby Mi, was born with an exact resemblance to her.

 

‘Baby Mi is not a kid born from the birth flowers. I made her!’

 

‘Oh! I remember!’ Mummy Mi recalled that Daddy Bearie was a bio-engineer. He used to do a lot of experiments at home and Rossy was always worried he would create some form of bio-monstrosity that would tear up the house, or even worse, the entire town.

 

Having joined a prestigious laboratory, he realized his role was much more stressful than the carefree experiments he created at home. Not only did he have to determine how science can be fundamentally shaped into giving birth to new life, but he must ensure not a single mistake was made during the making of life. All life, in his eyes, was precious and no single living being, even if it was created with great flaws, could be disposed.

 

Daddy Bearie missed Mummy Mi more and more as the days went by after she left their home. And so that was why he decided to evolve his home experiments and join the laboratory, so that he could access the resources and knowledge to be able to put all his effort to recreate Mi. And after many years, not only did Baby Mi have the exact same appearance as Mummy Mi, he had even poured every bit of his memory into Baby Mi.

 

‘Can Baby Mi grow up?’ Super N asked her grandpa.

 

‘I am afraid not, child.’ Bearie answered.

 

The happiest time for Daddy Bearie was when his daughter was 6 years old, and had just started primary school. He decided that he keep that moment in time forever, and so Baby Mi would forever be 6 years old.

 

‘Daddy, please just take a rest and spend some time with your grandchildren.’ Mummy Mi felt sorry to her Daddy. She knew he had been lonely, but she still wasn’t sure if recreating her with the mysteries of science was the answer for all of that loneliness. She could not turn the clock back and spend her youth with him again. She would now rather have her children create new memories with their grandfather.

 

‘Okay kids, this has really been a long day, and your grandfather is very tired. I know all of you have only just met him for the first time, but please say hello to him and take him inside the house.’

 

All the kids answered affirmatively at the same time, and eagerly led Daddy Bearie back to their house.

 

Daddy Bearie was exhausted, but still felt immense joy in this brief moment. For a long time, he had hardly been able to enjoy the companionship of family ever since Mummy Mi left, and today felt like the first time in decades that he was able to feel at home again.

 

‘Alright kids, let’s go home. You’re going to have to tell me all about your stories with your mother.’