Short Story
The high-speed train powered its way through the underground tunnel which lay beneath the the three -mile -wide Capoa river. On board, were mostly tourist who were traveling to see Mount Zaveda, thousands of miles from the main town. But there was a special passenger, just 20, who was eager to see her dad for the first time. Her mother, now 50 was also anxious for her daughter meet her dad.
The ride felt comfortable to her. She was able to lay her head on one of the sleeper service provided. But, she couldn't quite close her eyes for any length of time. Her mind rivaled the speed of the train as they both rushed to their destination. The 6 o'clock sun was sleepy, as it quickly bowed its head to the twilight which was quickly descending. The tall trees, which were sparsely placed along the way, hardly said,"hello." The train scaled a hill with dexterity. A thunder cracked the sky just after its companion electrified the stratosphere with sizzling fireworks.
Street lamps suddenly appeared in the distance. They frowned upon those who dared to stare them in the eye. A smile however, lit up their faces when you got closer. Small cottages dotted the landscape. The girl sensed she was nearing the end of her journey. The rocket suddenly came to a halt. She peered outside and saw the name, Bogiva. It was her destination. She quickly disembarked and made her way to the boat landing. Small boats ferried passengers to the other side. In 15 minutes, she was on the other side of the river bank.
She called her dad to let him know she had arrived. There was no answer. Dread hit her like a bully. The cool temperature could not stop her cold sweats. She was a stranger in a town. Her mind swirled, her tears poured. She looked around for help. There was none.
Suddenly, her phone rang. It was her dad. Her heart gushed with joy.
"Oh my gosh, dad, I thought I would never see you", she was over the moon.
"I'm sorry my dear, I lost contact with you for a while as there is a space station, on the way that affects communication."
"Please dad, get here soon", she begged.
"Sure my dear daughter", he responded.
A tall stately figure emerged from a taxi. His receding hairline was saved by his thick sideburns with a tinge of grey. The girl checked her phone. The picture she saw matched her dad. She cried. They hugged. Father and daughter joined the awaiting taxi and sped to his home. They had dinner. She was shown her room. Joy overcame so much that the girl hardly slept. At breakfast her dad explained to her that he met her mom when she served as a volunteer health care worker, after Bogiva experienced a serious earthquake
"That's so nice, dad", she blushed.
"Did you ever think of marrying her, dad?" she inquired.
"I asked her but she said she wasn't quite ready", he replied.
"Anyway, dad, you two brought me into this world, and I'm thankful", she quipped.
After breakfast, her dad went outside to check his mail. The mailman would toot his horn to announce his presence. Bank statements, investment reports, credit card offers, and so forth. He carefully checked each and discarded the junk mail. "Oh another mail from the DNA office?" He smiled as he had gotten several reports from time to time linking him to some unknown person after he submitted his sample for testing. He knitted his brow, threw the mail on the floor and cried uncontrollably.
" Dad, the girl screamed, what happened?" She read the letter and fainted.
"We're sorry to inform you that there was a mixup in our testing."
"Mr. Joe Pelozo, your date of birth of 1948, got mixed up with Mr. Mo Delazo whose date of birth is 1958. And he is now deceased.
© Wallace Paul Feb, 2024
Please take care of yourselves. Have a splendid week. Cheers!
The high-speed train powered its way through the underground tunnel which lay beneath the the three -mile -wide Capoa river. On board, were mostly tourist who were traveling to see Mount Zaveda, thousands of miles from the main town. But there was a special passenger, just 20, who was eager to see her dad for the first time. Her mother, now 50 was also anxious for her daughter meet her dad.
The ride felt comfortable to her. She was able to lay her head on one of the sleeper service provided. But, she couldn't quite close her eyes for any length of time. Her mind rivaled the speed of the train as they both rushed to their destination. The 6 o'clock sun was sleepy, as it quickly bowed its head to the twilight which was quickly descending. The tall trees, which were sparsely placed along the way, hardly said,"hello." The train scaled a hill with dexterity. A thunder cracked the sky just after its companion electrified the stratosphere with sizzling fireworks.
Street lamps suddenly appeared in the distance. They frowned upon those who dared to stare them in the eye. A smile however, lit up their faces when you got closer. Small cottages dotted the landscape. The girl sensed she was nearing the end of her journey. The rocket suddenly came to a halt. She peered outside and saw the name, Bogiva. It was her destination. She quickly disembarked and made her way to the boat landing. Small boats ferried passengers to the other side. In 15 minutes, she was on the other side of the river bank.
She called her dad to let him know she had arrived. There was no answer. Dread hit her like a bully. The cool temperature could not stop her cold sweats. She was a stranger in a town. Her mind swirled, her tears poured. She looked around for help. There was none.
Suddenly, her phone rang. It was her dad. Her heart gushed with joy.
"Oh my gosh, dad, I thought I would never see you", she was over the moon.
"I'm sorry my dear, I lost contact with you for a while as there is a space station, on the way that affects communication."
"Please dad, get here soon", she begged.
"Sure my dear daughter", he responded.
A tall stately figure emerged from a taxi. His receding hairline was saved by his thick sideburns with a tinge of grey. The girl checked her phone. The picture she saw matched her dad. She cried. They hugged. Father and daughter joined the awaiting taxi and sped to his home. They had dinner. She was shown her room. Joy overcame so much that the girl hardly slept. At breakfast her dad explained to her that he met her mom when she served as a volunteer health care worker, after Bogiva experienced a serious earthquake
"That's so nice, dad", she blushed.
"Did you ever think of marrying her, dad?" she inquired.
"I asked her but she said she wasn't quite ready", he replied.
"Anyway, dad, you two brought me into this world, and I'm thankful", she quipped.
After breakfast, her dad went outside to check his mail. The mailman would toot his horn to announce his presence. Bank statements, investment reports, credit card offers, and so forth. He carefully checked each and discarded the junk mail. "Oh another mail from the DNA office?" He smiled as he had gotten several reports from time to time linking him to some unknown person after he submitted his sample for testing. He knitted his brow, threw the mail on the floor and cried uncontrollably.
" Dad, the girl screamed, what happened?" She read the letter and fainted.
"We're sorry to inform you that there was a mixup in our testing."
"Mr. Joe Pelozo, your date of birth of 1948, got mixed up with Mr. Mo Delazo whose date of birth is 1958. And he is now deceased.
© Wallace Paul Feb, 2024
Please take care of yourselves. Have a splendid week. Cheers!