Ariel snuggled into bed, her white cotton sheets clean and fresh. Cait leaned over and kissing her forehead said, "I love you sweetie. Sleep tight and I'll see you in the morning."
"I love you too mommy," responded Ariel with an impish smile born in the warmth of the moment, worry and concern absent in the cocoon of her room.
Cait smiled back, stood up to leave and hesitated. She had not allowed Ariel to sleep in her bed for more than a year, yet the thought hung in her mind and she mused, Was this desire for Ariel or me? "Honey, how would you like to sleep with mommy in the big bed tonight?"
"That's okay mommy, I'm a big girl now."
Cait looked down at Ariel, her cheeks uplifted with pride. "Yes you are darlin'." Cait smiled, kissed Ariel again and let herself out, closing the door softly.
Ariel rolled over and in a real quiet voice whispered, "Okay, she's gone. Would you read me a story?"
Her pillow began to glow and the gentle voice of her father responded, "Well, that depends. Have you been a good girl?"
"Oh daddy, I've been really, really good."
"Okay, then, what would you like to hear tonight?"
"I want to hear the one about the little girl who grew up to be a superhero. Tell me about her rocket shoes daddy, that's my favorite part."
"That's my favorite too. Here goes. Once upon a time there was a little girl with primrose hair and sapphire eyes who found a pair of rocket shoes. These were not any ordinary rocket shoes, but very special ones."
Ariel jumped in. "What did they look like?"
"They sparkled ruby red and had wings on the back and when the little girl put them on, they glowed and sparkled with the brilliance of Rubion and Triste. "
And so the pillow glowed and talked and Ariel smiled that smile that children do when they know they have the best dad in the whole world. And somewhere, many parsecs away, there was a dad that was smiling too, that smile that dads have when they know they have the best daughter in the whole universe.
When the story was over Ariel whispered with sleepy lids, "I love you daddy."
And the pillow whispered back, "I love you too. Sweet dreams my dear angel."
Categories: Story, Caitlin, John Discovery, Ariel
26 comments:
This is one of my many, many favourite images, so very beautiful, and with this chapter behind it, it just became even more so.
What a lovely idea. :-) A magic pillow, of communication, to hold his daughter even when he is not there. Very lovely!
So very nice and carefree, so child-like. The part about having the best daddy and daughter shows it to be a mutual, parallel, real love.
Seperate, father and child and that special bond that exists, it does not seem as if Cait is aware of the pillow.
Another great chapter, poppet, very sweet, and I do like sweet. :-)
Great image, and great story as always. Happy 2007 :)
I do not know your writing goals...do you plan on offering it up PDF style someday? ...or is it set to submit for publication?
It's hard for me to read at home. I do most of my reading at work.
...just curious.
Such a sweet story! If I had a pillow like that, it might tell me other things...
Wonderful little vignette and the image goes perfectly with the story. Not only does it look like a pillow but it looks like a man's face in the middle (kinda, if you squint hard enough).
And a Happy New Year to you and all your loved ones, Tree!
Happy first day of the New Year. :-)
Crumbs, that was so lovely!
Happy 2007! May all your dreams come true :-)
Happy New Years!!!!!!
Happy first day of the year Sunshine. As always, thanks for the loving and kind comments.
We see several things in this short little chapter. First, is the love between father and daughter, a special relationship that, as most parent/child relationships, differs between mother and father. There is a playfulness between father and daughter that we don't see in the same way between mother and daughter. We also see that Cait was not all that fond of the magic pillow, for reasons we may or may not see come to light later, but let's just say, John and Cait are not always on the same page about what is best for their daughter.
Because John is gone so much, he sees his daughter very differently and Cait, who is with her every day. John harbors a small measure of fear, mainly developed in the very early years when Ariel would cry uncontrollable whenever he had to leave, that his daughter is going to grow up without him. The magic pillow was his idea, and although Ariel loved it, Cait felt it was an artificial crutch and not completely healthy to the raising of a strong child. She allowed it, without acknowledging it, to "keep the peace" so to speak. She understood this was important to John and was not the hill to die on.
This chapter also sets the stage to explore the inner life of John a little more and to get to know him from the point of view of father as opposed to husband or taskforce commander. Which is to say, we perhaps will get a chance to see how he feels and handles the absences and how those emotions affect his relationship with Cait. It also gives us the opportunity, likewise, to learn more about Cait as she deals with this aspect of her relationship with her husband in the greater context of their marriage and family.
As I'm typing this comment, I'm wondering at what point does a comment about a chapter exceed the word count of the chapter itself, and for me, this is the beauty of an engage and interactive story, a living story as I have called it, a story that is unique and singular as published in the blog format with text, images, comments, audio and video.
Hope you are having a fantabulous first day of the year my Sweetest.
Steve, Happy New Year to you and yours too!
As for the story, I have no plans to publish it at this point. The goal, if there is one, is, for lack of a better way to say it, to continue to enjoy a story that was never meant to be a story, to give me an opportunity for self-expression in several formats alien to me before this story was started--namely, writing and art.
The thought of publishing the story in some format has crossed my mind, but I have no idea how I would do it without losing the real essence of this "living" story. For example, I have all the chapters in a single word document so one could read it like a book. However, without the images, the story is not the same. Likewise, much of the richness of the story, for me at least, lies in the interaction I have with readers in the comments, not to mention the numerous audio readings and commentaries that I have sprinkled within the story. So I ask myself, what purpose would publishing the story, assuming I could publish it, have that is not being met now, and for that I don't have an answer, yet.
I am flattered you would even ask the question and if you wanted the story in a single word file, I would be happy to send it to you. All the best Steve.
Chicky, I think you do have a pillow like this, at least a metaphorical one in your own mind, which I see the fruit of from time to time on your wonderful blog. :-)
Y, always good to see you stopping by. All the best to you in 2007 my dear friend. :-)
Jack, I might need to look again for the face. :-)
Take care my friend and study hard. Grad school will be over before you know it. All the best to you Jack.
Leigh, you always leave me the sweetest comments. So good to see you back in blogland. All the best to you and yours in 2007 my dear sweet friend.
Linny, I hope you find all you are looking for in 2007. And when you do, I hope you won't forget about all us bloggers. ;-)
Well...
Used to dream of rides on Persian magic carpets but a magic pillow and that too something so ethereal ...hmmm
That took me back to my childhood
...ofcourse still am a child.
Thanks for the bedtime story along with the pillow.
(*_*)
Uma
Wishing You Whatever You Wish For in 2007
hope i am not too late...hope you had a wonderful time.
Uma, wishing you all the best for 2007 too. :-)
As for being child-like, I'd like to return to those days when all was possible, when I believed without a scintilla of doubt that I was special, that the world was a special place filled with wonder and delight, where the days were short and filled with laughter and amazement. Those days were as magical as this pillow and I wonder, where did they go?
Thanks for stopping by my friend. Sweet dreams.
So nice. The image make me want to put head to some much needed rest. The story fills me up with memories of childhood and the times when there wasn't a problem that mom or dad or a bandage couldn't fix.
I recognize the unconditionality. That is love deep, simple and elegant. You have captured brilliant in words and image. Thank you for that. :)
You are most welcome Liz. I feel I must give something back after all I take from your writing. Oh, and you can borrow this pillow whenever you feel you need a little nap. :-)
Though the relationships are separate, I think, once again Cait’s role as an enabler is crucial. I’m not sure John’s fears as you describe them could not very easily have come true were it not for Ariel having Cait to maintain real relations on behalf of John in the form of assurances and sharing. Things are more black and white to children, as does action speak louder than words, and though he may be devoted to his daughter, what she would feel is his absence, so it seems to me both Cait and John must have worked hard, and together, to make this little girl feel so secure in her father's love.
Smiling at the rest of your comment there. Too at the fact that right or wrong, in the sense of fitting in with what you as the creator see, it's still testamont to your story that it continues to generate imaginings behind what is directly written, and even beyond that at times. :-)
Sunshine, they did work very hard to protect Ariel and make sure she knew, without any doubt, she was loved. In that regard, it was a team effort between John and Cait and the two of them have built the structure that Ariel lives within. Still, John worries when he is gone, worries that time will work against him and his relationship; hence, the magic pillow. Call it a little daddy insurance. :-D
Now that is cool! I loved the way Ariel perked up and her daddy's voice lulled her to sleep.
Now, you know how my mind works... I have to ask... does Cait have a special pillow too? ;-)
You know, I think Cait might just have her own special pillow. Now that might just be worth a chapter, especially if John doesn't hurry and get this mission finished. :-D
Perhaps she needs a special blanket to go along with the pillow ;-) If there is a chapter on this, I will enjoy reading it. *snicker*
Mmm, maybe I need to tell you about my secret blog where I write of blankets and such. Not advised that you read this one in public places. :-D
Ohhhh, secret blog? Oh please, I need to read of blankets and such ;-)
Check your email. :-)
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