Virginia awoke to the birds singing back and forth to each other. Still lying on her side with her eyes barely open, she stared at the faint light bleeding through the window shades. For the longest time, she did not move a muscle. Then, slowly, very slowly, she propped herself up with her right arm. Her long brown hair fell, veiling the left half of her face. She looked down at the bed sheets where her head had rested and saw the milky water stains created by her tears the night before. It was not a dream. It was real. She was still wearing her purple hoodie. She had on the same pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt. Her jaw began to lock, and she felt like she could cry again. Suddenly, the light grew just a bit brighter in the room. She looked up at the blinds once more. The glow was stronger. She stayed still, pondering whether to lie back down and release another cry or pursue her curiosity.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Andrew finished making a hot pot of coffee. He and his daughter had spent half the night talking, yet his mind remained boggled and his heart unsure of which way to go. Aimlessly, he stared at the coffee maker. Life usually seemed so simple when he had a cup of coffee in his hands. Now, it seemed that this entire pot could not be enough to simplify this situation.
He poured himself a cup of strong, black coffee. Holding the mug close to his nose, he inhaled its morning aroma and walked toward the living room. The white kitchen tiles and the wooden floors of the living room were divided by a single piece of wood trim. To the right of the living room was a wall of large windows that stretched into the den that overlooked the backyard and farther into the west. On the wall across from the wall of windows was mounted a large, flat-screen TV flanked on both sides by incased shelves containing books, multiple family photos taken throughout the years, and other mementos. In front of the TV was a long, glass coffee table, and behind it stood a substantial yet plush leather couch with glass end tables positioned on each side.
Stopping in the middle where the kitchen tiles and the living room's wood floors met, he looked into the den at the deer head mounted above the fireplace at the other end of the house. Fixing his gaze on the six-point trophy, he stared at its lifeless, black marble eyes.
"Well, you're no help at all," said Andrew to the deer head. "In fact, you're just kind of hideous this morning."
Chuckling at his humor, Andrew took a sip of his coffee.
He turned his head to his left and glanced into the foyer. Without a second thought, he slowly walked into it, passing the staircase to his right. Stopping at the front door, he looked down and noticed both his cowboy boots and his niece's Converse lying beside each other to the left of the door. He gave another little chuckle and took another sip of his coffee. A somewhat troubled look crossed his face as he gazed at the new pair of shoes by the door. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.
"The last time I saw her, she was about three years old," he finally said. "I could hold her up in my arms forever."
He looked at his Stetson hanging on the hat stand towering above the shoes.
"She would try to wear that hat, but it would always slide down her head, stopping at the bridge of her nose." He looked back at the shoes. "Those shoes would have been a quarter of the size they are now."
He gazed to the right through the opening towards the den. His eyes fixed upon the deer head again, its eyes just as lifeless as before. Andrew groaned and looked up at the ceiling.
"Dear Lord, what am I to do?" he prayed.
Andrew had just enough time to sip once more of his coffee when he noticed a bright light coming through the front door. He turned to face the living room and slowly made his way to the wall of windows.
Virginia's arm grew tired of propping herself up for the past few minutes, but she remained in the same position. She did not know how to address it, but something grabbed her heart. Curiosity was one of her greatest weaknesses; this would be the first time she had looked out of her window. Slowly, she placed both of her feet on the floor.
Taking in the view, Andrew walked into the living room and stopped at one of the large windows on the western wall of the house. The woods in the distance produced an abstract silhouette horizon at first, but now they lived with an orange morning glow from behind the house.
Virginia sat on her bed. Her feet remained planted on the floor, but the rest of her refused to leave the bedside. She looked down at the carpet and seriously considered if she would rather just lie back down or not. Unsure of how she did it or even why, she pushed herself off the bed with her hands and stood up straight. With hopelessness and curiosity, she walked toward the blinds one step at a time.
Aside from the early morning beauty barely visible through his window, Andrew focused more on another image: his reflection staring right back at him.
"Do you have what it takes?" he asked the image in the glass. "Do you really have what it takes to do this?"
Just then, his visage in the window dissolved as a bright light came from behind the house.
Virginia did not know what to do. She made it to the blinds but was too complacent to make the final act. She stretched out her hand to where her fingertips were inches away from reaching underneath the bottom of the blinds.
In that moment of uncertainty, the morning glow magnified brighter in the room through the veil of the window. She closed her eyes and soaked it in. Dream or no dream, her curiosity got the best of her. She had to see if this was real. Without hesitation, she hoisted the blinds with both hands. Instantly, a blast of light from the morning sun filled the room. With her hands raised high, she took in the morning light; it was twice as relaxing as before with the veil out of the way. Before her was a sight that she had never expected to see.
A gravel driveway ran from the side of the house where the vehicles were parked and trailed to two large, double doors on a vast, red barn with numerous stalls lining the length of either side. Virginia thought that it was large enough to hold at least fifty horses.
Behind the barn was a large white fenced-in pasture that stretched for at least eighty acres with a tree line of woods and mountains beyond. To the right of the barn was a thick wood that started with pine trees at its edge. To the left of the barn was a large lake, which ran out into what seemed to be a river in the distance and had the same pinewoods encompassing its left bank.
A soft, relaxing ambiance came with the light of dawn, and Andrew loved every minute of it. An ancient presence calmed his nerves, and a light shined on his face.
There came a soft, warm voice like the kiss of the morning light on his cheek. You cannot do it alone, but with me, all things are possible…Prepare her for what's coming.
Andrew opened his eyes, and a tear streaked down his face. He unmistakably knew that voice by heart.
Instantly, an idea ran through his mind. He set his coffee down on the kitchen table. Then, with all his energy, he ran through the foyer and upstairs. He passed Virginia's room and stopped at the next one, the last room in the hallway. He quietly, yet earnestly, knocked on the door. A few seconds passed, and the door slowly opened with his daughter standing in its frame. She was wearing white and pink striped pajamas. Her hair was tousled, covering half of her face, and her eyes were barely open as she blinked at her father with the utmost perplexity.
"Daddy," she yawned, "is everything okay?"
Andrew carried the biggest smile on his face as he whispered loudly. "Yes, everything is fine! I have an idea!"
Stacy stood waiting for the plan of action. "…Okay. And what might that be?"
"You'll see! I need to run into town to buy something. If Virginia wakes up before I return, can you please watch her for me?"
"Uh…sure. Of course."
"Okay. Great! I'll be back as soon as I can. There's coffee ready downstairs, should you want some!"
And with that, Andrew took off down the stairs. He quickly slipped on his boots. After putting on his coat and Stetson, he reached down and picked up Virginia's Converse. He opened the door, brushed his fingers across the mezuzah, and kissed them to his lips.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed in a whisper.
A second later, he closed the door and was gone.
Stacy remained standing there, wondering what had just happened. Did Dad wake me up to tell me that he had an idea but did not tell me what the idea was? …Yeah, that's Dad…
She wanted to return to bed so badly but remembered that she was now the one to greet Virginia should she come downstairs before her father returned.
"Please, say the coffee is strong," she said.
She grabbed her white housecoat off the footboard of her bed and walked downstairs.