Day 1
I’m not sure what happened. All I know is that I’m
currently home alone. I’m not sure where mummy and jie jie* are. I’ve already went
to their rooms to search for them and I found opened drawers instead; drawers
that used to have clothes are now as empty as a an abondon house. I begun to
search franticly, trying to find answers to this madness.
Where
are their clothes?
Why
are the drawers empty?
Where’s
mummy and jie jie?
I tried calling both their hand phones but it
appeared to be out-of-range, which is weird. I don’t know what to do. I’m
scared.
-
A few hours ago, jie jie and I were playing in front
of our house. We were gardening; planting flowers of many kinds into the soft
earth. We had fun, laughing and singing as we did our little chore. Mummy then
came out with a jug of ice cold lemon tea; freshly made. I thanked her and took
a huge mouthful of lemon tea, choking as I tried to swallow everything down at
once. Mummy scolded me while lightly and steadily hit my back over and over
until I managed to swallow and put a sheepish smile on my face. After a few
minutes, jie jie and I went back to our house to shower and we fell asleep,
side by side, on mummy’s bed. I felt really excited today because daddy was
supposed to come home from his long work trip and I couldn’t wait to see him. I
then dozed off due to exhaustion.
By the time I woke up, everything was dark and no
one was home. Jie jie was no longer sleeping by my side. Like I mentioned
earlier, I tried calling mummy’s handphone so many times and yet no one picked
up. I don’t know what to do but to turn on the lights in my house. I’ve checked
outside and it appears that Jerry, our dog, is too, gone.
Where
is he?
-
I cooked instant noodle just now as I waited
anxiously for someone to call. I did turn on my laptop but it could not
distract me as much. Not only that, it seems as though I was the only one that
was online; no one appeared online in my Facebook and it felt as though time
has frozen; unable to tick and move like it usually ydoes. My heart could not
stop hammering heavily in my chest; so hard it felt as though my heart wanted
to break free from the cage it’s been kept with. I played with my food and
managed to chew a mouthful of instant noodles. The food did not taste as good
as it used to be when mummy is around.
Mummy,
where are you?
-
The phone rang just now and it woke me up from my
nap. Apparently, I dozed off after eating. The computer gave an eerie glow as
it luminate the dark room. I quickly turned on the light; the burst of white temporary
blinded me, causing me to see tumbled towards the ringing phone with my eyes
shut. As soon as I reached the phone, I quickly answered it but all I heard was
statics. It did not make any sense. I felt a familiar cold and distorted
feeling going up my spine; causing me to shiver violently. I was afraid. I
placed the phone back on the reciever, shaking as I did so. I think I’ll sleep
on the couch tonight while waiting for someone, anyone to call.
*Jie jie, a slang to call an older sister.
Day 2
I felt water running down my forehead down to my
neck, some went into my mouth and it tasted salty. The saltiness of the water
shocked me as I thought I was in the middle of the ocean. My eyes popped open
and it took me a second or maybe more to calm the myself down. It then came to
me, the disappearance of my mother and sister, the empty drawers, the static
phone… I quickly ran to mummy’s room; checking if she was asleep and everything
that happened yesterday was nothing but a nightmare. To my despair, mummy was
not sleeping on her bed and her drawers were still empty. Filled with remorse, I
dragged myself to my bathroom and managed to clean up without shedding a tear.
I then sat down at the dining table once more, trying to get hold of the
situation I currently am facing. It then hit me, where’s daddy? He was supposed
to be home since yesterday!
“Daddy?” I called out, waiting for a reply as I
violently push my chair back. Maybe he was in the toilet, showering or
something. I didn’t check just now.
-
No one was in the toilet. It was as dry as a bone. I
then lay on my parents’ bed; thinking what was going on.
-
I dozed off.
-
I was awoken by the sounds of muttering. It came
from outside. It was evening and the sun was setting but it was bright enough
for me to be able to see the situation outside. I saw families with luggages
and kids holding their mother’s hand. Apparently, they were walking in silence;
the adults have grim looks on their faces and
the children had worry lines
across their foreheads.
“Mummy, where are we going?” I heard one of the
little girls.
“Somewhere safe,” her mother replied her as she
pulled her daughter close.
I wondered what the lady meant by ‘somewhere safe’. Are we not safe right
now? What was going on?
I went to the dining room where my laptop was,
turned it on and logged into Facebook. Once again, no one was online. No new
posts were posted on my Facebook wall even though I refreshed the web page over
and over. It was in vain.
-
I then sat on the couch in the living room and
switched on the television. Even though my favourite movie,
The X-Men, was on
but it did not do a good job in distracting me from my thoughts.
Maybe
daddy’s flight was delayed. But he should have called. He always calls whenever
his flight was delayed. Why didn’t he call?
Day 3
I woke up once more and realised that I’ve fallen
asleep by the couch. The television was still on and I switched it off, causing
silence to once again gain control of the atmosphere. Sighing, I decided to take
a nice shower.
-
I did not have the mood to eat instant noodles nor
did I have any ingredients to cook. Instead, I toasted myself a slice of bread
with cheese on top. Though my stomach constantly cried out for hunger yet I did
not bother to silence it with food. Through my hunger, it then hit me, why
didn’t I just call daddy? I’m so stupid!
-
I dialled daddy’s number using the house phone while
standing.
-
I dialled his number again.
-
Daddy, please pick up.
-
“Hello?”
“Daddy?”
“Kim!”
“Daddy, where are you? You’re supposed to be home by
now!”
“Daddy’s flight got delayed, sweetie,”
“When will you be home then?”
“Soon,”
“Daddy, mummy and jie jie are gone,” I started to
break down in tears.
“Gone? What do you mean by gone?”
“L-like they vanished into t-thin air. T-their
belongings are g-gone,” I sniffed.
“Don’t cry and don’t panic. Did you call them?”
“Yes. No one picked up. D-daddy, I’m scared,” I
whimpered as I clutched the phone tightly.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. Daddy will be home,” I heard
thunder boomed in the background. “The storm here is
crazy. It’s been going on
for days and daddy is trapped in the airport,”
“Daddy, everyone’s gone. The neighbourhood is empty.
Daddy, I’m alone,”
“Okay, listen. Tomorrow, go buy some groceries,
okay? Get yourself something nice to eat. Have you
eaten?”
“Yes,”
“Good. Go make yourself a warm cup of milo and just
do what you normally do. Don’t worry, okay? Daddy is going to transfer some
money into your account to buy groceries, okay? Don’t cry. Daddy’s going to be
home soon,”
“Daddy, I miss you. I’m scared. I want you right
now,” my voice cracked.
“I know, darling, I know. Daddy wants to be home
too. I’ll try my best, okay, sweetie? I-”
“Hello?”
“Miss...”
“Daddy?”
“Reception… bad…”
“Daddy? I can’t hear you,” I screamed.
“D- home… -oon,”
“Daddy? Please don’t hang up!” I could taste bile at
the back of my tongue.
“Love… -ou,”
“Daddy?” I whimpered softly.
“-ception… -ad,”
“Daddy, I love you!” I managed to yell.
“Love… you… too.”
The line was cut off.
My legs felt like jelly and they finally gave way.
I cried while clutching onto the phone.
I frantically dialled his number once more while
wiping my tears.
-
“Hello?”
“The number you have dialled is not reachable.
Please try again later,” went the robotic female voice.
Day 4
I went to the ATM machine today and found out daddy
banked in RM500 into my account. I remembered smiling as a tear rolled down my
cheek.
-
Driving through the neighbourhood is like driving
through a ghost town. There was not a single car on the road as I drove to the
grocery shop. Thank goodness it was only less than 5 minutes away. As soon as I
reached my destination, I saw nothing at the car park; literally nothing. I
parked at the nearest parking possible to the entrance and walked into the
shop.
-
My shoes echoed throughout the whole place and I
realised I was alone. I saw things all over the floor and it took me a moment
to realize people have been here, ransacking whatever they can get hold off. I
pushed a trolley and slowly made my way to each aisle, deciding what to take
and what to not take.
-
I unloaded 5 trolleys worth of groceries into my car
without paying a single cent. Who was there to pay anyways? Not only I took
food such as vegetables, meat and so on but I took toiletries as well; shampoos,
conditioners, toothpastes, toothbrushes and many more.
-
It took me quite a while to unload everything into
the house. By the time I was done, it was already evening and I happily cooked
myself a nice meal that contained rice, fish and egg.
-
The phone rang.
-
“Hello?”
“Kim?”
“Daddy?”
“It seems daddy has to stay here a little longer,”
“Why?”
“The storm has not lightened up,”
“Oh. Daddy, I went grocery shopping today,” I said
happily.
“Good girl!”
“I’ve got a lot of things and restocked our fridge.
I even got a lot of sodas for you; to celebrate your
homecoming!”
“That’s my girl!”
“Daddy,”
“Hmm?”
“Will you be home tonight?” I whispered.
I heard a sighed.
“It might take a while, darling,”
“Daddy, I miss you,” my voice cracked.
“Daddy misses you too,”
“I’ve started to write a diary,”
“What a way to spend your time,”
“Well, it’s one way to let time pass,”
“Kim,”
“Yes, daddy?”
“Daddy loves you, okay?”
“I love you too, daddy,”
“I promise to be home,”
“And I promise to be home when you’ve arrived home,”
I smiled through my tears.
“Pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise. Daddy, promise me you won’t
disappear like mummy and jie jie,”
“Daddy promise if you promise to keep the house
clean by the time I’m home,”
“I promise,”
“Good girl,” I heard a thunder rumbling in the
background. “Daddy has to go now, okay?”
“What? Why?”
“The storm is awful and I can’t hear you clearly,”
“Daddy?”
“I- see… ou… ater, sweetie,”
“Daddy! Don’t go!”
“…ove you,”
“Daddy?”
No answer.
“Daddy?”
Silence.
“Daddy? Please answer me,”
A steady beat was heard.
“Daddy… I love you. Please come home.”
Day 5
I swept and mopped the floor, wiped the windows and
dust every corner of the room. Daddy will be
pleased.
-
I showered.
-
I ate.
-
I read a story book.
-
I waited.
Day 10
Still no sign of daddy but I kept doing my house
chores. I learnt how to use the washing machine and hung my clothes. I tried
very hard to push the thought of my mummy and jie jie abandoning me.
-
I tried called daddy once more. It was in vain.
Day 20
So far, I’ve read almost 10 novels and tried calling
daddy again; been doing that for days now and still no one picked up. I tried
calling mummy, too, but no one picked up as well. It’s time to clean the house.
Day 30
The electricity is gone. However, there’s still
water running in which I’m really grateful. I have to save the gas though. I
must cut down on my meals and only eat for lunch. There is still a lot of canned
food in the pantry but I was worried about the gas. I went to do grocery
shopping again. This time, I got candles and matches as well as torch lights
and batteries. I need them for the night. My sleeping time is at 6 in the
evening now since it’s still bright outside and it will be a hassle to walk
around in the dark. I have to hand wash my clothes now, to conserve the water.
Everything is getting tough but I will not stop writing in my diary.
Day 49
Sleeping in mummy and daddy’s room has been a
temporary paradise for me every night. I am able to smell their scent and it
makes me feel as though they are with me. Daily routine was done was again. The
floor has been swept and the shelves have been dusted.
Day 58
No one picked up the phone once again. I’ve been
using my hand phone to call daddy since the electricity has gone out. Thank
goodness the air is cool. I don’t know how I would have survived without the
cold night air.
Day 65
My phone ran out of battery and there is no way of
charging it. Then again, the reception has gone down these few days. But I
would not leave the house since I’ve promised daddy I would be home when he
comes home. No matter how long it takes. I’ll be here to welcome daddy with
open arms.
Day 100
I’m trying very hard to conserve the water. Thank
goodness for water tanks being installed in the house! I’ve cut down from showering
everyday to once every 2 days. I need the water so daddy is able to shower once
he got home.
If
he gets home.
Day 101
I didn’t know what possessed me into writing that.
Daddy will come home. He promised me,
right?
Day 289
I need a sign. Any sign. I’ve been sitting in my
room the whole day while looking out at the empty road. Hoping to see a car,
any car!
Day 400
I’m alone. I’m scared. Where are you, daddy? I miss
you.
Day 500
You’ve promised me. I’ve kept my end of the bargain
and you’re nowhere to be seen.
Day 630
I haven’t been eating these few days. I need to keep
those foods to prepare a wonderful feast when daddy comes home. I can’t wait to
see daddy’s face. I’ll give him a nice, warm hug when he comes home.
Day 678
I’m so hungry. I’m so thirsty. I’m so alone. Where
are you, daddy?
Day 690
I stink from not showering. My strength has begun to
fail me and I could no longer keep the house clean. I’m sorry, daddy, for not
being able to keep the house clean when you come home. I tried. There’s food
for you in the fridge but I think it’s rotten now since the fridge is not
working anymore.
Day 700
Daddy, this may be my last entry.
Remember this, daddy, I love you and I hope you
forgive me for not being able to welcome you home properly. I still wait the
day you come home and give me back my securities. I do not have the strength to
write any more.
I love you…
Author's note:
I've written this down when I was having a nightmare. I've never lost anyone as dear to me as my family members before and to experience this was excruciating. I understood what it felt like to have someone close to you to be gone; disappeared to be exact. By having this dream, it opened my eyes and it showed me that I should value my family members more, appreciate the things they've done.
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