"Leo, what happened? Open the door let momma come in".
(She started knocking the gate aggressively. Suddenly, the door opened Leo was standing in front of the door. When Bella saw him, she hugged him tightly and kissed his cheeks).
"What happened Leo? What was that noise, huh? Are you hurt somewhere?" my wife said while weeping out of terror.
"Honey, take a deep breath and let him take one. Stop bombarding questions on him. He might get frightened".
(He took Leo in his grasp and took him to his bed. On the way to bed, he saw the shattered pieces of vase near that table of earlier. He put him on the bed and patted his head).
" Now tell me what happened? How did that vase that you cherished broke down into pieces, hmm?" I asked. "Daddy mommy, why are you both so worried. Have something happened?".
"Nothing, we just thought that an alien entered your room and broke your teeth off."
"Hahahahahahahaha… Mommy and Daddy are so silly," Leo laughed. His laughter eased my wife's tension, and she came to sit beside me.
"Then, tell me what happened?" my wife asked.
"I saw a very beautiful chameleon. Its scales were shiny—purple, blue, and yellow mixed together. It came through the window and sat beside me for a while. I thought it was friendly, so I rubbed its head. Everything was fine, but on its way back it dashed against the vase and spat on the shattered pieces. When I went toward it, it suddenly started making strange noises that scared me. That's why I shouted—not because of any alien."
"Oh, that's all? Thank God. Come here, let's sleep together tonight," my wife said, taking him in her arms.
They went to bed peacefully, but all the commotion of the day left me unable to sleep.
"How can all this happen at the same time—the letter in the morning, and now this chameleon? Something is happening that I'm unaware of. And Bella is hiding something. I need to find out before it's too late. But for now, I need to focus on that chameleon," I whispered to myself.
My son and wife were already drowned deep into the sleep sea and that sight made me dizzy too. So, I decided to walk on the path of my wife and son. I laid beside them and got lost in the world of dreams.
IN AIDEN`S DREAM: -
(In his dream, he was sitting beneath an apple tree, eating plums. He wore a white shirt under a black jacket, which had a phoenix-shaped brooch pinned to its right side. At that time, he was at the end of his teenage years, sitting near the tree close to a cliff.)
"It feels so pleasant here. God, what is taking him so long?" I said, enjoying the view and the weather. Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound. I turned around and saw the bushes moving. I went closer, unaware of the danger awaiting me.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Startled, I fell to the ground.
"Oh, it's you two. What do you want?" I asked.
"You brat! Aren't you the one who told Grandpa that I was sneaking away in the name of practice, huh?" one of them accused.
"Holy cow! How did he find out about that? Oh, my bad—I suddenly recalled, maybe it was my doing. And this is what I'll do to anyone who defies his orders," I replied arrogantly, folding my arms.
(Another one took out a pouch of powder, whispered a spell, and then blew it over Aiden.)
"Hey! What have you done? I can't think straight!" I shouted.
"Do you think we know nothing? Why don't you understand—the old man is not our grandpa. He only wants us to become his weapons to achieve his goals," the first one said.
"Just quit your nonsense and do what you came here for," I replied, struggling against the pull of unconsciousness.
"I told you he would never understand us or support us. Let's just clear this obstacle from our path," the other one said coldly.
Both of them lifted me onto their shoulders and moved toward the cliff, ready to throw me off.
But suddenly, a chameleon appeared on the shoulder of one of them and stuck its tongue onto his eye. "Ahhhhhh…" they shouted, dropping me to the ground.
We suddenly heard a chilling laugh: "Hahahahahaha… Does that hurt, you prick? Want some more? Hahaha…" Just hearing that voice made both of them shiver, and they ran away within seconds.
My savior stepped toward me and splashed something over me. I regained consciousness. "So, you are finally here. Thanks to you, I am saved."
"Yes, you're right—I always save you. But in return, what did you do, huh?" His voice grew shrill. He began to tremble with fury and shouted: "What did you do? What did you do? You took her away from me! You took her away from me! You took her away from me…"
His figure started to blur. "Now, I will no longer save you." He smiled at me—and vanished.
The dream ended: -
"Kevin!" I shouted with all my energy, but then I realized it was just a dream. Yet everything remained the same. I was neither able to stop him in reality nor in the dream, and in both real life and dream he always used to save me. But perhaps I never gave him enough value—that's why he chose to leave me behind, like his past. God knows where and how he is right now.
In the middle of all this, I realized that the morning seemed too silent to be true. No one even came when I shouted. There was definitely something fishy. I decided to leave my cozy bed and move downstairs, where the absolute silence felt as though a devil had stolen the tongues of my wife and son. Ever since my son's vacation began, the house has seemed like a battlefield—my wife the angel, facing my devil-king son. And this goes on from morning till afternoon.
Each step I took melted into the ticking of the clock. As I reached the door, I placed my hand on the knob, twisted it, and pulled it open. The door creaked as it swung wide. And the moment I stepped out of my room—
BOOM! "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY/HONEY!"
As I suspected, there was something fishy. So that's why Leo went to Noella's home yesterday—to prepare all the flowers, ribbons, and decorations. It had completely slipped my mind that today was my birthday. Otherwise, I would have prepared gifts for both of them.
Yes, I know it seems a bit strange, but that's how it is. In the past, I never bothered to celebrate my birthday. But after meeting both of them, I started to enjoy it. Without them, this day would have had nothing special about it. That's why, on my birthday, I either give them gifts or grant each of them one wish.
"Our gift," both of them said, extending their hands in front of me.
"Don't tell me you forgot about it," my wife and son teased.
"And if you did forget, then we're going to the fare—that's my wish," my son added, putting forth an offer I couldn't deny. So, I agreed.
We had a tasty breakfast and then went to get ready for our outing. As usual, I was ready in no time, but my son and wife were still busy adorning themselves. Half an hour later—
Both of them finally came out. When I saw my wife, I couldn't see anything else. I barely had time to notice that my son was about to leap on me.
She was wearing a light pink sleeveless frock, paired with the diamond pendant and earrings I had gifted her on our anniversary. Her hair was left open, fixed neatly behind with two thin braids woven from the strands above and below her ears. She completed the look with heels.
She came close to me, and the three of us walked together toward our car, which was parked just a few steps ahead. But as we approached, I noticed that somebody was already waiting for me there.