I was on edge all day, but he made no move. In the evening, we went to a resort and had dinner there, which was an all-you-can-eat style. I became cautious to avoid poisoning, only eating food I had taken myself and from my own plate. Even when my mother and sister offered me food, I pushed it towards my father. I only went to the drink station to refill and immediately drank it, not even daring to leave the cup on the table.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3lleY8dZE
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpppAXHkhHl
After dinner, I planned to stay quietly at the resort, but my father suggested we go see a light show. As I was trying to think of an excuse, my mother and sister had already pulled me out of the restaurant. I clutched my owl recording doll tightly and held onto my mother’s hand. The light show had a large crowd, but we managed to enjoy the whole performance.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQHnsQoyY6
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNG587UAntW
To my dismay, the venue was by the sea. Oh no!! The sea! My father must know I can’t swim—I'm like a sitting duck!189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUci3Y3omN
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRC7C0Bw7s
I quickly moved back to my mother’s side, but she was following my sister at a distance, leaving me alone with my father! This was bad!
I felt a chill as if my father was getting closer and closer. Was he planning to push me into the sea?! My heart pounded, and I wondered what to do.
An idea suddenly came to me: My sister had previously charmed my father on the train, and his expression had softened. Maybe I could do the same to win him over! If I failed, I would die in the sea.
No! I had to succeed; I had to take a chance!189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EnpX5PuJC
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANZgAsQDrj
I gathered my courage, turned to face my father, and smiled, "This trip has been so much fun! I’ve had more time with you. You’re never home, and it makes me a little lonely. Does this owl look like you? When I see it, I think of you." I held the owl high for him to see and secretly turned on the recorder. Even if he wanted to push me into the sea, if I recorded my struggle, it would prove it wasn’t an accident but a murder!189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvfmGQnia7
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJxDiCHRuR
I continued, "I miss you every day, but now I’m happy you’re here." Although I said this, my mind wondered why I had to die?! Did he think I was useless to him? Did he no longer love me? Why did he want to kill me? I wanted to scream at him, to tell him I wanted to live!
But I held back my tears and the urge to shout, giving him the brightest, happiest smile I could manage, "I’ve always wanted to tell you that you’re the best dad in the world. I love you!"189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCUlIzPDo5
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrl1RMD2kVo
After I finished speaking, the recording doll repeated my words, saying I missed him and loved him. He looked a bit shocked and touched. His eyes misted over with tears. Did I manage to change his mind? Did he give up? Did he regret planning to kill me? My mind raced with these possibilities.
At the same time, I saw my mother bringing my sister back and suggesting we should return to the resort to rest. I nodded, and my father, just like the day before, gently patted my back, saying we should go back. It seemed to have worked! I felt a huge relief, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder if he really needed to kill me.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZjJslDkvy
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bnUf9P9H3
To be continued…189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86TLrlBmaS
