Chapter 270: Chapter 270

’It’s so dark.’ She thought. Even with her eyes wide open, she could see nothing! Not even the outline of an object. She opened her eyes wider as if that would miraculously add more clarity to her vision. She could not even make out the limits of the space that she was in.

She blindly thumped her foot forward but, surprisingly, could not hear the sounds of her own feet.

’Bizarre!’ She thought.

Just then, something passed around her peripherals, and she turned around quickly, but there was nothing. Despite this, she knew that something was lurking in the shadows. It was all too surreal, like a realistic dream, but she knew it was not.

’How did I get here? Where am I?’ She asked herself while trying hard to remember anything.

With her heart beating so hard, Shelby thought that it would burst out of her chest. She placed her hand on her chest, trying to still it, to no avail.

She trudged forward, wherever that was. She had to move. ’I can’t stay in one place and await whatever!’

Shelby thought as she walked for what seemed like a long time with no end. Even when she reached her arms around, it did not touch anything on either side of her.

Her feet hurt from the long distance she had covered, and her eyes were uncomfortable from trying to peer out into the unknown. Suddenly, she stepped onto nothing as the floor seemed to give way out of underneath her.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed out loud, and then nothing. She waited for the hard earth that would meet her. Shelby had resigned herself to her fate.

’I guess this is the end!’ She thought.

Her last memories played over in her mind. She thought of all the beautiful memories she had shared with Ian and the kids, and a lone tear ran down her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" A kind, gentle voice asked in almost a whisper.

This caused Shelby to jerk back only to hit the sand.

’Wait! Sand? Where am I?’ Her eyes were tightly shut, but Shelby could not comprehend anything that was going on. One moment, she was falling, and another moment, she was lying somewhere.

It was not possible, no matter how much she thought of it, because she had never hit the ground. Another thing was that she felt light on her face, through her closed eye, as well as a cool breeze fanning her face.

Shelby gently opened her eyes. She closed it as quickly as she had opened it because of the sudden sharp light. Her eyes had adjusted to that darkness and were not used to that sudden light.

It took her a few moments before she fully opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was that large expanse of water that she loved! The sea!

"How?" She whispered as that familiar breeze washed around her whole body and she involuntarily relaxed. The beach did that to her all the time. She lay on a beach with the sand all over her.

Her hands automatically went to her eyes to clean the tears that she could feel running down her cheeks, but her hands were not like hers. They were small and chubby, like those of a child.

Shelby gasped. And turned to the person who had spoken earlier.

Another surprised gasp left her. She had not been sure that she would ever recognize this man, but there he was in all his endearing and natural glory... her father, Mr. Monroe.

"Yes, my princess, why are you crying?"

The tall man gathered Shelby into his arms and held her tightly.

Shelby was still very confused. She clearly remembered Ian and the kids, but there she was with her father, who had passed away a long time back.

She sagged against him, relishing in the warmth and his scent. How she missed that?! It was all but a faint memory, but he was there ... with her....?

"Why are you here, Dad? Didn’t you leave?"

The man let out a hearty laughter.

"I didn’t know my sweet Princess did not like my presence?"

Shelby shook her head against him and held onto him tighter as her tears continued to flow down. She hiccupped as she became overwhelmed with emotions. Shelby was not even worried that she appeared to be in a child’s body. She just wanted that moment with her dad to last forever.

"A-re you re-ally here, Dad?"

The man caressed Shelby and then pointed at her heart,

"Of course, I am and have always been with you!"

Shelby asked, "D-on’t l-eave me,"

Mr Moroe set Shelby back down and kissed her forehead lightly. The action was so heartfelt.

Shelby was still trying to understand what was happening because she recognized the beach she had played on in her childhood. This meant that she was somehow back on that island, but she did not remember any such conversation with her father from childhood. Her father had doted on her, so such a memory would have stayed with her for a long time.

"Does Mummy hate me?" Her voice came out like a child, small and almost helpless.

"Why would you say that, Princess? Your mother shows her love differently, but she loves you, alright?"

"What makes you say that, Princess."

"She just does not!" Shelby’s voice came out stronger.

’She tries her best, and I know that she has her own shortcomings. This is what makes me sad that I had to leave you behind. I am so sorry!’

Shelby pulled back because the voice was but a whisper, as if her dad had thought of it instead of saying it! She had not heard the reverberation of the sound from him, but how did she hear his thoughts? She was not sure.... She had only ever been able to do that with Ian but had never tried on anyone else.

He finally spoke, "I’m sorry, Princess. I try to love you enough for both of us. I know that it is not enough sometimes, but your mother loves you differently."

Shelby sighed, thinking, ’I take after Dad. How can he see only the best in Mum, even after all these? Or maybe he never saw that side of her?’ Then she shook her head internally, ’He just wants me to see the best in her.’ Shelby was so engrossed in her thoughts and then finally decided to ask the one question on her mind,

"W-hat happened to you, Dad? Why did you leave me?"

Shelby turned around for her dad, but he was nowhere to be found.

She jumped up and ran towards the shoreline, but it was as if he had just disappeared into thin air. Shelby saw her familiar play tools along the shoreline and ran towards them with her little feet, even though she could have sworn they were not there earlier.

She squatted by them and touched the small sandcastle, still intact.

She turned back, still trying to comprehend what had happened, but then, the touch of the water on her feet startled her. It had been so far off the shoreline, but how did it get there that fast?

Shelby jumped back only to realize that she was surrounded by water. Within a few seconds, the water had risen up to her little ankles, and it was as if she was rooted in place.

With such a small body, she could not do much for herself. She tried to run, but she could not. The water rushed at her as if a dam had been opened. Shelby opened both her mouth and eyes wide, as fear consumed her, and the water reached her chest in no time.

In a child’s body, she stood no chance against the natural elements. She screamed for her dad at the top of her voice and then finally spotted him swimming furiously towards her.

"Dadddyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!"

The more he swam, the further the tides drew Shelby off the shoreline.

She flailed her arms, coughing vigorously as the pull of the waves pushed her beneath the water’s surface. She swallowed a mouthful of water and came up for air, still coughing, but Shelby was just too small.

She was dunked again and, this time, stayed down.

Her eyes widened again when Shelby realized she could breathe under the water.

She gasped for valuable air as her coughing fit finally subsided. She wondered, "How?"

Then something else hit her. She was no longer surrounded by water.

Shelby was in some giant bubble inside the sea so the water would not overwhelm her.

She watched wide-eyed as her dad continued to swim towards her.

She touched the inside of the invisible bubble that separated the water from her, wanting her father to get to her soon.

However, as she watched, her father suddenly changed course and started swimming away from her instead.

She screamed out, trying to draw his attention, but Mr Monroe turned, smiled and whispered,

"Let me protect you, my Princess! Love you, and stay safe!"

He was far from her, but she heard his voice as if he had spoken directly into her ears.

Shelby watched as the waves took shape. It was a terrifying sight for a child to see. Weird hands entangled Mr. Monroe and dragged him under the waves. He was no match against whatever that was and did not struggle. He had resigned himself to his fate.

Shelby’s mouth dropped open as she fell on her bum. The bubble held her securely and did not burst.

She watched as time rolled by, and then her father stopped moving right before her eyes. His last words were, "You are safe; they cannot get to you. Go back to him! He will keep you safe."

Shelby could not understand what her father was instructing her to do.

Just then, the weird, water-like arms that had attacked her father turned to her. They were clear and one with the water, and it only took a discerning eye to notice that.

They hit the bubble several times, with Shelby screaming in the confines.

Nothing they did could break it. After several hours, the water receded, and whatever that was receded with it. All that was left was the child, Shelby.

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