The soft glow of the moonlight embraced the room & the casting shadows that danced upon the walls like flitting memories. The mother, with her heart heavy with grief, remained seated by her little daughter’s bed. The ticking of the antique clock echoed through the stillness, marking the passage of time like a relentless drumbeat. The room, once filled with the laughter of a complete family, now echoed with an eerie silence. The mother’s eyes, heavy with sorrow, met the innocent gaze of her daughter.

“Amma, where’s Appa?” the little girl asked, her eyes wide & her voice tinged with curiosity.

The mother took a deep breath, grappling with the weight of the words she was about to utter.

“My sweetie , Appa has embarked on a journey to a place far away,” she began, her voice a fragile whisper.

The child’s brow furrowed, sensing the gravity in her mother’s tone. “A journey? But why didn’t he take me with him?”

Tears flushed in the mother’s eyes as she cradled her daughter’s face in her trembling hands. “Oh, my love, it’s a journey that none of us can go on with him. Appa has left us. He’s gone to a place where we can’t follow.”

The room became a vacuum, absorbing the innocence that lingered in the air.

The little girl’s eyes widened, absorbing the manifestation. “Gone? But… but I want him to come back. I miss him.”

The mother’s heart shattered into a million pieces, the shards cutting through the fragile facade she tried to maintain. She gathered her daughter in a tender embrace, holding back the torrent of tears threatening to spill.

“I know, my precious. I miss him too,” she whispered, her voice was trembling. “Sometimes, people have to leave, and even though we can’t see them anymore, their love stays with us. Appa will always be in our hearts.”

As the night wore on, the mother and daughter clung to each other, finding solace in the shared sorrow that bound them together.

In the hushed corners of the room, where whispers of dreams lingered, the child drifted into the realm of dreams cradled by the warmth of a mother’s love and the silent echoes of a father’s final chapter.