A YOUNG GIRL'S BIRTHDAY PLAN

How about a little sad story on Christmas Day? Well, enjoy.

On a small town, there lived a young girl who dreams of anything, of everything. In her mind, little things are magical, even those muddy pebbles on their lawn, and those dry leaves falling when autumn breeze whispers something had been magnificient to her. Her name is Lily, an eight-year old little kid who offers warm smiles to every townsmen each morning she passes by their humble abode. A little girl who greets you good day the moment you came across her. A little girl who offers help, ready to give you hug when you feel sad, a happy little girl who cheers you when you're upset.
One rainy day, Lily stayed in her room watching how each rain drops on their window pain. She started counting them "One, two, three..." again and again until Lily got confused of how many times the rain had fallen. When she gets tired of sitting, she went close to the drawer and pulled two things from there. A pen and a paper. "I'm going to plan for my birthday!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
Her birthday is in two days and she's really excited about it. She can't even sleep thinking about the things she can do. "I can climb on a tree or bathe under the rain! Or...or...ask Dad to visit me here" she paused thinking how impossible her last idea was but decided to will the thought out of her head.
Lily's mother is unknown to her. Her father left her for his new family when she was still five. She is only living with her Nanny who takes good care of her but still, the image of being with her father and a mother would be a great birthday present.
"Lily's Birthday Plan"
She scribbled in a very eight-years old penmanship but enough to be read. One, she thought. Then she remembered her favorite movie where the main character wrote a letter and put it inside a bottle then threw it unto the ocean. Perfect, she imagined herself throwing a bottle which made Lily feel great.
Second, Lily think of something again. "I want to see a falling star!" she gasped and dreamily look outside. "Oh, oh, I want to make a wish, too...if only Nanny would let me."
Lily stared at her writing and paused for a moment. "Should I really finish this? And if I do, would my birthday wish come true? If yes, I hope it is yes."
She held the pen with determination again and wrote down the third plan. "A balloon tied with a letter rising up to that blue sky."
When she finished writing down her plans, she lay down on her bed with nothing but the paper and her birthday plan.

The next day came and it passed so easily. Until the sun had gone down and shines so brightly on the day of her birthday. "Good morninnnng everyone!" she greeted her Nanny who was already seated together with her two children for breakfast. "Happy birthday, Lily. We have presents for you. Come and join us here." She happily obliged and eat.
After a while, she asked permission from her Nanny to go buy a baloon. On her way to the store, Lily had frozen in place when she saw a familiar face. Too familiar. It was a man handing his daughter a baloon he bought for her. And for the first time, Lily became jealous.
For the man is no other than her father. Amidst the crowd, she still recognize that one man.
"Hi." she says to him. The moment her father's eyes landed on her entirety, he was full of rage. Lily is as clueless as a nobody. She opens her mouth to say something to her father but his hands closed turning into fists. It clenched and unclenched.
"Hi Dad. Today is my birthday and I was hoping that..."
But he turns to leave her not wanting to listen to Lily's words. "Dad...I love you." She whispers upon seeing her father leave with his daughter. But Lily's heart was not ready to give up, not yet, she ran as fast as she could and grab her father's T-shirt to stop him. Her eyes pleading for him to take a glimpse of her. But the more she try, the more he pushes her away.
"Leave us alone! Go away, Lily. Go away and never go back!" with those final words, he gripped Lily's wrist forcefully and pushed her like a beggar in the middle of the street. With her father's words that stabbed her heart,with her father's force, she let go. Just then, a speeding truck approaches. Lily doesn't have the strength to stand up. The little girl was abandoned and deserted by her own father.
The truck driver was not able to stop because everything just happened in a couple of seconds. A couple of seconds to regret.
"The child! Oh god save the child!" An old woman screamed from the top of her lungs.
Lily had been hit unintentionally but hardly. The paper she had been holding was thrown away. "Ohh poor child. I don't think she could still make it alive." Somebody remarked. Lily's father stood watch, he couldn't believe his daughter was hit because of him. Everything seems really impossible. The ambulance hurriedly brought Lily to the hospital and his father was there, too. While he was waiting outside the emergency room, a townsman approached him handing him the paper. His forehead creased. Why would a stranger give him a piece of paper? As if the question was very apparent on his face, the stranger said.
"Read it." He was left without another choice.
He slowly open the folded paper. To his surprise he saw what he needed to see. It was Lily's paper.

LILY'S BIRTHDAY PLAN
1. Lily is going to write a message for her mother whom she hasn't met.
Lily is going to put it into a bottle and throw it to the ocean and hopes for the best.
2. Lily is watching the night sky tonight and search for a falling star! She will make a wish for a happy life. It's going to be exciting!
3. Lily is writing a letter for God. She is going to tie the letter to the baloon and let it make its way to the Lord.
4. Lily hopes to see her father. She's going to ask him why he left her. She's going to ask him what her mother looks like. And finally, she's going to tell him she still loves him.
5. Lily is going to thank Nanny for everything.
6. Lily is going to be with her father. She is going to hear his voice call her name.

Lily's father looks up the ceiling as he wipe his tears away. This time, he is going to be a responsible father.