Shadows engulfed the room and colours faded. Night had come and peace had arrived. Only the moonlight spilling through the windows and the small nightlight near the door provided relief and protection from the monsters under the bed.
Snug beneath the covers and leaning against the headboard of the king-sized bed, So YiJeong sat comfortably, surrounded closely by his children, his two sons to his right on the same king-sized bed as him and his only daughter to his left on the super-single that had been pushed flushed to the larger bed. He made sure that they were all lying comfortably, heads resting on their plump pillows and he pulled their covers all the way up to their cheeks and tucked them under their chins keeping them in the most soothing embrace quilts could offer, just how they liked it; just how he liked it.
Naturally, his children gravitated towards him, their little toes brushing against his larger ones under the blankets. Reaching out, he ruffled his eldest son's hair then let his hand slack around his sons' shoulder as his youngest son hugged his right leg. He wrapped his other arm around his daughter's shoulder too and pulled her close. In the quiet night, four persons snuggled close together – SeungWon, HyungWoo, their father and HanYoung. If he could capture the moment forever, So YiJeong would.
"Appa, tell us a story," someone chirped.
"What kind of story?" YiJeong replied.
"I don't know… anything," the same person replied.
"Ooh! One with princesses!" someone with a younger, more high-pitched voice suggested.
"Ew! Princesses are disgusting! Girls have cooties!" a different person piped up.
"No we do not!" the girl retorted, indignant.
"Yes you do!"
Once again, like so many other times, the cherished tranquillity was about to break and YiJeong could feel his two younger children rile up. On either sides of him, they began to sit up and the father went into damage control, pushing them both under the covers once more and rubbing their backs.
"No HyungWoo, girls do not have cooties, darling. HanYoung, I know you like princesses but today's story won't have any, ok?"
"Aw."
"Then Appa, will you tell about fire-breathing dragons and swords and zombies with guts spilling out of their mouths?"
"EW!"
"No SeungWon, and no more horror movies before bed any more. I don't want you knocking on my door because you've peed yourself from nightmares again."
"It was that one time!"
"No. Okay, so today's story will be about when your Appa, me, was younger. Someone had stolen my fish."
"No!" all three children chorused.
"Yes. They stole it!
When I was younger, my Mommy and Daddy fought a lot. I was scared and didn't speak much, so they brought me to this pretty doctor who gave me a fish."
Fear seemed to have my heart in a death-grip. My senses were heightened and my muscles were tensed all the time. I would jerk with so much as a poke to the arm and it was as if I was ready to flee any moment.
I could not speak, would not speak. I could not understand why the adults were always fighting and shouting but they were very scary when they were doing that. When they fought, I would always hide under the tables and Hyung would hug me tight and cover my ears as we cried. If he was not there, then I would crouch alone under the same desk with my teddy, my tiny hands to my ears, sobbing quietly, afraid to make a single sound lest Appa heard me and dragged me out to scold for 'not being a man'.
My favourite time was when I was in school, surrounded by JunPyo, JiHoo and WooBin, where we could play with robots and adults did not scream. Also, JunPyo would always bring nice, new toys that he would share with me, though in the end I was always closest to WooBin hyung. JiHoo hyung was always asleep and girls would always crowd around him and touch his face while he did that. All the time, I wished that I never had to go home where Eomma would cry and make me sad or Appa would return and scare me and where a new strange face would always greet me. The ever-changing nannies would follow me all around the place.
I always wished that I could just live with JunPyo or JiHoo Hyung or WooBin Hyung.
Then one day, I returned home from school to see Appa in the living room, shouting as usual. I hid behind the door and refused to enter the house, clutching the edge of the wooden door as I did so. New nanny came behind me and covered my ears and turned me away but before she did, I saw Appa throw a vase towards the arm chairs and heard Eomma shriek. It was a blood curdling scream and felt my blood go cold. I froze, eyes wide and then I heard nothing. Then I saw Appa turn to stare at me. I felt a weird new feeling, like water running down my back when I saw those eyes. I was terrified. New nanny took me out for ice cream which I never touched.
From then on, I did not speak. I could not speak.
JunPyo would try to speak to me but I would not answer and then he would punch me in the head and stalk off and WooBin would punch him back. Then they would fight as JiHoo hyung sat by my side, wordless.
New Nanny got scared. Our teachers got scared. Surprisingly, Eomma got scared too and one day, Nanny brought me to a funny looking place that smelt funny.
She took me to a room and there, I saw a pretty lady, like JunPyo's Eomma and she smiled at me.
She talked to me but I didn't pay attention. I was looking down at my toes. I didn't like adults. They were scary.
She made me draw. So I drew. I drew Eomma. She was small and she was holding her legs. I coloured her hands. I coloured her legs. Pretty lady said I drew her head small.
Then she let me play with teddy as she spoke with Nanny. I don't know what she said. She said big words.
We were ready to leave and pretty lady gave me a surprise. I was a goldfish. It was the shiniest, fattest fish I had ever seen. It was as big as my hand!
"When I had the fish, I was so proud! It was my first pet and pretty doctor said that I had to feed the fish once every day and clean the bowl every two weeks. I stared at the fish in wonder. I liked the fish, you know."
"Appa, like Popeye downstairs?"
"Yes, like Popeye. I liked my fish like how you like your hamster.
Every day, I would sit with the fish and stare at it. It looked so pretty swimming around in its bowl. I would silently talk to it, like ET, I would send it messages through my brain and the fish would reply 'pee pep pee peep pep'. And my nanny would help me feed it every day. I liked the way the fish would rise up to the top and eat the food. It was so pretty."
Pip-pip became my new best friend, besides WooBin and JiHoo and the head-puncher. I could tell Pip-pip anything. I could tell it all my secrets. I could tell it that I liked it more than Teddy. When I returned home from school, I raced to see Pip-pip. I didn't see Eomma anymore. When the adults fought, I would take Pip-pip and hide it under the desk and reassure it. I would imagine us out at sea and I could not hear them anymore. Pip-pip was my best friend. Pip-pip was my life-saver.
"Then one day, JunPyo Ahjusshi wanted to see the fish, so I said 'okay' and brought it out into the lawn, but when I turned to get its food and when I returned, the fish was gone!"
"Appa! No!"
"I was so shocked. Someone had stolen my fish! And I looked around and I saw JunPyo Ahjusshi, so I thought he had the fish. I searched him but it was nowhere to be found! My fish had gone missing! JunPyo Ahjusshi, my nanny and I searched everywhere. I searched under the bushes and behind the trees but the fish was gone!"
"Appa! How can the fish be under the tree? It needs water to survive!"
"I was young, SeungWon! I didn't know.
My fish was gone. I cried. I cried so badly that day that nanny could not stop me. Even JunPyo Ahjusshi's shiny new toy didn't interest me. So nanny bought me another fish. It was a bit smaller and was still shiny but this one had a black spot near its eye. It was not my original fish but that was okay. So, I made a new friend. Then JunPyo Ahjusshi wanted to see the new fish again. So I brought it out into the lawn again. And then it went missing again!"
"JunPyo Ahjusshi stole the fish!"
"Yeah! I thought that too! And I hit him. I was wrong. Don't ever hit anyone my darlings. So that day, we both cried and nanny got me another fish. This time, I was determined to find the thief who stole all my fish.
I brought the fish out into the lawn and I called JunPyo Ahjusshi over. To protect my fish, I wrapped a plastic bag over it. Then I hid behind the bushes. I waited and waited. I held my breath. I was going to catch the fish-thief!"
I clenched my little fists, eyes trained on the fishbowl in the middle of the lawn as the sunlight sparkled in the water. I pouted. I waited.
Then I saw a pair of stubby short legs walk towards the fish. I wrinkled my nose. Here he is, the fish-stealer! I saw a fat finger poke the top of the plastic and those same hands proceeded to remove the plastic that I had so carefully wrapped around the bowl to protect my fish. I saw JunPyo tilt his head and there was an evil smile on his face.
I jumped out of my hiding spot! I pointed at him!
"You!" I screamed out loud, the first word that I had uttered in a long, long time.
JunPyo stared at me wide eyed, guilty and he leapt back in shock.
Then, suddenly, a flash of blue swooped down from nowhere and dipped into my fishbowl! I gaped, as I watched it zoom into the trees with my fish!
"Fish stealer!" I screamed, running after the thief.
"I ran towards the trees, screaming for my fish!"
"Appa! The fish-thief can fly!"
"Yes kiddo, it flew. The thief that stole all my fish was a Kingfisher. I watched in horror as it gulped my new fish right in front of me. From then on, I never brought my fish into the lawn ever again. I would always leave it in my room. Whenever I went out of my house, I would search for the fish-thief and glare at it. The kingfisher stole my fish!"
"Humph! I am never brining Popeye out into the lawn ever again! The kingfisher might eat Popeye!" the girl harrumphed, clutching her father's leg and rubbing her cheek against it.
"Yup, so that's the mystery of the missing fish. Go to sleep hon. It's late," YiJeong whispered and kissed the foreheads of his three children and tucked them under the covers again.
The door quietly opened and as yellow light spilled in, a slim figure slipped into the room.
"Eomma!" their youngest child called, arms reaching out for the newcomer.
As YiJeong crawled out of bed, GaEul climbed onto it.
"Yes baby? Go to sleep, hon," she whispered and kissed her youngest on the forehead and patted his cheek. She turned to her left and gently curled her fingers as her eldest son clutched her hand. Similarly, she pecked his forehead and patted his belly. She then crossed over to her daughter and repeated their daily ritual.
"Go to sleep kids," GaEul softly called as she climbed off the bed and wrapped an arm around her husband's waist as he did.
"Goodnight Eomma, Appa," they chorused.
"Goodnight, sweet dreams," GaEul and YiJeong called out as GaEul turned the door-lever on their way out.
"Love you," they reminded as YiJeong go the door-lever.
"Love you."
And the door closed as tired little souls drifted off to sleep, dreaming of fish.