Sam Puckett;
The Woman Who Laughs
A laugh. A symbol of pleasure, of happiness...
Sam Puckett, a typical 17-year-old girl, walked down the sidewalk one Thursday morning. The city of Seattle, Washington was its usual, busy self: cars speeding down the roads, people going to and from work, and cell phones ringing.
The blond teenager turned a corner. Sam's mind was occupied with various problems, and worries about the future. When is that term paper due? Will this week's iCarly be good? Suddenly, the teenage girl smacked into a man wearing a brown coat, knocking him down.
"Oh, sorry," Sam said, leaving her trance.
The man stood up, and stared at Sam. "Have you laughed today?" asked the man, mysteriously.
"What?" replied Sam, confused and almost offended.
The man smiled, and walked away.
"Freak," Sam said under her breath, before resuming her walk.
At that moment, the girl remembered: five years ago, Daniel Puckett, Sam's only loving parent, passed away. The man died in his bed, after saying goodbye to Samantha and her sister, Melanie.
Tears began to fall from the teen's eyes. Daniel had been ill for some time, with what disease, Sam was never told. The midnight sky was black, and shrouded with clouds. The twin girls stood around their father as he muttered his last words. "I wanna tell you two..." the dying man gasped. "I love you. You've made me so proud. Goodbye..." Daniel closed his eyes, and the life faded from his body.
Melanie broke down crying, laying on her father's chest. Samantha put her hand over her eyes, and tried in vein to hold back her cries.
As her painful memory faded, and reality returned, Sam found herself leaning against the wall, covering her tears, just as she did when Daniel died, just like a scared child. People were staring, so Sam wiped her tears away, and walked away.
No one saw Sam's emotions. Her pain, happiness, fears, and secrets were never shared, so she was never vulnerable. Never like the frightened girl she used to be. Rage, sass, and being everyone else's rock covered her true self. Suddenly, a scream shattered all the other thoughts in Sam's head. It was a scream of fear, of pain: all composure was breaking down inside her head.
"Have you laughed today?" That voice echoed in Sam's mind. What did it mean?
The sky was clear, and the sun was shining over the town. Samantha and Melanie held their father's hands as the three of them ran through the park, all wearing smiles, and laughing at nothing.
"I love you, Daddy," said Samantha, her voice sweet.
"I love you too, pumpkin," replied Daniel, warmly. "I love you too, angel."
"Thanks, Daddy," replied Melanie. "You're the best daddy on earth."
Daniel smiled at his daughters.
I used to laugh back then, Sam thought to herself. "Daddy," she whispered.
"What?" asked a man, wearing a black suit and tie.
"Huh?" asked Sam. "Nothing." The blond continued walking, and the man pressed his cell phone against his ear again.
Sam continued walking, growing timid.
"Have you laughed today?"