Once Upon a Time there lived a girl... No, No. Let's start again. Why? Because it is not just another fairy tale type of story. It is a story of lovers from across the universe.

Hence, I will start again. Ready!

Hi my name is Ryhan. I am a Chief Editor for a Magazine – famous for its "political view". Funny!! I live with my daughter Aadiya in the bustling city, full of scary people and a beautiful neighbor Jane. Correct, you guessed it right. It is Calironia. 

Today is my daughter's 6th birthday. Sorry totally forget to introduced you all with her. Meet my 6-year old daughter, Aadiya. She is crazy, loves pasta, practicing/trying every new things i.e., skating, dancing, learning piano. Is she good in any of these? I would say NO. Am I going to stop her? NO.

As I mentioned she is crazy, like her mother. Just like her she go crazy around any event, party or celebration. They start their preparation months ago. As Aadiya is turning BIG 6, that's what she calls it. She wants everything to be perfect.

She started her planning like 2 to 3 months ago. She checked all the boutique, try every outfit, from princess dresses to pirates dress. Walked to every bakery shop to taste cakes, and booked a small truffle cake with Vanilla buttercream. Jane has helped her for shoe shopping and picking restaurant.

For her shopping spree, I had to take 3 days off from my work. At end, it was worth it. Initially, she was confused between a theme party with her friends or a simple party with her family and her favorite girlfriend, Jane.

Guess what she decided, a theme party with her family. Now I am all dressed up as a Captain Jack Sparrow. You all are right, She is the QUEEN and we all are her peasants. And we have only duty to serve our queen.

Yes, I agree, I have spoiled her. This is why fathers are there for.

On this special day, I tried to leave office by 4'o clock in the evening. Nevertheless, one of our editor made a blunder, sent uncut version of an article for publishing. Great!! It took me two hours to set the mess.

As I stepped out my building, the heavens have opened up. Thank you Zeus! I am already late and now I am drenching rain. It is already 7 pm, this untimely weather change has made the scene more dramatic.

I skip my car drive and decided to catch subway. If I get lucky, I will catch 7:30 train. I rushed through the crowd and reached Berkeley city's south subway station. I checked my wrist watch, right on time.

Even in the prime hour, entire station is empty, only a few passengers are waiting for the train. I decided to ignore and get inside the coach. I am already late, there is no time to inspect this uncertainty.

As I stepped inside the coach, I find the same thing. It is not that crowded as it is supposed to. I again choose to ignore this and looked around for the seat. Not crowded yet no seat to sit.

Captain Jack Sparrow need some help here. Let me call her. I take out my phone, clinging to the pole, I dialed Jane.

*Ringing*

"Hello,"

*Static noise*

"Hello"

*Static noise*

I looked at my phone's screen. It is showing call is on. I cut the call and dialed, again ended up with static noise.

No problem, must be a connection issue. I should drop a message to Jane. If luck is on my side it will reach to her before me.

*Jane, I think I might get late. It is pouring rain. I picked train from south subway station. Please be with Aadya till I reach home. Thank you J*

I slipped my phone back into my pirate jacket pocket, my mind absorbed in thoughts of how to apologize to her. Lost in my contemplation, I felt an unsettling presence, as though someone was watching me, invading my private thoughts. I cast a quick glance around, but no one seemed to be paying me any attention.

However, one figure stood out amidst the crowd—an elderly woman. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about her that made me uneasy. It wasn't a simple matter of appearance; it was as if she carried an aura of isolation. I could almost imagine her living alone, her home left untended for months, and the mere thought sent a shiver down my spine.

In other circumstances, I might have felt sympathy for her, but not this time.

The train came to a stop at the next station, just three more stops to go, and I'd be home in about 30 minutes. I stood by a pole near the entrance, observing the passengers boarding the train. My jaw dropped when I spotted her—well, not entirely her, but her eyes. They were captivating, like a poet's ode to his lover's eyes:

"Eyes, God's favorite creation, filled with love for a lover, fire for foes, care for family, and warmth for her children. Your emerald eyes possess it all."

Her face was concealed by a face mask, and she was dressed in all Red, as though prepared for battle. Red, the color of revenge, blood, and powerful emotions and actions, adorned her. It was one of the deepest shades of red.

She was accompanied by two muscular men. As they walked beside her, their presence seemed to cast a shadow over me, making me feel small and insignificant. I couldn't help but wonder about their connection to her. Were they her protectors, her allies, or something more? Their expressions were unreadable.

I was so entranced by her that I momentarily forgot I had been staring. She politely asked me to move ahead; it wasn't that I was blocking her path, but rather my belongings were. I quickly apologized and shifted my bags to the right.

"Act like a gentleman, not a pervert. Compose yourself," I muttered under my breath, reminding myself to be courteous. After about ten minutes, the next stop arrived, and a seat near the gate became vacant. I settled into it, easing my tired muscles. At 35 years old, exhaustion came more easily these days.

A soft voice broke my reverie, and I looked up. It was her – the redhooded girl.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hi," I replied, my curiosity piqued.

"If you don't mind, could you please sit somewhere else?" she asked politely.

I was taken aback. Why on earth would I agree to that? She was already in her seat. What could possibly she wanted?

"Sorry, Ma'am," I replied, choosing my words carefully. "I would like to, but I'm feeling quite tired, and there aren't any other vacant seats available. I hope you don't mind sharing the space with me." I silently congratulated myself for asserting my position, recalling Antra's advice: "Stand up for yourself."

To my surprise, she nodded and switched seats with that old lady. Now, whether I wanted it or not, I was left with no choice but to sit beside 'the old lady'. The best part of all this chaos is that she is sitting in front of me. Now I can look at her without making a fool of myself.

Buzzz Buzz Buzz

I retrieved my phone; it was from my house. I answered it immediately.

"Hello, Aadya."

"Hi, no, it's Jane."

"Oh, thank god you're with her. Is she alright?"

"You wish. Better prepare yourself for one of the biggest dramas ever."

"Oh, do not worry. I'm pre—"

Suddenly, there was a jolt that threw us all to the floor. My phone slipped from my grasp and slid under the seat across from me. I stood up to retrieve it, but to my surprise, I found myself nose to nose with the old lady.

In the blink of an eye, my entire life turned upside down. Her wrinkled face wasn't that of an ordinary elderly person; it was more monstrous, staring directly into my soul as if she intended to steal it. In that fraction of a second, memories of my family raced through my mind. I swallowed my fear of dying without seeing my daughter.

In that moment, I accepted my fate. The old lady tightly gripped my shoulder and drew closer, a foul smell invading my senses. She whispered something, and with a forceful push, she threw me to the floor, then turned to confront the girl in the red hood.

A moment ago, I had no strength left for myself, but for her, I summoned the energy to jump and throw myself at the old lady. I couldn't let anything happen to her, it doesn't matter whether I know her or not.

Suddenly, all the chaos stopped, as if time had frozen. Only our eyes moved. I found myself suspended in the air, inches away from the old lady.

It was then that I saw the girl in the red hood draw her sword and behead the old lady. As soon as that happened, time resumed, and everyone else in the coach transformed into some kind of demon or monster. In the blink of an eye, our coach turned into a battleground. I found myself on the floor, collecting all my belongings, and I stood up to run to another coach.

Just as I was about to leave, someone grabbed my wrist. I turned to look, and it was her. She placed her index finger over her mask, signaling me to stay silent. She approached, coming within a breath's distance of me, and gestured for me to look into her eyes. Then, she lit a matchstick.

Suddenly, everything began to fade away, and that's when I blacked out.

#&#

"Papa," I heard Aadya's voice coming from the distance. I looked around, finding myself in the heart of a dense forest. The fog hung thickly in the air, obscuring my vision. The ground was hard, almost like cobblestone, an incongruity with the forest environment. A strange odor, like overcooked flesh, permeated the air—odd and unsettling.

"Papa," I heard her again, her voice echoing mysteriously through the trees. Why couldn't I see her? Her voice seemed to be coming from every direction, making it impossible to pinpoint her location. I called out to her.

"AADYA!" I shouted repeatedly, but she didn't respond. Panic began to well up inside me as I stood there in the eerie silence of this strange forest, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves. I couldn't fathom why she wasn't answering my desperate calls.

After a tense minute of fruitless searching, a suffocating silence enveloped me, intensifying my anxiety. I needed to find her. With determination, I gathered myself and dashed into the unknown depths of the forest, all the while continuing to call out, "AADYA!"

I cut through the bushes, receiving a painful scratch from one of them. As I ventured deeper into the forest, all I could see was darkness. I couldn't discern what lay even an inch ahead of me.

Suddenly, the sky opened up, and a torrential downpour engulfed me. Raindrops soaked me to the bone, but I didn't care. My sole focus was on finding my daughter.

And then I heard her again... "Papa! Wake up!" I was jolted awake by a sudden, urgent voice. I exhaled a sigh of relief as I realized it was all a dream. I glanced up, and there stood my little princess, holding a glass that had once been filled with water, her eyes now sparkling with mischief.

I scooped her up into my arms and exclaimed, "You, little monster!" We shared a moment of laughter, my worries from the dream world disappear.

"How are you, my little munchkin?" I asked her, giving her a gentle peck on her forehead.

"I'm good, Daddy," she replied, her small fingers playing with mine.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Daddy couldn't make it on time." I rest my chin on her head.

She looked up at me with her bright, understanding eyes and said, "Don't worry, Daddy. I know you were so sick that you slept for three whole days." She emphasized the number three by holding up three tiny fingers, then wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug.

I had been in a deep slumber for the past 3 days. It must have been the head injury from the train incident.

Our bonding was interrupted by Jane's arrival.

Jane came into our lives when We got married. Antra, my wife, had a knack for noticing when something was off with people, and she quickly realized that Jane was going through a tough time. Being the compassionate person she was, Antra took care of her and helped Jane overcome her depression.

"Now, you two, get up and come for dinner," Jane instructed us. It seemed like someone was in a feisty mood. I gently put down Aadya, telling her to go and settle at the dinner table. Daddy would be there in a minute.

"Jane, wait. I need to ask you something."

She folded her arms and began tapping her right foot on the ground. I knew I was in trouble.

"Firstly, I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

That seemed to defuse the tension a bit.

"Was I really sleeping for 3 days?"

I watched as her face relaxed, and she sat down in my work chair.

"Yes, you were."

I decided to ask her what exactly had happened. I couldn't remember how I had ended up here. The last thing I recalled was drifting off in the arms of that red-hooded girl and that strange dream. But before I shared my side of the story, I wanted to understand what had transpired on her end.

"If you don't mind, could you please take me through what exactly happened? I can't remember anything."

Jane glanced out of the window, as if gathering her thoughts, before turning back to me.

"When I called you, you mentioned you were on a train. Our call got cut off abruptly, and I had a bad feeling about it. I called Noah to check the train route, and he informed me that all trains had been canceled due to heavy rainfall."

I was baffled. How could that be possible?

"I couldn't understand why you had chosen to take the subway in the first place. This news worried me deeply. I asked Noah to go to your office to look for you, but he found no one there. He told me to stay calm, which I tried my best to do since I had Aadya to take care of. After about three hours when the rain finally stopped, Noah came home, and we immediately contacted the police. They began their search. Noah stayed with us the whole night, put Aadya and me to sleep. In my sleep, I could hear him talking to the police, updating them on your sudden return."

Her words left me in shock, and the same question echoed in my mind—how had I ended up in this situation? A tear trickled down her cheek as she continued.

"You were all drenched in water, there were no injury on your body other than an small scratch on your arms. We took you to the hospital, when you didn't wake up after four hours, and doctor said you had suffered a trauma. They kept you under observation for two days. Yesterday night you showed some progress, hence we decided to take you home with us. We consulted doctor and after checking your reports he approved our request. He said you will gain your conscious with 2 to 3 hours. "

As Jane spoke, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions—relief, guilt, and a lingering sense of disorientation. The events of the past few days were still a blur, and I needed to piece together the fragments of my memory to make sense of it all. But the question still remained—how had I ended up in such a bizarre situation?

I got up from the bed and sat down next to Jane. This time, I deeply apologized to her.

With tears in her eyes, she said, "After Antra, you were the only person who took care of me. You are not like my brother; you are a brother to me. I've already lost her. I don't want you to disappear into thin air. It's been three years already, and we still haven't found her. Please don't do this to me."

Her voice cracked with emotion as she hugged me tightly.

I understood the pain she was going through. Yes, my wife is missing from last 3 years. I refuse to use the past tense with her. I have faith in God, and I know she is still alive, waiting for me to find her and bring her back to her home, to her family.

I'm happy that Jane found home in my family.