I put the last of our shopping in the car and finally shut the hatch back. The Rav4 was filled to capacity. I could not get another ...

anything in there.

I opened the driver's door and plopped in the seat. Whisper was sitting in the passenger's seat, playing wit the scarf around her neck.

.

"So, little lady. Did you enjoy yourself?" I asked, as I did up my seatbelt.

.

"So much Daddy. It was wonderful. I never knew such things existed." She held out her scarf.

"Look at me. I feel so beautiful."

.

I had to smile.

"You are beautiful."

.

"I just love my new clothes, Daddy. How did you do that?"

.

I shook my head, really not knowing what I had done.

"I guess I just have to wish you more new clothes, and they appear."

.

"I don't know how you did this, Daddy, but this is great. Thank you so much. I love you."

She reached across and kissed my cheek.

.

My heart was just pounding. It felt so good to be loved.

"I love you too, Whisper."

.

Whisper giggled and glowed a little brighter.

.

"Are you blushing?" I asked her.

.

She folded her arms and stared straight ahead.

"No."

.

"I think you are."

.

She turned to me.

"Then you are mistaken, Daddy. I am just ..."

She looked around, as if searching for the proper words.

.

I started the vehicle.

"You were blushing," I snapped.

"Admit it."

I put the car in reverse and started out of the parking lot.

.

"Maybe," she huffed.

"But ... maybe not."

.

As we started off the parking lot, something came to me.

"I want to show you something."

.

I drove, through the city and up to a spot, called Crow Hill. It was a lookout that showed the whole city and the Bay of Islands which stretched 25 miles to the west and to the east where it merged with the Humber River.

.

Whisper jumped out of the car.

"Its amazing, Daddy. Look at all the water. Look at how big everything is."

.

"That is the Bay of Islands," I explained to her.

"It goes almost 25 miles that way and if you look over there, it is a part of a river that goes for a lot of miles to the east."

.

"It is so big. But not as big as the ocean where we live."

.

I shook my head.

"No, sweetie, but if we drove down there."

I pointed to the west.

"We would end up at the end of the bay and we would see the ocean.

And it is the same ocean."

.

"Wow," Whisper, exclaimed.

"Will you take me there one day?"

.

"Of course I will."

.

She walked to the edge of the rock outcrop and pointed.

"What's the big plant thing?"

.

"That's the pulp and paper mill."

.

"What do they make there?"

.

"They make paper that supplies newspapers all over the world."

.

She turned to me.

"Really?"

.

I nodded and pointed to a boat that was by the mill.

"See that boat?"

.

She nodded, excitedly.

.

"They are loading huge rolls of paper for Sweden. They will go across the Atlantic Ocean, to Sweden and then the paper will be used to print the newspapers, that people read."

.

"WOWWWWWWW."

She floated off the ground, in excitement.

"You mean people in another country will use that paper?"

.

I nodded.

"And they also ship paper all over Canada, the United States and even to Japan."

.

She was speechless for a moment.

"That is amazing, Daddy."

She stared for a moment, then looked across the city.

"What's that building over there?"

.

"That's the hospital. It is the regional hospital for all of the west coast of Newfoundland. If you got really sick, I would bring you there."

.

She laughed.

"I don't get sick Daddy, you know that. I am a Spirit and now I am your guardian angel."

.

I lit a cigarette and for the next hour or so I answered a barrage of questions from Whisper.

.

I still got a little nervous when she would levitate out over the cliff, which dropped some 200 feet to craggy rocks. She would simply giggle, float back to me, kiss me on the cheek and then float back out.

"You should join me Daddy."

.

"Ha, ha, funny girl." Then a thought hit me. Maybe I should play a trick on Whisper.

"Maybe I will join you." I pretended to step forward and the next second I was on my butt, on the ground. Whisper was standing in front of me.

.

"Sorry Daddy, but you can't fly."

The look of concern on her face was almost scary. I could not believe how quickly she had pushed me back from the edge.

She pointed a finger at me. "No more joking around, young man."

.

I had to laugh. She looked so serious. She began to laugh as well.

I got up and lit another cigarette.

.

"And you should stop smoking."

.

"I will," I said, as I puffed on the cigarette.

.

She folded her arms and stared at me.

.

"What?"

.

She just continued to stare and glare.

.

I dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed it under my foot.

"Okay."

.

She walked to me.

"I want you to be around for a long time, Daddy.

You don't need those things."

.

I took a deep breath and looked down at her.

I nodded.

"Okay."

I took the remainder of the cigarettes, crushed them and threw them over the cliff.

.

Whisper shrieked and floated up to me, hugging my neck.

"Thank you, Daddy."

She kissed my cheek, but then looked at me seriously.

"But you shouldn't litter either, Daddy."

.

I held her tight.

I was happy that we were alone at the lookout. I didn't have to explain my strange behaviour to anyone.

I walked to the edge of the cliff, sat and looked out over the city.

It was so beautiful.

.

Whisper appeared on my lap, leaning back against me.

"It is beautiful, Daddy."

.

We stayed there long enough to see the sun start to lower and then we drove home.