Chapter 27
HAROLD
I haven’t slept in three months, and I’ve never been happier in my life.
Our daughters, Bella and Trinity, are absolute miracles.
We cannot get enough of them. We cannot get enough of their smiles, or their chubby cheeks.
We change diapers. We sing songs, and we cherish our beautiful wife—who gave us a family.
Who filled our house with love.
I rush across the grass, heading for a bush on the other side of our village. It has Sweet Berries—fruit my wife says taste like cupcakes. She’s asked for a big bowl of them, and I live to serve her every need.
She’s amazing. She nurses the babies on demand, bathes them, soothes their tears. If she asked for the moon, I’d give that to her too.
I'd give her anything. She deserves everything.
Max, Arthur, Steven, and Clark leave the main hall, looking excited. I pause when they reach me.
“Something happening?”
Arthur grins. “We’re going monster-hunting!”
For some reason, my stomach tightens, knowing now that not all monsters are bad changes how I see the world.
“Who?” I ask.
Max leans in, as if sharing a secret. “Keto. She’s a mermaid, the mother of all sea monsters. She’s supposed to be very dangerous.”
“Well,” I search for the words. “Good luck.”
Steven laughs and puffs out his hard chest. “Believe me, we won’t need it.”
I go to get the berries, but look back at them as they soar to their home near the edge of our sanctuary, beside the biggest lake. I hope they come back safely.
But it must be my beautiful woman and my amazing daughters, because I also hope they fail in their mission.