Welcome, dear reader!

Kay Parker’s back with another one, and boy, is this a fiery tale our crazy writer has unleashed!! This is one you will definitely be thrilled by, without a shadow of a doubt!! A thrilling, memorable tale. No need to waste too much time talking, let’s get into it!

Kennard Murson’s plan was to exit at the crack of dawn. He’d already done his last father/husband duties the night before, so everyone was settled and prepared for his departure. He’d been as quiet as a mouse, skipping his morning shower, and getting dressed in the basement just to keep the noise from waking his light-sleeper wife.

So he was truly thrown off when he reached for the front door handle and felt a massive hug from behind. He was even more shocked when he felt two small arms around his neck. He immediately felt a wave of emotion that he knew he could not let out. Not this morning. Not on the day he was getting deployed to the frontlines of a war zone. Still, he turned around.

“All that work to keep from waking you two, yet here you are.”

His wife, Lily, rolled her eyes at him as she buried her face in his chest. “Please, who said I even slept? I wanted to let you do your thing and leave quietly, but then this one over here walked into our room and demanded to see you.”

Kenny turned his attention to his daughter, Mina. “You wanted to say bye-bye to daddy, little one?”

Mina, all of three, nodded her head with all the force in her. Then she looked at her mother and pointed to the floor. Like an elevator, her mom’s arms lowered her and landed her gently on her feet. Then Lily stood back and watched, knowing what was coming next.

Mina, straight-faced as could be, pointed to her father, then pointed at the ground, “Get, on your, lees.”

Both parents tried hard not to laugh as Ken got on his knees. He was still two feet taller than Mina, but that was no problem. Mina ran off for a second, and then came back, holding a magic wand in one hand and dragging her little stool across the floor with the other. She stood on the stool, and then her ceremony began.

She held the wand vertically in his face, and then asked, “Do you swear, to come back safewy?”

“Yes.”

Mina looked at him with the sternest eyes, and then he remembered himself. “I’m sorry, princess. Yes, I swear to come back safely.”

Mina approved. “Good. Do you swear to bring mommy pwenty fwowers and chocowates?”

“Yes, I swear to bring mommy plenty flowers and chocolates.”

“Good. Do you swear to bring me pwenty toys when you come back?”

“Yes, I swear to bring you plenty toys when I come back.”

“Good.”  She tapped each of his shoulders with the wand, then rested the tip on his forehead. “Mommy and I want pwenty hugs and kisses when you come back. Don’t forget.” Then she drew a cross on his head with her finger, kissed the cross, and guided Ken back onto his feet with the wand. She then went and grabbed Lily’s hand and brought Mina to her side, and they both puffed their chests out and did a salute.

He damn near cried there, but he held it together, and saluted back. Then he picked up his bag, and put on his backpack. “Never gets old, Mina. I’ll see you two in six months.”

He backed out of the house, catching a final glimpse of his two beloved girls saluting him before he closed the door.

*****

Kenny looked at his wife on the video call they were on while he was driving back to his post in an armored truck. “Two weeks more, baby. Two weeks more, and then I get to have your rugged arms all over me.”

“Oh I cannot wait, baby. You’re still taking two weeks off of work, aren’t you?”

“Three, baby. I would take four if I could, but three’s the limit.”

“We’ll give your boss enough reason to give you an extra week. The way you’ll be walking after three weeks of just us will make them order your to stay home.”

“Kenny, your daughter is right there!”

 “I don’t think she’ll mind what we do to each other as long as she gets a sister.”

“Sister!”

Mina’s outburst of approval had both Ken and Lily cracking up, especially since she had been distracted by her tablet the whole time. “I want sister!”

Lily had her head in her hands while Ken kept laughing.

“You heard the lady. She wants sister.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “You’re going to need muscle relaxants cos now I’m going to make you work for real.”

Kennard shrugged. “Better have enough for yourself as well cos you’ll need them more.”

“I’m the fitness trainer here, remember? Better bring your A-game.”

“You better bring your-“

Just then, Lily got super serious and turned her head towards something.

“Everything okay, Lily?”

Lily motioned to him to be quiet, then she walked away for a bit, checked the doors, and then came back. “I thought I heard a weird sound at the door, but its nothing.”

“Okay, but you looked a little too worried for it to be nothing.”

The sound of Mina’s loud tablet filled the void of silence that followed.

“Lily?”

“It’s nothing, really. I don’t want you worried while you’re fighting an actual war.”

“What happened, Lily?”

“Two men came here about a week ago. I don’t think they knew we were home because your brother had taken the car to the mechanic. I had just gone into the kitchen to get Mina a banana when I saw them in the yard. It was like they were looking for something cos they went around the house twice before they left. It was weird, but it may not have been anything. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to Chris to see about letting the police know.”

“There’s really no need, love. They probably just had the wrong house is all.”

“Fair, but I still think it should be reported.”

“I can’t actually tell the police who I saw because I don’t remember their faces. It’ll be too much of a hassle. Chris checks in every so often, so that’s enough for now. If any faces need rearranging, I’ll be sure to page you, my warrior king.”

Ken shook his head and smiled at the compliment. “You’re definitely taking six weeks off when I get back.”

*****

Mina giddily looked out the window, the anticipation making her bounce in glee as she held her favorite teddy bear. Her mom had told her that daddy was coming home today at three. Mina, knowing how to tell time, had been counting the minutes since it hit 2:50 on the clock, and that was eight minutes ago.

“Mommy, are you sure daddy’s coming home today?”

Lily shook her head as she put the finishing touches to the lunch she’d prepared for her lover. They did this every time. Mina would freak out thinking Ken wasn’t coming, and then he would, down to the minute. “Just keep looking, Mina. He’s coming.”

Mina ran to Lily. “Mommy, it’s one minute to three but I don’t see him coming.”

Lily held her child by the hand. “Mina, does daddy do what he promised?”

Mina nodded.

“So do we believe daddy when he promises he’ll be here at three?”

Mina nodded, clutching the teddy bear closer to her chest.

“Alright, now drink your juice and go to the window. He’s coming.”

Mina drank the entire sippy cup of apple juice, and then ran to the window. She almost immediately squealed with pure joy at the sight of the army-coloured van that pulled into the driveway. She ran to the door, her delight filling the room, and stood back.

Lila finished setting the dinner table, went over to the CD player, and hit play. She watched with a full heart as Kenny got ambushed on sight when he opened the door while the song “My Girl” played. Kenny lifted Mina up from his feet, and she went from squeezing his leg to damn near choking him as her little arms embraced his neck. If he was the crying kind, this would be the perfect place for waterworks. Instead, he walked over to Lily with Mina, and the three got into a group hug.

“You’re never leaving again, baby. This time was so hard.”

“I know, baby, I know. This is my last tour.” Kenny pulled back and took a look at his wife. She had her hand on her belly, which had grown a lot since he left. “You sneaky woman. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Cos you would’ve tried to quit and I couldn’t have you doing that.”

“There’s going to be four of us now?”

Lily put up five fingers.

“Oh my god, my boys are good!”

Lily rolled her eyes as Kenny put Mina in a chair, and then she laughed as he came to kiss her all over her face. “This is the best news to come home to. Too bad we can’t do anything with the three weeks you took off.”

As she remained in his embrace, she looked him dead in the eye and said, “Oh yes the hell we can, and you better believe we will! Mina’s going to your mother’s for a month. It’s just you and me, baby!”

Just then, Kenny felt a slight force push against him, and suddenly Lily fell on his shoulder, immobile. Before he could even react to that, he heard a loud thud as Mina suddenly fell unconscious. Kenny himself felt pain on his neck and at the site of the pain was a small needle. He felt numb and blacked out.

When Kenny came to, he saw his wife tied up in front of him and his little girl unconscious on the ground. He could feel everything, but he couldn’t move at all. There were three men in the house. Two of them were by Lily and the other one was looming over him.

“Hello Kennard. We were told that you had escape plans. Allow us to teach you to know better next time.”

Man, who’s inflicting evil upon this sweet-looking family? Hmmm. The real story will give us all we need to know. Let’s start!