Chapter 13
Later, Bennett saw Stella once more.
He begged the system to let him see how Stella was doing.
The system agreed, but on one condition: Bennett’s soul would disappear completely.
Bennett agreed.
So he truly got to see Stella in the new world.
She wore her hair in two braids, dressed in overalls, eating vanilla ice cream. The moment she saw him, she cried out in delight: “Daddy!”
Stella ran toward him.
Bennett’s eyes filled with tears as he opened his arms wide. He had never been this excited before. He was finally going to hug
his daughter.
But the next second, Stella passed right through his body.
She ran to the man behind him, throwing herself into his arms.
The man laughed as he lifted Stella high into the air. He was a tall, sturdy man wearing a chef’s uniform, his face covered in
grease and sweat. But Stella didn’t mind at all. Instead, she giggled and scooped a bit of cream from her ice cream with her finger, drawing a mustache on the man’s face: “Daddy, you look
like a cat now!”
The man chuckled good–naturedly, lifting Stella above his head: “Let’s go home. Stella, what do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
Bennett followed them home in a daze.
It was a tiny house tucked deep in an alley. The kitchen didn’t even have a range hood, so the air was thick with cooking smells.
But there was Stella, perched on a little stool doing her homework, laughing with such joy. In all of Bennett’s previous life, he had never seen such an expression on her face.
Then the man said: “Stella, I have some good news for you. I got promoted to head chef. My salary went up by fifteen hundred dollars.
“Next week is vacation time. How about I take you to
Disneyland?”
Stella cheered with excitement.
The man continued: “That’s not the only surprise. Look what
this is!”
Bennett watched as the man pulled out a gift like a magician, proudly holding it up in front of Stella.
It was a doll wearing a pink dress.
Stella was thrilled, clutching the pink–dressed doll as she rushed into the bedroom.
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Bennett froze.
The cabinet was filled with countless dolls—some in red
dresses, some in white dresses, and others in leather pants and sunglasses.
“So she doesn’t just like pink. I never truly understood her at all.” This was Bennett’s final thought.
The next second, a gust of wind blew through. His soul vanished in the suddenly cold north wind.
*****
Stella felt like someone was watching her from behind.
She turned around and found the room empty.
Stella thought: “That person must have left by now.”
She shook her head, patiently combed the pink–dressed doll’s hair, then placed it among the other dolls.
In her future life, she would receive many, many more gifts.
The End.
