Tragic Trick of Fate

The next morning, Amelia woke to a quiet house, the sun barely creeping through the curtains. It was a Saturday, and the weight of another empty day seemed to press down on her chest. She had always found solace in solitude, but today, the silence felt too oppressive. Her mind was still heavy with memories of her mother, the photograph she had tucked away on the nightstand, and the darkness that had swallowed her life since her passing.

A thought crossed her mind—a fleeting moment of rebellion against the monotony. Why not escape for a while? Her heart skipped at the idea. She grabbed her jacket and decided to go to the amusement park—the one she and her mother had visited countless times. It seemed like a strange idea now, visiting such a lively place on her own, but something pulled her there, a desire to feel something different, something that wasn’t tied to loss.

The park was bustling with people as she walked through the entrance. Laughter, screams of joy, the vibrant colors of the rides—all of it felt like a world apart from the one she had been living in. Amelia made her way past the carousel, where the music played on a loop, and the Ferris wheel, its towering presence a stark contrast to the smallness she felt inside. She could hear the faint hum of the roller coaster, but none of it brought her the joy she had once known here.

Her thoughts drifted to her mother. How many times had she held my hand here, laughing as we rode the bumper cars? The memory made her heart ache. How had it all gone so wrong?

The pang of longing was so intense that she nearly didn’t notice the man standing near the cotton candy stall, his figure leaning against a railing. Ethan.

She had never seen him before, but there was something familiar about the way he carried himself—confident, yet not arrogant. His dark hair was tousled, and his eyes were soft yet intense, as if he knew a secret he wasn’t ready to share. He was looking at her, though it didn’t seem like he was staring. It was more like he was studying her, as if he could sense her loneliness.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice calm but laced with curiosity.

Amelia blinked, startled out of her thoughts. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said quickly, though she wasn’t sure if she believed it herself.

He studied her for a moment, as if weighing her answer. Then, with a small smile, he gestured to the roller coaster. “You seem like you could use a distraction. Want to join me for a ride?”

Amelia hesitated, but something about his offer felt genuine. “Sure,” she said, the word slipping out before she could think twice.

Ethan led her to the car, where they climbed in together. The roller coaster’s first climb was steep and slow, each creak of the track echoing in her ears as the height seemed to stretch on forever. The moment they reached the top and began to plummet, the world blurred around them—the wind rushing through her hair, the screams of people ahead and behind her, the sensation of weightlessness.

As the ride slowed to a stop, her heart was still racing, but it wasn’t from fear anymore. It was something else—something lighter. For a brief moment, the shadows that had been suffocating her life seemed to lift, and she remembered what it felt like to be alive.

Ethan glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. “Not bad for a first-timer, huh?”

Amelia laughed, the sound unfamiliar yet freeing. “Not bad at all.”

He offered her a grin. “I’ll take you anywhere, if you want. The park’s got some more rides, but the night’s still young.”

Without really thinking, Amelia nodded. “Sure. Let’s go.”

They spent the next few hours riding everything in sight. She laughed, screamed, and even dared to close her eyes on the spinning teacups, just to feel the rush of dizziness. The evening passed in a blur of colors and lights, but as the park began to empty out, she realized the time had flown by.

“I should get going,” she said, glancing at her phone. “It’s getting late.”

Ethan nodded. “I’ll give you a ride back. Don’t want you walking home alone in the dark.”

She hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “Okay, thanks.”

The car ride was peaceful, the hum of the engine and the quiet of the night the only sounds. Amelia felt herself slipping into a comfortable silence, but as they neared her street, something caught her attention.

There was a strange stillness in the air, an odd absence of sound. As they turned the corner, she could see her house in the distance, but something was wrong. The streetlights flickered, casting eerie shadows on the pavement. And then, just as they neared, she saw him—her father.

He was standing at the end of the driveway, his figure bathed in the dim light. His face was obscured, but there was no mistaking it. Amelia's breath caught in her throat.

“Dad?” she whispered, leaning forward in the seat.

But as they approached, he vanished, as though swallowed by the shadows.

“Did you see that?” Amelia turned to Ethan, her voice tight.

Ethan glanced over, but there was nothing. The street was empty.

“Maybe you were just seeing things,” Ethan said softly, though he didn’t sound convinced.

Amelia’s heart raced as they drove past, the silence stretching between them. But as they rounded the next corner, something caught her eye—people. A small crowd gathered, their faces obscured by the darkness. Amelia felt a chill run through her.

Her heart pounded as she recognized a figure in the crowd—a man she knew, though she couldn't place him at first. And then it hit her. Her father.

The crowd stood around him, but he was lying motionless on the ground. Amelia's throat went dry. No... It couldn't be. She couldn’t breathe. She wanted to scream, to shout, but no sound escaped her.

Ethan stopped the car, his hand gently resting on her shoulder. “Amelia, you need to calm down. Let’s get you home.”

She shook her head, her vision blurring as the world around her seemed to tilt. But she couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop staring at the crowd. And then, as if on cue, her father’s lifeless body disappeared, leaving nothing but the haunting shadows of the night.

Ethan didn’t say another word. He drove her back to her house in silence, his presence a small comfort against the chaos in her mind.

When they arrived at her house, Amelia’s hands trembled as she reached for the door. “Thank you for everything,” she murmured, barely meeting his eyes.

Ethan nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll figure this out.”

The words felt hollow, but there was no denying the unspoken understanding between them. As she watched him drive away, Amelia felt like she had just stepped into a new world—a world where nothing made sense, and everything was falling apart.

That evening, she sat alone in her room, her mind a swirl of confusion and grief. How could this be happening? How could her father be... gone?

The next morning, she found herself at a coffee shop, sitting across from Ethan. The weight of the previous night hung heavily in the air, but neither of them spoke about it. They had both paid their respects at the cemetery earlier that day, and the silence between them now felt different—more solemn.

“I don’t know what happened last night,” Amelia said softly, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. “But I know I saw my father.”

Ethan met her gaze. “I believe you. I’m here for you.”

And for the first time in a long while, Amelia didn’t feel so alone.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***