Little Princess

Before I felt the tiny hand on my face, I had woken up to the sound of small feet slapping against the ground. Through the dream that still clung to my eyes I saw a small girl, face riddled with worry, clutching a teddy bear against her tiny chest. Her hair of morning sun was a tangled mess, and the eyes of late summer green looked at me. “Da, I had a nightmare.”, said my girl and with that she was climbing over me in to the bed, teddy bear held tightly in one hand. Like a missing piece of a puzzle she fit perfectly right next to me, and I just had to look at my precious little miracle.

“Do you want to talk about it?”, I asked the tiny princess and with a stern gaze she met mine. “Don’t laugh okay?”, and all I could do was to shake my head, for had I opened my mouth it would have been to break that promise.

“It was a snake, Da. I dreamt that a snake followed me all around hissing at me and trying to eat me.”

Furrowing my brows, I managed to fake a look of worry, “Was it a big snake?”.

 “Gigantic, Da! It was as big as our house, with enormous teeth and a long, long tail. The dream ended when it eventually did eat me.”, I felt a shiver going through that small tiny frame. Fear, I told myself. My little girl was afraid of a gigantic snake, and she had come to me for help.

“But you need not to worry about that my love”.

“Why not Da?”, utter bewilderment spread across that tiny face as if she could not comprehend why she would not need to feel fear.

“Well, you are my daughter, so I can imagine that you’re brave, right?”

“I sometimes stand up to bullies.”, she said, and worry consumed me, but I recognized this not to be the moment to talk about these bullies.

“Well that settles it then!”, I exclaimed and closed my eyes with a smile. A few second silent stood between us. The with the tiniest nudge she said gingerly, “Da I don’t understand…”.

I sat up an inch straighter and looked down at my daughter, her eyes of deep green filled with anticipation. “Well, you’re brave so you obviously belong to Gryffindor and thus fill the requirements needed to summon the sword of Gryffindor and slay the giant serpent.”

Her face brightened immediately, and the most beautiful smile spread across her lips, “Of course, Da! That’s how I can get rid of the snake!”

“Just like Neville did, remember? Neville is the Hero we deserve.”

“But Da, Weasley is our King.”

I cracked up at once on that remark and squeezed her tight, “Clever girl, aren’t you!”

I felt her relax at once and soon enough she had closed her eyes. I thought she had fallen asleep but a minute later another question arose, and she turned her eyes towards me again, “Da, if you could turn into an animal, any animal or creature, what would it be?”

“I would be a wolf. Like a big, strong grey wolf. I would be able to protect you and take care of you.”, I explained. Then I turned my gaze meet my daughters and asked her the same question. She just beamed at my closed her eyes, “I’d be an unicorn. I would be beautiful and amazing and have magic.”

I looked down at her and kissed her forehead, “You already are, and you already have.”

She closed her eyes, and I closed mine. I almost drifted away to sound of her breathing, but before she fell asleep she muttered her final words for the night, “I recon we should have pancakes for breakfast, Da.”