It was two weeks before the departure of Neha’s father. The civil insurgency that happened in the village ended in the reactionaries’ victory, and though many buildings were destroyed, the civilians were safe. Reconstruction came quick—thanks to the effort of the Holy Army, the people were able to settle down and forget about the bloodshed. It was from the assurance of the new Lama, Yebuka, that the village transitioned into a period of peace. With Ozughen and his forces gone, nothing terrible had arisen so far during the beginning of Yebuka’s reign. All was well.

Under Yesun’s suggestion, the family traveled to the grasslands with a large lunch box and a blanket. Once Aijin set the blanket over the grass, the three of them sat down and commenced their picnic. Today was the perfect occasion to get together; the spring breeze caressed the earth, and the sun was merciful enough to give a warm sunshine. The field laid open to a billion flowers, blossoming under the sky and letting its petals dance. Neha, with her belly growling, opened up the box and found much to her amazement, a bunch of sandwiches, a bowl of rice, and assorted candies. She never expected her mother to make so much food.

“Come on Neha, eat up,” Aijin said. “I don’t want us to come home with an empty stomach!”

“Okay mom.” Neha grabbed a sandwich, which had tomatoes, lettuce, and a slice of ham. She bit a little, and found the flavor to be immense. The girl shivered. “W-wow, this is so good!”

“Really?!” At once, Aijin hugged her daughter tightly. “Thank you, I have prepared this for about a week! My arms were aching, but it finally paid off! You can eat all of it Neha, if you want!”

Neha and Aijin giggled, not having a care in the world. They continued to eat the sandwiches, while at the same time they were enjoying the scenery. To the side, Yesun, in silence, observed the petals from the flowers before him falling to the ground, supposedly contemplating about something. Seeing him like this wrenched the daughter’s heart. Neha didn’t know what he was thinking, for most of the time he had been quiet since he returned to the village from the conflict. From the day that he came back to their home, it seemed her father had experienced a terrible event. The only thing she knew was his heroic action—according to Aijin, the father had rescued a captive from a cave and granted her freedom. It was something admirable, but as far as she heard it, the High Order was scrutinizing the deed in great details due to his prolonged absence from the war. She hoped things would turn out well for her father.

Neha stopped eating, and she patted her father’s shoulders.

“Daddy, are you going to eat? Mom won’t like it if you don’t join in.”

Yesun turned around, his eyes were dainty. He gritted his teeth, almost biting his tongue.

“Neha, want to hear a joke?”

“Joke?”

“It will be a funny one, don’t you worry.” There occurred a slight smile on his face, but it faded.

Yesun gazed at the flowers again, his expression remained unchanged. Hearing what he said, Aijin approached her husband and crossed her arms. She puffed her cheeks.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to pull off the old cat and dog skit again!” Aijin shouted. “Mind you, you were telling a lot of jokes in your sleep last night, and I thought to myself that you should be a stand-up comedian! If you can make yourself laugh, then you can make everybody laugh!”

“I-I’ve never recalled such a night,” Yesun replied. “It must have been somebody else.”

“Hmph. Well? What are you waiting for, my dear? Humor us.”

“All right.” Yesun stood up, his knees creaked. He brushed the pollen off his pants, and looking both at his wife and daughter, he prepared himself for what might be either the best or the worst one-liner. Neha clenched her fists, ready to contain her laughter.

“Okay. Here I go... why don’t skeletons ever go partying?”

Neha shrugged. “I don’t know, why?”

“...Because they have no body to go with. Nobody, no body, get it?”

Silence brewed again. Yesun must have thought that his words fell through deaf ears. He winced, about to run off in embarrassment. But in an instant, Neha burst into giggles and fell to the blanket. Tears formed, and she could barely breathe. She rolled around the area, while her mother, who took long to comprehend it, looked irritated. She went up to her husband and lightly slapped his arms.

“Oh my god Yesun, that is the corniest joke ever. Don’t ever mention it anymore, or else I’ll have to get a skeleton for you!”

“What does that mean?” Yesun asked, baffled. Aijin returned to sitting down, so did the husband. After two minutes of amusement, Neha controlled herself and raised her body, only for Yesun to pat her head.

“This is the third time you have laughed in my humor, Neha.”

“Because it’s too funny! I like the joke dad, I hope you can do more.”

“I see. I’m happy to hear that.”

“Daddy... you are the best.”

“Hey hey, your mom is also the best, don’t forget that. Together, we are your number one.”

“Your dad is right,” Aijin remarked. “Without him, I would be one-and-a-half! I am glad though, sweetie, that you were able to laugh again. You haven’t done so in a long time, ever since the conclusion of the war. Oh, don’t mind me, I’m just blabbering.”

“It’s okay,” the daughter replied. “It actually felt relieving.”

Neha’s eyes were gleaming. Just the look of her face got Yesun in an intense blush. A father who was like this was precious and admirable; to greet him every time he came home from work, to hear her parents singing lullabies, those were the occasions that came to the little girl as moments she could never forget. Holding them dear to her heart was something that kept her looking forward to the future, not just for herself, but for her parents also.

As soon as Yesun’s blush went away, his belly rumbled. Aijin stiffened her lips, and gave her husband the rice and the candies. The family lingered in this picnic the whole day, they talked about how Neha was doing at school, about the restoration of buildings down the northern district, and more topics. The wind died down, and the flowers retained their petals. Such a day like this felt like an hour, yet they had a great time together, thus nothing came to waste.

At the end of the day, Neha fell asleep. Safe and sound she was, Yesun smiled. Aijin wrapped her in the blanket and cleaned up their spot. It was then the wife noticed her husband being silent again, she turned anxious to ask him a question—and she was reluctant to learn why the High Order would investigate him. To the mother and daughter, he was a man of a strong heart and a will to help people, never was there a time where he would back down from his duty. His efforts in various charity projects during reconstruction showed it all that he was valiant, that he cared for the ones in pain. So of course, the government should have praised him and gave him awards. Even Neha thought the same way, for she looked up to her father as a good role model.

But it was too confusing in trying to understand the intentions of the High Order. What did they consider Yesun’s action in liberating the captive to be? What would happen to him? Answers failed to form from here. Only in a matter of time would the daughter discover his fate.

As the sun made way for the moon, the family packed up and took themselves back to the village. On his arms, Yesun carried his daughter. He gazed at her, that peaceful expression from the girl made him blush again. But in this moment did he lower his head—tears streamed down his cheeks.

“This day, I should remember this for as long as I live. More so, this day should have lasted forever.”