Underneath the bed, there was a dusty wooden box, its hinges slightly rusted and the wood aged with time. My heart pounded furiously as I pulled it out, the silence of the room only accentuating the sound of my breathing and the thudding in my chest. With trembling hands, I opened the box and found an assortment of items that painted a different picture of my daughter’s life than the one I thought I knew.
Inside the box were small, intricately folded paper cranes, each one unique with its own pattern of colors and designs. They were marked with tiny handwritten notes on their wings. As I picked one up, I could see her delicate script, almost like a whisper from the past. Each note was a small diary entry, revealing her innermost thoughts, fears, and dreams.
One of the cranes read: “I wish mom could see the world through my eyes, even just for a day.” Another had written on it: “Dad seems distant, I wish he knew how much I love him despite everything.” I was overwhelmed with emotion, realizing these cranes were her secret way of communicating with herself, and now, with me.
