It was raining cats and dogs that night and other than a single car driving on the highway, the road was nearly empty.
The reflection of the traffic light on the puddle of rainwater also danced as the wheels sped past it.
Heavy snowfall was reported to strike the city again that night. But there were still some cars making a last-minute drive in hope of arriving at their destination before the roads could even get blocked by the snow.
Meanwhile, a middle-aged man was smiling from ear to ear behind the steering wheel while he was busy driving his family back home.
Five-year-old Syra, on the other hand, was seated at the back seat. She was on her own and her attention was solely focused on the sketchbook that she had on hand.
"What are you drawing, sweetie?"
Her mom asked as she peaked at her daughter's artwork. However, Syra pulled it away from the reach of her mom's sight.
"I made a storybook about our family."
The child answered while sporting a cute pout on her chubby face.
"Is that so? A storybook???"
The mother asked back to humor her daughter. At the same time, she also tried to inject as much enthusiasm into the tone of her voice.
"Yup! It is a story about our family going on a trip."
Syra declared, all the while not taking her eyes away from her drawing. On the paper, a drawing of three stickmen could be seen.
One grown-up woman and one grown-up man, then a smaller child was standing in between them and all three of them were holding hand in hand together.
Her mom even made an exaggerated surprised expression when she heard about the story from Syra.
"Really? Then it must be about Mommy, Daddy, and our baby Syra taking a trip together."
The father interjected this time and decided to join the small talk.
"No??! It's me, grandma, and grandpa only. You and mom are always busy, anyway."
Syra retorted and this answer saddened the couple. The two looked at each other and saw their emotion reflecting from each other's eyes.
"That is why you could not go on this trip."
Syra added afterward, then she glanced outside the window and watched as the snow descended from the sky one after another.
"Honey, we can certainly go right?"
The mother asked her husband, loud enough so that little Syra could hear her.
"Of course!"
The father replied in an affirmative manner, but Syra cut them off.
"You always break your promises."
The child sounded bitter when she said those words.
From the current looks of it, it seemed that it was not the first time that it happened and she would only be left with a disappointed heart, in the end, time after time.
"Baby, let us be a part of your book, pretty please???"
Syra heard her dad pleading at her using a cute voice so her lips could not help but quirked up a little.
The mother must have seen that a smile broke out from her daughter's face, so she also joined the cue.
"We will be there. Come on, seriously. I promise!"
The mother said with a hint of laughter in her voice. Then she even made it more convincing to the child by making a pinky swear with her.
"How about you?"
Syra asked her dad and the other party responded right away.
"Yes, ma'am! I'll be there too."
He said with a salute, then he added.
"Please, draw me in as well. Okay?
In the end, the little girl let out a deep sigh as though she was conflicted, but then she eventually relented to her parents' request.
"Alright! Then let me draw you two.
"YEHEEEEYY!!!!"
The two grownups cheered in delight when they heard Syra's answer.
The car was filled with laughter as the family of three drove past the empty street.
However, just when their car reached the crossroad, a big dump truck hit them at the side!
The two cars collided and the smaller one naturally rolled off the road.
Shards of broken glass littered the street and there was zero visibility in the area due to the thick smoke coming from the car's engine.
"Are they dead?"
"Yes, for sure..."
Syra heard two voices talking among themselves, yet she was too young at that time to even understand what they were up to.
"Please, help me. My head... It hurts."
She said as a tear fell from her eye. The poor child had no idea what just happened and all she knew was that her entire body was aching.
She tried to move from her seat but she realized that she could hardly move a muscle, let alone lift a finger.
Syra's head was fuzzy but she tried her best to look around her.
"Mommy??? Daddy!"
She mumbled in her weakened state, as she saw her mom and dad both dangling on their seat as well. Their seatbelts were still in place and that was what held them in position.
Then out of nowhere, a blinding light engulfed the street ahead of them, followed by a loud explosion.
Everything happened way too fast for little Syra to be able to wrap her mind over what was happening. The next thing she knew, she was already being carried out of their car.
Not long after she was evacuated out from their upside-down car, it also caught fire.
When Syra looked back at the car, she saw that her mom was still seated in the passenger's seat.
Her body was left there alone to burn!
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs. But her voice sounded hoarse and she was not exactly in the best shape either.
The little girl was too weak to even cry at that time.
When she tried to raise her head and catch a glimpse at the face of her savior she started feeling drowsy.
Syra tried hard to make out the features of the man who was carrying her in his arms, but the only thing that caught her eyes was the other party's necklace hanging on his neck before oblivion took over her.