After having asked the two guards to put the boy in a room, Sophia quickly ran to her parents' room. And when she got there, she saw that there was something wrong, because she apparently didn't stop people coming and going out of that place.
"Father mother…"
Upon entering the room and seeing her father sitting on the edge of the bed, she as she cried and stroked her mother's hair, who was motionless on the bed. Slowly tears started to trickle down Sophia's face, and even though she didn't really want to get an answer, as she walked to the bed she asked "…Is Mom okay?…"
With his eyes red, Arthur looked at his daughter, and answered her question with a simple shake of his head. And seeing that gesture, she knelt down in front of her father and, as she gently held her mother's hand, she continually repeated the whispers "Mom… Mom… Mom…"
And even though he was suffering as much, or even more, than his daughter, Arthur placed his hand on top of Sophia's head, and began to caress her gently, while holding steady.
*********
Days later
Standing beside the bed, already starting to get impatient as he waited for some reaction from either of them, the old man was about to turn and leave, but just as he was about to do so, he saw a small movement in his niece's eyes. And moments after the old man saw that, he asked "Are you all right, miss?"
Then, a little after having heard the old man's words in the distance, the girl slowly opened her beautiful green eyes and confused said "Uncle… what's going on? …I wasn't supposed to be…"
A gleam of happiness can be seen in the old man's eyes as he wept after hearing his niece's voice and threw himself on top of her to give her a hug.
But without understanding why, the girl was about to push the old man away, while saying "Uncle, why are you…". However, when she felt her chest getting suddenly wet, she realized that the cause of it was tears. With a smile on her face, the girl returned the old man's hug.
…
Then, a few moments later, after the old man had climbed off the girl, she looked at him and asked "So uncle, why are you like this?"
And looking at himself up and down, not having understood what she meant, the old man whispered "Like this?…" but after thinking for a few seconds he said "Ah, so that's what you're talking about? …Actually I've been like this for a while, so I guess I got used to it."
"Serious? Being honest, I much prefer you the other way."
The old man smiled and said "So, since that's what you want…"
And after he said that, the old man pulled a string out of his clothes, and whispered a few words. Then, having done that, his appearance suddenly changed. And he practically turned into another person.
He turned into a middle-aged gentleman, apparently being close to 43 years old, his hair that was once gray, was now long and black. But the only thing that stayed the same was the color of his eyes, as even his height changed, and he got a little taller than before.
And after he finished his transformation, the girl looked at him and while smiling said "Yes, you really look better this way."