Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, stinging Joseph's eyes. He forced them open, his first sight being Lisa by the window. She was still, peaceful in her slumber.
A pang of pain hit Joseph's heart. He extended his hand to hold Lisa's, gently caressing her forehead while fighting the urge to plant a kiss there. Suddenly, he felt frozen in place, his whole body trembling.
His mood shifted drastically, exploding into a mix of surprise and joy. Yes, it was a surprise. Just when he had given up hope, Lisa's eyelashes twitched ever so slightly.
That slight movement was enough to fill him with joy. He suddenly remembered what Jason had said. He rushed forward, pulling the curtains aside and looking out the window.
After the storm, the backyard was vibrant and verdant. The grass was so green it hurt the eyes. A few birds fluttered among the lush greenery. Amid the row of trees in the yard, a small sapling seemed to emerge from the earth. The tender sprout was like a new life, bringing joy and sentimentality.
"My God—" Joseph couldn't help but exclaim. The sapling had grown from where he'd buried the little wooden box. After a night of storms, it had stubbornly pushed through the soil, a new life born, standing with a determined vigour, as if announcing its existence to all.
Yes, the birth of the sapling. Did it signify Lisa's rebirth?
Joseph's heart throbbed as if it had been struck, spasms of joy overwhelming him. He turned and rushed back to Lisa's side, gripping her hand once more, and gently stroked her forehead as he whispered, "Wake up, my dear. Wake up, my precious girl..."
As he bent down to kiss Lisa's forehead once again, he felt Lisa's hand squeeze his. It felt as if something was gripping his hand, and he instantly turned his surprised gaze toward Lisa.
Their eyes locked for a moment. Lisa's eyes, as expressive as if they could talk, blinked at Joseph.
"Daddy—what happened to me? I remember going to Elizabeth's birthday party..." Lisa's voice seemed to pierce Joseph's heart, filling him with an indescribable joy.
"Yes, yes, my dear girl. You went to a birthday party... but it doesn't matter now. You're back, you've come back, and that's the best thing." Joseph suddenly embraced Lisa tightly, his body trembling uncontrollably, tears falling freely.
"Daddy… what's wrong with you?" Lisa sounded surprised and perplexed, furrowing her brows, "You're hurting me. Can you loosen your grip a bit? Don't squeeze so hard."
"Of course, of course, I'm just overjoyed. Are you hungry? I'll make you breakfast. You know, you've been asleep for a long time..." He stopped speaking abruptly, let go of Lisa, and got up. He nodded repeatedly at her, "I'm making your favorite blueberry cake..." He then prepared to leave.
"But… why do I feel so confused? I remember going to the party, then coming home… I think I might have forgotten something... Damn it, my head hurts. It feels like I've forgotten something. Why was I sleeping so heavily? Did I miss something? Or was I drunk last night?" Lisa sat up, shaking her head vigorously, staring at Joseph, "Don't tell me, I got drunk last night."
"Perhaps you did, getting drunk, not knowing what you've done. I was like that when I was young. But at least...now I rarely get drunk. That feeling...is not very pleasant..." Joseph diverted the topic, "So you have temporary amnesia, which is not surprising."
"Alright, you're right, I should get some rest. And... can I have that blueberry cake later? I'm a bit tired and want to sleep some more." Lisa furrowed her brows, shaking her head as if trying to shake out some unpleasant thoughts.
Joseph happily baked the cake and then headed to Lisa's room, only to see Lisa looking a bit pale. His heart clenched, the fear from Lisa's ordeal still fresh.
"What's wrong?" Joseph asked worriedly.
"I...I think I'm beginning to remember something. It seems like that bastard Briel gave me…God...that bastard…I'm going to kill him!" Lisa suddenly screamed out, leaping up from the bed, her eyes darting around. After a moment, her movements slowed.
"How...how did I get back?" Lisa slowly looked at Joseph, pursing her lips.
Joseph's face darkened, but he still nodded and said, "Yes, I picked you up. You were alone and unconscious in the grass of the woods. I didn't see that bastard Briel, just you. You were drunk..."
"No, I wasn't drunk. That bastard Briel tried to rape me and pushed me down on the grass. But I don't know why... was I violated?" Lisa's face turned pale, "I remember him pushing my head hard against the ground... I had difficulty breathing... I think that's when I lost consciousness."
"Let that bastard rot..." Joseph didn't know why Briel had disappeared, but he assured Lisa confidently, "You were not violated, not at all. You should be able to feel it, when it comes to such things... your body knows best. So...don't worry, that bastard didn't succeed. Perhaps...someone passing by scared him off."
"Alright, you're right, I should rest. Also… can I have the blueberry cake later? I feel a bit tired and want to sleep more." Lisa frowned, shaking her head as if trying to shake off something unpleasant from her mind.
Joseph cheerfully baked the cake and then went to Lisa's room, only to see Lisa looking a bit pale. His heart clenched, he had been terrified by Lisa's ordeal.
"What's wrong?" Joseph asked worriedly.
"I…I think I'm starting to remember something. It seems like that bastard Briel gave me… God… that bastard… I'm going to kill him!" Lisa suddenly screamed, springing from the bed and looking around her in panic before slowly calming down.
"How… how did I get back?" Lisa slowly looked at Joseph, her lips pursed.
Joseph's face darkened, but he nodded, "Yes, I picked you up. You were alone, unconscious on the grass in the woods. I didn't see that bastard Briel, just you. You were drunk…"
"No, I wasn't drunk. That bastard Briel tried to rape me, he had me pinned down on the grass. But I don't know why… was I violated?" Lisa's face turned pale, "I remember him pushing my head hard into the ground... I had trouble breathing… I think that's when I lost consciousness."
"Let the bastard rot…" Joseph wasn't sure why Briel had vanished, but he asserted confidently, "You were not violated, not at all. You should be able to feel it. When it comes to such things… your body knows best. So… don't worry, that bastard didn't succeed. Perhaps… someone passing by scared him off."
"Alright, you're right, I should rest. And… can I have the blueberry cake later? I feel a bit tired and want to sleep more." Lisa frowned, shaking her head as if trying to rid some unpleasant thoughts from her mind. Joseph happily baked the cake and then turned to Lisa's room, only to find that Lisa looked a bit off. His heart jumped, recalling the fright he'd gotten from Lisa's experiences.
"What's wrong?" Joseph asked, a note of worry tinging his voice.
"I...I think I'm remembering something. Something that scoundrel Briel gave me...Oh God...that bastard...I'm going to kill him!" Lisa suddenly let out a sharp scream, leaping up from the bed and looking all around before eventually calming down.
"H-how did I get back?" Lisa slowly glanced at Joseph, pursing her lips.
Joseph's face darkened a bit, but he nodded and said, "Yes, I came to get you. When I found you, you were unconscious on the grass in the forest. There was no one else around, not even that bastard Briel. You were drunk..."
"No, I wasn't drunk. That bastard Briel tried to assault me and pinned me to the ground. But I don't know...was I violated?" Lisa's face turned ghastly. "I remember him pressing my face into the ground...I couldn't breathe...I must've blacked out then."
"To hell with him..." Joseph didn't know why Briel disappeared, but he assured Lisa, "You weren't violated, not at all. You'd know...so, don't worry. Maybe someone came by and scared him off."
Gradually, Lisa's emotions stabilized, and she nodded, saying, "Maybe you're right, maybe I didn't lose anything. The one who lost might be that bastard. If I knew where he is, I'd kick his balls...damn bastard..."
"Aren't you going to call the police?" Joseph didn't want Briel to walk free after what he'd tried to do to his daughter. He wanted the police to put the bastard behind bars.
Lisa's expression turned awkward. She shrugged and shook her head, stating, "No, Dad, about this...I still have a headache. Can I think about it? I want to be alone for a while. Then I'll make my decision."
"Okay, it's your decision, I respect it!" Joseph nodded, got up to leave, and added, "The cake is ready. It's in the oven if you want it. I'm going to step out for a bit. You rest and think things over, whether that bastard should rot in hell..."
"Got it, Dad, goodbye!" Lisa nodded, watching Joseph leave the room. Once the door closed, she fell into deep thought, replaying the events. Everything was crystal clear, like scenes from a movie, yet she had no recollection of anything after she blacked out.
Indeed, what had become of that bastard Briel? Glancing over at her bedside table, Lisa noticed the digital clock. It was two days later than she recalled.
Had she been unconscious for two days? Dear God!
Somewhat in disbelief, Lisa wondered why she'd been unconscious for so long. She glanced out the window and saw Joseph in the backyard, staring at a sapling. The sight of the sapling sparked a sense of familiarity and touched her in a way she couldn't explain.
While she was deep in thought, Joseph stood up and left, driving away. Unaware that Lisa had seen him at the sapling before leaving, he was anxious to understand one thing - what had exactly happened?
He parked his car in front of a log cabin. Jason was sitting on the cabin's porch, smilingly watching Joseph approach. He pointed to a chair beside him and said, "Sit. I know you have many questions. But...I can only tell you that not everything can be traced back to its roots. You'll have to learn to live with a bit of confusion."
"But...I really want to understand." Joseph looked at Jason, "It seems like a miracle, like something only God could do... Are you sent by God?"
"God? No, I don't believe in God, but I don't stop others from believing either. Everyone has their own faith. I believe in the doctrines of China. But all paths lead to the same destination, there's no real difference. Everyone is part of nature, and by complying with it, we receive its gifts." Jason continued slowly, "My faith is in the Way of Nature, so I receive nature's generous gifts, including life."
Joseph remained silent, attentively listening to Jason's discourse.
"So the Dao I believe in can give rise to everything. In Taoism, there's a saying - From the Dao comes One, from One comes Two, from Two comes Three, and from Three comes everything else. It explains the origin of everything in the world. Everything comes from the Dao. This aligns with many philosophical texts, such as 'The Universe as a Holographic Self-Regulating System'. I find such books insightful."
Joseph nodded. He was interested in reading such a book. Philosophy wasn't his forte, but now he had a strong desire to understand why Jason believed the Dao could resurrect someone long dead.
Was nature truly that miraculous?
Joseph turned to gaze at the lush forest, feeling somewhat bewildered. Jason, however, calmly peered through the trees towards the distance.
On the other side of the forest, a slender figure stood on the roof balcony of a villa, also looking their way.