Air Hero

Heaven

“Alright, let’s get out there and do my best today!”

Max already prepared for his second day of work as a hero. He put on his light blue-greenish costume and get out of his room.

As he told Kalina yesterday, he will do whatever he wants. Whether it will be considered a mission by the United Heroes association would be another thing. But, he will still record all of his activity and hands them to the association later.

Clearly, he is somehow noticeable today as the people that he helped yesterday greet him. There are also people that saw him yesterday, and the group of children still points their finger at him, but he didn’t pay them any mind and smiled at them instead.

Arriving at the park where he met with Kalina yesterday, Max is looking around for people that might need his help. He won’t abruptly ask anyone, but he will examine whether they looked like they are in trouble or not.

The park, as usual, is bustling with activity, but soon Max notices something out of place. A small girl is sitting by herself on the swing while looking down.

“Okay, I’ve found one person that needed my help.”

Max approached the girl, and the girl noticed him when he stands in front of her.

“Big brother, you dressed weirdly. Are you a hero?”

“That’s right. My name is Air Hero, and I am the friendly neighbor hero that will help you with anything.”

“Big brother Air, your name is very easy to remember. My name is Thea. You say that you will help me with anything?”

“Yeah. Is something wrong? Did you lose your pet? Or, someone bullied you?”

“No. The thing is, Thea’s Papa hasn’t come back home for so long. Mama said he has gone to a far away land called heaven. Can you bring me to heaven to look for Papa?”

Never in his wildest dream, Max imagines that a small girl like Thea will ask him something like this. Looking at her, she must be around at Max’s age when he first lost his parent. She should be approximately five to six years old and much more innocent than Max back in the days.

Max is now thinking about how to explain things to her without making the situation awkward. Her mother decided not to tell her the truth for a purpose, so he doesn’t want to overstep his boundary and cheer her up in his own way.

“Thea, heaven is a place so far away. I am afraid that I couldn’t bring you there. However, I am sure that your Papa must be feeling happy there, so you shouldn’t worry too much about him.”

“But it isn’t fair for Papa to be happy alone. I know that Mama feels sad without Papa as she cried alone in the night. I also miss Papa, and I don’t think I am happy right now. So how can Papa be happy without us?”

“Thea, do you remember when your Papa is happy?”

“Mhm. Papa is happy when he is smiling.”

“Then, do you know what makes your Papa smile?”

“Papa smiles when I tickle him. Also, when I give him a hug and a kiss.”

“Although your Papa in heaven is feeling happy right now, I believe he will be happier to receive your hug and kiss and being tickled by you. Even if Right now he couldn’t come back. If your Papa comes back, he must be sad seeing you like this. Do you want your Papa to feel sad?”

“No! If Papa comes back and feels sad, then wouldn’t he leave me again to heaven?”

Max’s brain almost burned due to working hard from thinking of a reasonable explanation for Thea. Seeing her, it was as if he sees himself back then. He becomes a closed person because of what he experienced, and right now, after feeling Kalina’s affection, he always hoped that he knows her sooner.

Maybe, he won’t be feeling too sad and even tried to suicide back then. But, he was looking at Thea. What if she one day tried to follow her father to heaven once she understands the meaning of it?

“Then, you should smile and be happy too. Even if your father is far away, you should still smile for him. That way, when he sees you, he will be happy and decided not to go back to heaven and stay with you.”

“Is that right, big brother Air? You aren’t lying to me, right?”

“Of course! That way, when he comes back, he will remember that seeing your smile is even happier than staying in heaven and decided to stay with you forever. Do you understand? It would be best if you weren’t angry at your Papa for being happy in heaven. If he comes back and seeing you sulking like this, imagine what will he say?”

“Oh, I know! He will be angry like that one time where I accidentally pour water on his laptop. He will turn into a demon with a horn and say, ‘Thea! Bad girl! I will not stay with you; I am going back to heaven!’ He will say that for sure.”

“Then, if he comes back and seeing you smile, do you know what he will say?”

“Mhm! Thea! My angel, my princess. Look how beautiful your smile is. I have decided that I won’t go back to heaven and stay here with you. I realize that seeing your smile makes me happier than being in heaven.”

“Good girl. So, don’t look down again, okay? Look up to the sky and see, isn’t the weather great today? The sun is shining brightly, and the sky is clear. Look, isn’t it making you want to smile right now?”

“Mhm. You’re correct, big brother Air. I have decided that I will now smile every day so when Papa comes back and see my smile, he will decide not to go to heaven anymore.”

While Max is talking with Thea, a woman seemed to be frantically moving around the park, looking left and right as if searching for something.

“Thea! Thea! Where are you?”

The woman saw Max and Thea and immediately runs over to them and hugged Thea.

“Thea! How can you go out of the house alone? Are you okay? I know that you are angry and sad because your Papa couldn’t come home yesterday for your birthday but don’t do this, okay?”

“Okay, Mama. I promise that I won’t be angry again. Look, aren’t I smiling right now? Do you remember, Papa used to say that I look the prettiest when I smile? Because of that, I will be smiling every day, so when Papa sees me, he will choose to stay with me rather than going back to heaven.”

Thea’s Mama is surprised to hear that from her daughter’s mouth. She even looked bewildered, and it immediately replaced the panic face from earlier. She then realized that Max is sitting beside Thea, and Max immediately nods and smiled at her.

Looking at his gesture, Thea’s Mama realized that it was thanks to Max that Thea has cheered up and has a different mindset.

“Oh, Mama. This is big brother Air. He is the one that is telling me that if I smile, Papa will choose to stay with me. So, you should be smiling like me too. Don’t cry at night anymore. If he sees me smile but decided to leave because you are crying, it is not good. So, we both should be smiling so Papa will come back.”