Chapter 6: The Letter
As the hallway slowly emptied...
The classmate helped the girl collect the rest of her belongings.
One envelope remained.
Crushed beneath a textbook.
He picked it up.
"It's addressed to you."
The girl immediately looked frightened.
She carefully opened it.
Inside...
A handwritten letter.
From her father.
Written before his final deployment.
Her hands trembled.
She quietly read the first line.
If you're reading this...
It means I couldn't keep my promise to come home.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
The classmate remained silent.
She continued reading.
There will be days when people judge you for what you've lost.
Don't let them forget...
What you survived.
A photograph slipped from the envelope.
The classmate picked it up.
His eyes widened.
Standing beside her father...
Was the school principal.
Much younger.
Both wearing military uniforms.
The girl looked at the photograph.
Then toward the principal's office.
She whispered only one sentence.
May you like
"He promised my dad..."
"...that he'd always protect me."
