I am going to tell you a story about a beautiful Princess who once loved her father with all her heart. A princess who sat in her high tower surrounded by a ghastly fire breathing dragon, awaiting the day when her night and shining armor would come to recue her from this trecherous peril...

Okay, so none of that is that whole, natural truth. But, I am going to tell you a story about one ordinary little girl and her father, step-mother, brother and sister. This little girl wasn't exactly imprisoned within the lonesome confimements of a high tower, but more of an attic room, where she would sit and wait for her father to come down and read her a bedtome story.

"Have I told you the one about Mr.Tibbles yet, Mel?" My father asked me as he tucked my baby blanket underneath my chin.

"No Daddy, you haven't", I nuzzled my cheek on his hand, treasuring this time I had with my father. I didn't get much of it seeing as I was the smallest child, and probably the most rejected out of all the children. My sister and brother thought I was the "mistake" as the called me.

"Well then, we're going to have to fix that aren't we?" Daddy got that twinkle in his eye like he always did when he was telling me a story. It was my favorite time throughout my whole day. The whole reason I got out of bed was because I knew later that night Daddy would creep up into the attic while my step-mother was asleep and put on that mischevious smile he always had when he comjured up a new stroy for me to hear.

I nodded and smiled up at him longily. My father was the only person in this whole entire world I trusted with my secrets, like that I wanted to be a princess when I grew up or that I thought on sunny days I liked to sit under the big sycamore tree out front and watch the butterflies.

"Okay then. Once upon a time, there lived a toy-maker named Mr.Tibbles, but this man wasn't just any toy-maker, he could make his toys come to life", Daddy started his story, and with every word, I felt as if everything he said was real.

"Really Daddy, could he?" I gasped in amazement.

Daddy put a soft finger to his lips, "Yes, he could. And one night when he was finished making a doll for a very special little girl, he turned around to get the doll some shoes, and when he turned around t has mysteriously vanished", Daddy whispered to me in the luminescant candleglow of the late night.

My eyes widened with fascination. Daddy had that way about him, that meant something was about to happen in the story.

Daddy continued, "Now, the toy-maker's creations had never run off before, so Mr.Tibbles was surprised to find the doll gone.Mr.Tibbles began to panick, he searched high and low for the doll, calling out her name.

"What was her name Daddy?" I whispered to him cautiously.

Daddy pondered this question for a moment, rubbing the light stubble on his chin, "You name her", Daddy told me.

I didn't have to think about this, "Her name is Jasmine!" I just about yelled, but thought better of it. If Daddy was caught telling me a story by my step-mother, she'd make Daddy leave.

"Okay, Jasmine it is then", Daddy nodded in agreement.

I had always wanted to have a name like a princess so when I saw Aladdin for the first time, I became entranced with the name Jasmine.

"You know, your named after a princess too Melody", Daddt once said to me when I told him about Princess Jasmine.

"I know that Daddy, but she's only the daughter of a princess, that doesn't make her special", I didn't bother looking up from my coloring book then.

Daddy smiled down at me and went to turn out the light, telling me to lay down in bed, "I think It does".

"So what happened next Daddy?" I asked so we could continue the story.

"Well, by this time Jasmine had already run far away from the toy shop, vowing never to return again. Oh, but poor Mr.Tibbles, his heart was weak and he could not bare to see his special girl sad anymore. So, with all the strength Mr.Tibbles had left, he lay down on the floor of his toy shop and waited for death to take him away".

"Oh no Daddy, not Mr.Tibbles!" I cried out, covering my mouth in awe.

Daddy put a finger to his lips again and closed his eyes, "Now, Jasmine hears Mr.Tibbles weeping and she knew that she must go back and help him give her to his special girl. So, Jasmine walked straight back into the toy-shop and planted herself down on the counter, shoes and all. Then, With Mr.Tibbles last dying breath, he smiled meely up at the fragile doll and whispered, 'Thank you'".

Daddy folded his hands on his lap to tell me he was done.

"Did Mr.Tibbles' special girl find Jasmine, Daddy?" I asked him longily. I hated not knowing endings, it made me anxious.

Daddy cocked his head to one side, "I believe she did, and she knew that even though Mr.Tibbles was gone, he loved her with all his heart still".

Daddy kissed my forehead then and blew out my candle, "Sleep tight my little Melody", he hushed to me through the bleak darkness.

"Good night my little Daddy", I nuzzled into my pillow.

Then Daddy shut the door and all I could hear was his faint footsteps getting farther and farther away.


"Melody? Melody wake up!" I was shaken awake by the sound of my older brother Cale's panicked voice.

"Is she okay?" My older sister mumbled rudely to Cale.

"I'm fine Sadie, thanks for asking", I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up in bed.

"Melody please it's Mom and Dad, there not here!" Cale sat on top of me, his fists gripping my nightgown fiercly.

"Not here, what do you mean their not here?" I knew exactly what he meant, but I couldn't bring myself to believe it. I had just seen Daddy not but a few hours before, and where could he go in the middle of the night?

"I mean their nowhere to be found Mel!" Cale screamed at me.

Cale had done some pretty mean things to me throughout my life but never had he yelled at me like he did that night, never.

"Okay, okay, I'll help you look for them", I untwined myself from the covers and slipped on a small sweater hanging from the coatrack.

"You might want more then a sweater on, there's a thunderstorm brewing outside", Sadie told me.

I was surprised to hear her say this, for she never really cared for my well-being.

"I'll be fine", I ran up the stairs as fast as my small legs could carry me and ran out the front door.

The tone we lived in was quite quant so when I got to the town square I could hear music blasting from the nearby bar.

"Um, Hello? Has anyone seen my father?" I peeked my heas inside the bar but only to taste the stench a cigarette butts and shots of brandy in my mouth.

In my small town, everyone knew everyone so I'd hoped that someone there would be able to tell me if they'd sen my Daddy or his awful wife.

"Hey, what's a small runt like er' doing in ere'?" a drunk waved a beer bottle at me.

I grimaced and stuck my head back out the door, walking down the cobblestone steps sullenly.

I needed my Daddy to come back, maybe he didn't really go anywhere at all, maybe my brother and sister were just trying to pull one over on me. I wouldn't put it above them.

I didn't know what else to do so I walked out into the middle of the street and stood there, looking at the shops on the other side.

Suddenly a blaring light struck behind me and as I turned around, I could see a car spinning out of control, heading straight toward me.

Now, a person of a higher age might be smart and jump out of the way of an oncoming car, but I was only of eight at the time and all I could see was that car, and my feet glued themselves to the ground.

I felt my throat begin to close up as I was penetrated with fear. Why wasn't I moving? I knew that I had to get out of the way or I'd be flattened underneath the rubber tires of that car, but stillI didn't move from my spot.

"This is it", I told myself. What a waste of life I had turned out to be, what a waste, just like my brother and sister said.

Then, as if by magic, I felt hands pushing me out of the way of the car, and my head hitting cold, hard pavement.

After that, I don't remember much. There was a piercing scream, and the sound of sirens in the distance...


I awoke to find myself still on the ground, two men standing over me with blue uniforms on.

"Hi there Sweetheart, can you remember your name for me?" One of them asked with a meekly smile.

I could tell they felt sorry for me, for whatever reason I still had yet to discover.

"Mel, Mel, Mel-"

"Okay you don't need to remember right now", The nice man lifted me up off the ground and carried me over to an ambulance where he set me down so I could sit up.

I could remember my name, my throat just felt too coarse and tried at the moment to get anything out.

"My Dad, do you know where he is?"I asked through gritted teeth, biting through the pain.

The man sighed heavily and looked at me with exhausted eyes, "let's take a look at those feet", he said, crouching down below me.

I looked down at my feet then and noticed for the first time how bloodied and battered they were.

That was odd, I hadn't felt any pain until now, when he felt them with his hands.

"I wasn't wearing any shoes", I muttered quietly, thinking of how stupid that had been of me.

"I can see that", the man said, examining my feet more closely.

I glanced around the scene, taking everything in with my eyes.

I saw my step-mother in the distance, her eyes red and blotchy. My brother and sister were there too, their heads hung low and droopy.

I didn't understand what was wrong, it just didn't make any sense.

That's when my eyes landed on a crumpled up body that lay just abit aways from the car that had almost hit me.

my eyes widened and my heart quickened with nerve.

"That's my Daddy!" I ran away from the men, ignoring my burning feet and searing throat.

No one stopped me, they all just stood around while I crouched down by my father's lifeless body, all twisted and bruised.

"Daddy!" I screamed, shaking him vigorously.

Some people around me shuttered and other's shook their heads.

"Wake up Daddy, wake up!" I pleaded, tears brimming my eyes.

There was something in his hand, clenched with blue.

I pried the small thing from his hand and held it up to me.

It was a doll, the most beautiful doll I had ever seen before. She was wearing a long, purple satin dress and a golden crown placed on top of her golden brown hair.

I sniffled and read the little piece of paper hanging from her wrist,


To my special little girl who I love with all my heart, may you always find that your own melody, is thw sweetest sound of all. By the way, the doll's name is Jasmine. Love, Daddy.


I began to weep them, placing me head on my Daddy's chest where the heart no longer beat.

I lay there miserably while the rain pitter-patted on my head, and the muttered voices uttered apologies to my family.

I would not get up though, for I had to shelter my poor Mr.Tibbles, from the menace of the rain...