The night wound itself slowly around the suburbs of Nashville, engulfing it within its mesh of deadly silence. But this calm in the air was akin to that of the still before a storm. Just a few minutes past midnight, loud jarring sirens tore into the night’s serenity. It was an emergency and the urgency of the sirens conveyed it perfectly. The whole town was up in seconds, securing their homes just like when they are supposed to do in the event of a prison break. The town folk quivered with fear ruminating over which blood thirsty prisoner had managed to break-out. There were police men both on foot as well as in cars searching for the prisoner. Little did they know that their man of the moment was crouching under the shrubbery of their own prison backyard.

Jason better known as Prisoner 426 was once a happy and contented man. He had a job and a happy little family. True his wife had passed away during child birth, but he and his daughter were happy together. He worked at a shop and made sure he had plenty of time for her. He had his share of the frustration of being a single parent, but he had resolved to not date until Miranda could understand relationships. They lived frugally but he had saved enough to put Miranda into a good school. She was his whole world. Throughout his life, he was one among the many in the sea of mediocrity. Despite that he had decided, he was gonna give his best to his angel. For a while things were picture perfect but thereafter they went horribly and irrevocably wrong.

Jason sitting on his haunches let out a stifled sob. He could no longer hold back his tears as his conscience kept berating him for all that went wrong. How he had been able to do nothing the moment Miranda stepped off the pavement and into the path of a speeding car. How he had not been able to save her life. How a month later he had almost kidnapped a child who resembled Miranda convincing himself that it was his daughter. How he had made the issue worse by hurting the cop who attempted to save the child. He was now sentenced to prison indefinitely and had been undergoing counselling sessions. His mind flickered towards the words of Dr. Lucy. She would start the session with, “Jason, what happened to Miranda was not your fault. Don’t blame yourself for what fate has dealt you with.”

Little did he know that inside, from the window of her room she was watching him that very moment. She was aware of his presence in the park below quite a while ago. She had always felt that she was ill-equipped to handle Jason’s case. All he needed was closure regarding Miranda. And she knew that was the only thing she couldn’t provide him with. She again doubted her abilities when she whispered to herself, “He needs someone more experienced. I don’t think I can handle his grief.”

Jason no longer tried to hide. He was now sitting in the small sand box that the park housed. The tears that dripped down his lashes were merely a hint of the raw grief and suffering that he inflicted upon himself. He was about to walk himself back to his cell but a whisper left him rooted to the spot. He looked around bewildered, seeing no one around dismissed it and took a step forward. And at that very instance a shadow detached itself from the wall and began to approach him. It ran up to him and held out her arms to be picked up. Jason wasted not a moment and in a jiffy, his princess was in his arms again. She kissed him and pointedly said, “Daddy, why are you so sad these days ? I see you endlessly crying and now you have even started refusing food. I also know that every day you cut yourself as a form of punishment. You do know right that by hurting yourself, your hurting me too.”

The words hit him like a brick. He stammered, "But what was I to do Miranda ? The only thing I ever wanted to do right was keep you safe. But situations have adeptly proved how unsuccessful I have been. I have failed you, Miranda and even your mother." Miranda smiled wistfully and patted her father's cheek. She replied, "Daddy everyone has their life laid out for them. You could have done nothing, nothing at all to save me that day. Please don't hold yourself responsible for things beyond your control. You have looked after me very well and that's all that matters Daddy. Please pull yourself up and give life another shot."

Jason interrupts Miranda, with an impatient nod and says, "No baby, nothing is the same without you or your mom. I can never forget you. This so called closure is all bull-sorry, no swear words." Miranda hugs her dad again and replies, "Daddy closure is not about forgetting. It's about forgiving. Forgiving yourself for the mistakes you have made and allowing the other person to do the same. Without it, I cannot reach afterlife dad. I hate to say this but you are holding us both back. All I can tell you is that I love you very much and you have been the best dad I could ever get. I wish I could stay longer with you but what's done is done."

Tears streamed down Jason's face. He could not believe how mature his daughter was. He kissed her tenderly and hugged her with all his might. Miranda smiled and requested her dad, "Daddy could you play with me on the swing for one last time ?". Jason's throat hitched with grief and he could only nod and let her down. Miranda scampered towards the lone swing in the park. She impatiently waved her distraught father over.

As Jason walked towards the swing, he thought just how befitting a farewell this was. Miranda loved playing on swings, the higher he pushed her the better it was. As he began pushing her swing, Miranda bubbled with laughter and shouted, "Higher daddy, higher!!" A smile crept on to Jason's face. With each push of the swing he felt himself coming to terms with all that happened.

After a while, Miranda turned to gaze back at him and mouthed I love you daddy. And as the swing reached its zenith, there was no Miranda on it. The swing just seemed to materialize into its equilibrium state thereafter. Strangely, Jason felt at peace for the first time in the past five months. Meanwhile, the psychiatrist watching from the window smiled and realized that some wounds can only be healed by those who have inflicted them.  She now knew that the man walking towards the prison gates was a healed man.