Milton the Owl: Part Two (special preview)

In the beginning, there was a man, his daughter, and they lived alone in a big house. For a long time, they were both lonely and the little girl asked her father to find someone who could cook for them. Thankfully for me, I filled that position.

After working for my family’s business for so long, I had wanted a break. But much to my surprise, the job turned into something much more than that.

“Good morning.”

I woke in a dark room, snug in bed and unwilling to rise. I rolled over, seeing Athena peering at me from the other side. She smiled and her big eyes had an excited gleam to them.

I checked my phone to see the time and yawned as I got up. “It's awful early, Athena. What are you doing?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” She crawled up into bed with me and sat down beside me. “And daddy isn’t home yet.”

“He usually is,” I said with a hint of concern. I looked to the other side of the bed where Milton usually would lay to wait for me to wake up.

Athena took that spot, snuggling under the covers then resting there with a sweet smile upon her face. I checked my phone again, making sure there weren't any urgent messages from Milton.

When I first started working here, I was prepared to grow attached to Athena. She was small and cute, but it was her curiosity and creativity that made her something special. What hadn’t gone to plan was falling for her father, Milton J. Henson.

“Bing,” Athena whispered to me.

“Yes?” I set my phone aside and turned to her.

She rolled over onto her side and pulled the blanket up around her head, but didn’t cover her face. “This will be my first time away from home. I’m a little nervous about this trip.”

“You’re going to have a blast. You don’t need to worry about a thing. We made sure you’ve got everything packed and you’re going to be sharing a room with your best friend.”

Athena had been so amped up for this school trip, I wasn’t surprised she had a sudden bought of anxiety now. “I know, but…won’t you and Daddy be lonesome?”

“We have each other to keep us company,” I said. “But we still will miss you terribly.” I pet her head through the blanket.

“You don’t have to miss me,” Athena pouted slightly.

I laid back down in bed and faced her. “It’s okay to be nervous. But I know you are going to have so much fun and you’re going to see all sorts of cool things. You’ll be so bummed once everything is over.”

“I guess,” she muttered.

I smiled at her. “And don’t you worry about your dad or me. I have a lot of things around the house to do, and your dad will be busy too. If we get too lonely-”

Athena’s eyes grew big and she leaned in excitedly. “You’ll do what?”

I smirked at her. “If we get lonely, maybe we can go out on a date.”

She squealed excitedly. “Will you tell me if you do?”

“Maybe.” I giggled.

The bedroom door opened and Athena sat up as Milton walked in. “There you are,” he said. “Imagine my surprise to find my daughter’s room completely empty.” He strode into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “You’re not bothering Bing, are you?”

I smiled at him. “She’s been telling me how excited she is for her trip today.”

Milton chuckled. “I should have known. Are you all ready for the trip?”

Athena nodded and crawled over closer to him to hug him. She whispered something to him and Milton nodded along, smiling at me as she continued.