Scout on Life and Death Part 3- "Shadows of the Past" is a poignant story that delves into the complex relationships between a daughter and her father, a psychologist facing her own inner struggles. The narrative weaves through past memories and present challenges, unveiling the profound impact of a father's mysterious double life.
His absent eyes scanned the room, flinching at the soft lights of the lamps. The smell of expensive cologne draped a humorous blanket over the reek of alcohol and his disoriented demeanor. I watched him sit on the couch, familiar with the comfort of its sinking nature. “Is it cozy? The couch?” I asked quietly, avoiding his gaze. He nodded. My father never drank or took drugs, but the weight of a 16-hour workday had a similar effect on his mental awareness. I would see his shadow on late nights when we both should have been asleep, and he would be waiting for my silhouette in the hallway. The outlandish stories that we both knew I didn’t believe were solace from the parallel lives we had in the day. We traveled in lines so similar but never overlapping, struggling on the same spectrum of different universes. “I was at the mine today, Lyra,” he would say under his breath. “Really?” I would whisper back with a slight giggle. I knew that collared shirts weren’t worn for