??? ????? ?? ?????? - ???? ??????? ? ??

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

''I couldn't protect her. And I haven't done enough to protect you. Mavis, I need you to stop searching for the gold with John B. I can't... I can't lose you, too.''

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

AS I PUSHED open the front door and stepped inside, the usual calm of my house felt different. The soft hum of the refrigerator and the faint scent of my dad's coffee lingered in the air, grounding me, yet the weight of everything I'd just been through clung to me. I turned toward the kitchen and froze. There, my dad was standing by the counter, his face tense, holding a crumpled wanted poster with John B's face staring back.

I didn't say anything. I just looked at him, trying to gauge what he might be thinking, bracing myself for the anger or fear that might follow.

After a long pause, he glanced up and motioned to the chair across from him. ''Sit down, Mavis,'' he said, his voice soft yet firm, laced with a seriousness I wasn't used to.

I moved over, my heart pounding as I took a seat. The kitchen felt too quiet, too still. The way he looked at me, I knew this wasn't just about John B.

He took a deep breath. ''There's something I need to tell you,'' he began, his gaze distant. ''It's about your mom... and Big John.''

I straightened, my heart hammering in my chest. The mention of my mom was rare, almost a taboo subject between us. Even as I was curious, I braced myself for what was coming.

He hesitated before continuing. ''Back then, the three of us – your mom, me, and John B's dad – we were close. Really close. We did everything together, and then... we found something worth more than we ever imagined. The gold.'' His eyes flickered, a glint of regret passing through them. ''We agreed we'd split it evenly if we found it. The three of us. But as we got closer, things changed. It became dangerous...''

I could feel my throat tighten. It was one thing hearing about the treasure with the Pogues, but this felt different. This was my family, my mom... my dad. All tangled up in the very thing that's been haunting us all.

''Your mom,'' he continued, ''she got close to finding it, closer than any of us. She was fearless... just like you.'' He swallowed, his voice breaking a bit. ''But it was her fearlessness that... it got her killed. She was killed.''

I stared at him, the weight of his words crushing me. My mom didn't just disappear. She was killed – for the same treasure we were still chasing. I bit my lip, fighting back the tears that were pooling in my eyes, but I couldn't stop them from spilling over.

''After that, I was done,'' he confessed, his voice barely a whisper. ''I walked away from the search. I couldn't risk losing more. But Big John... he couldn't let it go. He pushed forward, even after your mom's death, and then... he disappeared, too. I blame myself for not doing more, for not stopping him. And now you're...''