Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!

"It was Father Norma from the church. He told me about the wonders of that land."

Old Bill's face showed a painful expression. "I know it's not normal, but I always imagine Kaiser bouncing around by my side."

"Father Norma, you say?" Peter frowned.

Wasn't that the priest who presided over Louis's funeral?

"As a clergyman, shouldn't he know that this is a blasphemy against the God he believes in?"

Peter now had to wonder if this priest was a fake or if he had no real faith at all.

"I don't know," Old Bill shook his head. "On most days, Father Norma is a devout believer. Perhaps he just didn't want to see me in such pain."

"Pain and death are part of life. To abandon them is to abandon life itself."

Peter stood up as he spoke and casually put away the photo.

Seeing that Peter was about to leave, Old Bill sighed in relief and got up to see him to the door. He was really afraid that Peter would keep pestering him.

"If I think of any more questions later," Peter said to him, "I will visit again."

Old Bill nodded helplessly. "Of course, you're welcome."

At Podrick Farm.

After dinner, Peter was surprised to see Clark in front of him.

"You're saying you want me to read you a story, Clark?"

He didn't expect Clark to ask him to read a story. Usually, it was Azu who would ask for a bedtime story. However, as Azu grew older, he rarely made such requests.

"Yes, I want to hear a story, godfather," Clark looked at him expectantly.

Peter had originally planned to investigate Father Norma tonight, but seeing Clark's eager face, he gave in. Father Norma wasn't going anywhere, and the investigation could wait for another day.

Azu, who was watching TV nearby, pouted when he heard Clark asking Peter for a story.

Clark had a room at Patrick Farm, as he liked to play there with Azu. They went there.

Clark's Room.

Peter sat with a book in his hand.

—

"She said hysterically, 'I just thought of something. Why didn't I think of it before? Why didn't you think of it?'

'Think of what?' he asked.

'Two more wishes,' she replied urgently. 'We've only made one wish so far.'

'One isn't enough?' he asked sharply.

'No,' she cried in joy. 'We can make another wish! Quick, kneel down and wish our son back to life.'"

—

Peter was reading The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs to Clark. The story tells of a retired British soldier who obtains a magical monkey's paw from a high priest in India, capable of granting three wishes.

When Peter reached the part where the couple's resurrected son knocked heavily on the door, Clark curled up under the covers in fear.

"Ahem," Peter cleared his throat. "Maybe I should read you a different story, like The Three Little Pigs or Cinderella, Clark."

Stories with dark themes weren't part of Clark's usual bedtime tales, but for some reason, he had asked for this one today. Although Peter also found that The Monkey's Paw bore some resemblance to the events in Smallville.

"Godfather," Clark poked his head out from under the blanket. "Do wishes really come with a price?"

"No, Clark, wishes don't have a price, but greed does."

Clark, still puzzled, asked, "Was Old White greedy? But they were clearly scared. Why did they keep making wishes?"

Peter put down the book. "Clark, fear is one of the emotions humans find the hardest to control. People both run from it and secretly find a strange joy in the fear they experience."

"Like the White family. While they hated and feared the evil represented by the monkey's paw, they couldn't hide the greed for money deep in their hearts."

Clark leaned against Peter and, mimicking his godfather's sigh, said, "Humans are really complicated!"

"You're right, Clark. Humanity is full of contradictions."

Peter then asked Clark, "Can you tell me why you wanted me to read this story today, Clark?"

"I…"

Clark hesitated, then moved closer to Peter. "Dad, I can tell you a secret."

"What secret?"

"I was dragged by Azu to the church before, to see the boy lying in the coffin." A look of confusion and fear appeared on his face. "And in the evening, I think I saw him again."

"You mean Little Terry?"

"I don't know his name, but I did see him. His face was pale, and his eyes were weird."

Clark described what he had seen.

"When Mom dragged me and Azu to Aunt Nell's house, we passed by the Louis family's house. I saw him there, behind the curtain. Recently, my eyes and ears seem to be able to see things from far away."

"So... I remembered Azu mentioning The Monkey's Paw. Azu said it's a story about the dead coming back to life."

Clark now regretted his decision—this story was scarier than he'd thought!

Peter listened to Clark's account and nodded slightly. "So, Clark, the time you watched the horror movie, it wasn't your idea. Azu was the one who watched it secretly, wasn't he?"

Clark looked at Peter's serious face and instinctively nodded. "Yes."

Peter wasn't pleased. Azu really needed some discipline.

Shaking his head to push that thought aside for now, Peter said to Clark, "You may have been mistaken, Clark. The dead can't come back to life because death is sacred and irreversible."

"I understand," Clark said, quickly drawing the connection. "Just like Old White. When their son died, he was dead, and bringing him back would cause terrible things, right?"

"Exactly. Trying to reverse death leads to punishment, just like with the White family."

Peter ruffled Clark's dark hair. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow, we're going horseback riding."

Hearing about horseback riding, Clark immediately perked up. "Thank you, Dad!"

Creak!

Peter gently closed the door and walked down the hallway to his room.

Has Little Terry already been resurrected? If so, that was faster than he expected.

The next morning, Peter was making scrambled eggs. Aside from simple dishes like this, his cooking was otherwise awful. He was considering hiring a professional chef when the phone suddenly rang.

"Peter, something has happened!"