Veronica and Joseph adopted and adored the little girl they found abandoned under a park bridge, but she never spoke a single word to them. However, one night she walked into the couple’s bedroom and cried, “Thank you, Mom & Dad,” startling the couple.
The sky was a lovely pink, and Veronica and Joseph were strolling through the park together. After losing their only child to cancer, the couple found spending time in nature therapeutic.
As they approached the park’s bridge, Veronica gently rested her head on Joseph’s shoulder and asked, “Should we try for another child, honey? Maybe that will change things. What do you think?”
Joseph sighed. “We can, hun,” he said. “But are you sure about it? I’m not going to rush through it. We need to be in the right mental space before considering this.”
“You’re right,” she said after a brief pause, tears welling in her eyes. “I still miss Sammy… our little boy… How could God be so cruel and take him away?”
Veronica was crying into Joseph’s shoulder that day, remembering their late son, when she noticed a pair of eyes staring at them. She was quick to notice a silhouette that vanished beneath the bridge, but she wasn’t prepared for what happened next…
“One second, honey,” Veronica brushed away her tears and looked beneath the bridge, only to find a small girl staring at her with curious big brown eyes. She was wearing a dirty frock, and her face, hands, and bare feet were all soiled.
“Hi there, darling,” said Veronica gently. “What are you doing here by yourself?”
The girl continued to stare at her but said nothing. “Would you like us to help you with something?” asked Veronica. “My name is Veronica, and this is my husband, Joseph. What’s your name?”
The girl didn’t speak a word.
Veronica looked at Joseph and sighed. “Can you speak to her? She looks scared.”
Joseph nodded and approached the girl. “Hi, sweetie,” he said. “Listen, we’re starving, and we were going to have some sandwiches and hot chocolate at that cafe near the park. Would you like to join us?”
Love is the most powerful medicine, capable of performing miracles.
“Yes, sweetie,” said Veronica, extending her hand for the girl to hold. “Would you like to come with us? It’s ok if you don’t want to talk. We could eat something delicious!”
The girl looked from Veronica to Joseph, then took a step toward Veronica.
“Yes,” said Veronica encouragingly. “You can hold my hand!”
So the girl walked a couple more steps towards Veronica and finally placed her hands in hers. “Wonderful, sweetie,” Veronica said, smiling softly. “Let’s go get you some food!”
Veronica and Joseph took the girl to the cafe and got her sandwiches and a chocolate shake. While she quietly ate the food, everyone around them stared weirdly at her because of her unkempt looks.
“I wonder what a little girl is doing here in such a state, honey,” Veronica murmured to Joseph. “We should get her home, but we’ll need to report to the police.”
“Let’s first get her home, hun,” suggested Joseph. “She looks like she was in trouble and hungry too.”
So Veronica and Joseph brought the little girl home and gave her Sam’s comfy bed to sleep in that night. The next morning, they called the cops and CPS, but when the authorities began questioning the girl, she hid behind Veronica.
“She seems to trust you,” said the social worker to Veronica. “Have you thought about fostering her? We can’t do anything if she won’t speak up, and we can tell she feels safe here.”
“We haven’t given it a thought yet,” said Joseph. “But,” he looked at Veronica and said, “I don’t think we are ready for it.”
“NO!” Veronica interrupted him, hugging the girl close to her. “We can do that. We are certified, too, because… well… at one point, we were considering adoption!”
“Great then,” said the worker. “You can keep the girl while we search for her parents or anyone else who knows who she is. Good luck!”
Even Veronica couldn’t explain why she felt such a strange connection with the girl and decided to keep her at home. She just couldn’t let the girl leave when she grabbed her dress with her tiny fingers and hid behind her as if she knew she would be protected and embraced.
As time passed, Veronica and Joseph grew to love the girl as if she were their own, and they even adopted her because her family couldn’t be found. But there was one problem. The girl just didn’t speak. Even when she didn’t like something, she didn’t say anything.
That bothered the couple, so they took her to a doctor, who explained that the girl had been traumatized.
“I would describe it as a shock,” the doctor said. “Your daughter has been through a terrible ordeal, and she’s still not out of it completely. While medical science can do wonders, I believe what your daughter requires most at this stage are love and care. As her parents, only you can do that.”
That night, Veronica sobbed, wondering what their little angel had gone through, and she resolved to do everything she could to help her heal.
“It’ll all be fine, honey,” Joseph said, consoling her. “I have an idea. I’m not sure if it’ll make a significant difference, but we can try!”
Joseph and Veronica decided to prepare a princess-themed room for their little daughter, Milly, as a surprise. They removed all of Sam’s old belongings as a sign of their healing from his death, and redid the walls, bed, closet, everything!
“Surprise!” the couple exclaimed when they showed the room to Milly.
But Milly didn’t show any excitement, and that disappointed them.
“Did you not like your room, honey?” asked Veronica. “See, it’s all about princesses! You finally have your own bed too! It’s all yours! Daddy and I know how much you love princesses!”
Milly looked at them and then at the room, but she didn’t say anything.
Veronica and Joseph returned to their room, disheartened.
“I think we need to take her to a therapist,” said Joseph. “That would be the best.”
Right then, Milly walked into their bedroom. Joseph and Veronica were shocked when they saw she was in tears.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Veronica asked. “Are you all right?”
“Thank… Sky,” she said, and Veronica and Joseph were shocked to hear their daughter speak.
“Thank you, Mom & Dad. The bed… the princess… I love it!” she continued. “Can—can you call me Sky?”
Joseph and Veronica couldn’t help but cry as they hugged Milly. “We love you, honey,” Joseph added. “Was Sky your previous name?”
The girl shook her head. “I—I met Mommy and you in the park, and the sky was pink. I am Sky.”
Veronica smiled. “Of course! Sky you are! Not Milly! You’re Sky for us!”
Later that day, Milly/Sky shared her heartbreaking story with Veronica and Joseph. She revealed that she and her birth mother were homeless for years and that after her mother died, she wandered the streets alone and slept under a bridge, in an alley, and wherever she could find a place.
The couple was in tears as they heard that and held her close. “Sky,” said Veronica. “I remember the pink skies on that day too, honey. I think this was all meant to be.”
