Man Speaks after 5 Years of Silence When He Sees Daughter He Thought Was Dead Alive — Story of the Day

Frank lost his speech after his daughter Karen's death five years ago. One day, he rushed home panting and called out to his wife. She couldn't believe his speech was restored and was shocked when he told her about seeing their dead daughter alive. She followed him to the spot and froze.

Janice and Frank Collins were a middle-class couple living on the outskirts of an affluent city. They were happy with what they had and never looked beyond their means. However, they always wished only the best for their daughter, Karen.

The couple worked hard to raise her, and being the only child, Karen was overly pampered. Janice taught at a primary school in town while Frank switched jobs now and then, finally settling as a packer in a warehouse. The couple made sure that their girl always had what she wished for.

Karen was always fascinated by birds growing up, so her parents were excited when she told them she would become an ornithologist. The little family lived a comfortable life, but an unfortunate incident cut short their lives and happiness…

Janice & Frank always strived hard to provide the best for their daughter, Karen. | Source: Pexels

"Happy birthday to you…happy birthday dear Karrie…!" chorused Janice and Frank on Karen's 25th birthday that month. Despite being ordinary, the parents wanted their daughter to be happy and know that life isn't always about money.

Several days later, Karen had a piece of news for her parents. It was about a field trip to a neighboring state, but Frank didn't like the idea of letting Karen travel so far alone.

"But dad… it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she argued. "It'll be beneficial for the paper I'm writing next month…please let me go."

Frank was stubborn and refused. However, Karen had already decided to go and began packing her things against her dad's wishes.

Karen was visibly upset when Frank refused to let her go on the trip. | Source: Pexels

"Karen, get back here! You're not going to get away with this…I don't want you to go on that goddamn trip!" Frank yelled at Karen as she left the house that evening after greeting them goodbye.

Karen never turned back, and unfortunately, it was the last time Frank and Janice saw her.

It took Janice a lot of time and comforting words to cool down Frank. After a point, he agreed and realized that Karen deserved the freedom she needed to enjoy life, just like the birds she admired.

The couple was chatting over several cups of coffee that evening when the phone rang. The couple knew it must be Karen and smiled at each other because she always apologized whenever she did something like this...

That evening was the last time Frank & Janice saw Karen. | Source: Unsplash

"Hello, is Mr. Frank Collins around?" Janice heard an unfamiliar man on the call and gave the phone to Frank. She stood there shocked, curious to know what it was about.

"Yes, Frank speaking…." Frank answered.

"H-hello Mr. Collins…this is inspector Dan Reynolds speaking. Can you hear me? I have a piece of bad news about your daughter Karen."

Frank and Janice looked at each other in confusion. Frank had no idea why a cop had called him, and at this point, his hands had already started trembling.

"Ye-yes, yes, inspector…I can hear you," he replied.

The officer then told Frank that the bus Karen traveled in had crashed down a cliff after losing control.

"The road must have been slippery, but we're still investigating," the cop informed.

The bus Karen traveled in had crashed & fallen off a cliff. | Source: Unsplash

Frank dropped the phone and collapsed on the floor and Janice wondered what was going on. She took the receiver and heard the inspector calling out to Frank several times. She spoke on the phone and was told that nobody survived the crash.

Janice and Frank froze. Silence cloaked their house. There was no sound for several minutes other than the clock ticking. Moments later, Janice cried inconsolably. Frank didn't react, and he almost froze like a corpse.

Since the bus burned, they were later informed that none of the passengers' remains were retrieved. It only worsened the parents' condition, and like every parent who lost their beloved child to the accident, Janice and Frank broke down, not being able to say a proper goodbye to their daughter.

"Frank…Frank???" Janice shouted at her husband after they paid their last respects at the crash site. But Frank never responded. Janice was worried about him, and after examining him at the hospital, she found out he had lost his speech.

Karen's loss was unbearable & it took a toll on Frank. | Source: Pexels

"It's psychological shock and it happens to people when they undergo too much trauma," the doctor told Janice. "He might speak today, tomorrow, or it may take years."

Janice and Frank were crushed. They tried to be normal, but it took time. Frank returned to work, and since his job didn't require communication, he was saved. But he still hadn't forgiven himself for shouting at Karen on the evening of the accident. He realized it was too late, and this thought hounded him every day.

Five years passed like this. It was excruciating even to see the calendar when the month of Karen's accident arrived each year.

One day, Frank was returning home from work when he passed by a café. He walked fast, but after a moment, he slowed down and then completely froze after seeing a girl…

One day, Frank froze when he passed by a café & saw a girl sitting alone. | Source: Unsplash

"Janice, come here…hurry up… i-i-it's Karen…I saw her," he shouted after rushing home moments later. "I saw her, Janice! She's alive!"

Janice couldn't understand what he was saying. And then she shrieked with joy because she just realized that Frank had finally spoken after five long years.

"Honey!" she shouted.

Frank told her to hurry up and stormed to the café. Janice was thrilled, and although she didn't understand what he was talking about, she followed him.

When the couple reached the café, they froze. Janice held Frank because the sight was beyond belief. She realized they couldn't be hallucinating together and rushed to the girl who was seated there.

Janice couldn't believe her eyes when she reached the café with Frank. | Source: Unsplash

"KAREN?!!" the couple shouted as they grabbed a young woman's arms. They hugged her and became emotional.

The girl seemed confused. She tried to explain that she didn't know them, but Frank knew she was Karen. He asked her who she was and the frightened woman hesitantly revealed her identity to them.

"5 years ago, I don't know how, but I woke up in a hospital...I was in a coma for a few months, but I couldn't remember anything, not even my name" she said. "But the doctors told me that woodcutters found me with a head injury in the forest...They started calling me Ashley."

Karen then told them that she was working as a caretaker in an assisted facility in the city nearby and moved there to find a better job.

"I moved here last year through a friend of mine from work," she revealed. "It was so kind of her to let me stay with her until I found a better job and a place to stay."

The woman hesitantly revealed her identity to the couple. | Source: Pexels

Janice and Frank looked at each other emotionally. Tears flooded their eyes as they hugged the girl again. The girl felt a weird attachment to them, and unbeknown to her, she started crying too.

Janice and Frank took Karen home with them, but before leaving, Frank held her hands and looked her in the eyes, and cried.

"I'm so sorry, darling!" he apologized.

Although Karen couldn't recall the reason, she understood it could've been an important moment for Frank.

"Love you, dad…and mom!" she exclaimed.

Since then, Janice, Frank, and Karen have been inseparable. Frank never argued with her and even gifted her a pair of binoculars for birdwatching.

Frank apologized to Karen for shouting at her on the evening of the accident five years ago, although she couldn't recall anything. | Source: Pexels

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't lose hope, and trust your instincts. When Frank saw a girl resembling Karen, he knew she was his daughter even though he thought she had died five years ago. His instincts proved correct when the girl turned out to be Karen who survived the bus crash and lost her memory.
• Sometimes, fate has other plans that could change your life for good. Janice and Frank lived with the assumption that their beloved daughter Karen had passed away in the bus crash. But when they saw her by chance five years later, it seemed fate intended them to see their daughter alive again.

If you liked reading this story, here's one about a man who visited his elderly mom after several years and found a gravesite instead of her house.

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