Charlotte's day was going from bad to worse.

She tried to convince her mother to let her stay home from school, but Alex needed her out of the house. There was too much cleaning and prepping to do for that night's birthday party. Alex made her daughter a big pancake breakfast, but everything tasted funny and Charlotte managed to spill syrup all over her favorite shirt. Having to hurry and change outfits, she and Luke nearly missed the bus.

School was terrible. She misspelled half the words on her test, fell off the swings at recess, and watched the last piece of pizza go to the boy in front of her at lunch.

But the worst part of her day, and the reason she had wanted to stay home, came that afternoon. It was 'Bring Your Father to School Day' for her third grade class. Charlotte watched miserably as Amy's dad explained how he designed buildings and houses and Kyle's father showed the class an old camera and how to develop photographs. It was a relief when the bell rang before her turn came to talk about her deceased father.

Charlotte had asked her mom many times about him. What happened to him? Why did Luke remember him and not her? She knew she was named after him, and Alex said on many occasions that she reminded her of Charlie, but all Charlotte knew of her father was what other people said about him and what she could see in the photo albums.

The photo that Charlotte kept on her nightstand showed her mom, dad and Luke on her parents' wedding day. Her mom said that was her favorite picture because it was their only 'complete family photo.' Charlotte had not understood that at first, and when Alex pointed to her belly, the conversation that followed had been interesting, o say the least.

Charlotte dropped her backpack on the floor and flopped down on her bed. She looked at the photo for a long time. Her mom and dad were not wearing the usual white dress and black suit that Charlotte always saw in stores or on television. Her dad was wearing jeans and a leather jacket with a red rose in the pocket. Charlotte studied his face...she had not inherited his blue eyes, and her own face and hair were much more like her mother's. Luke however, who was only two years old at the time, did seem to resemble the man standing next to her mom. Charlotte turned the frame face-down, rolled onto her side, and fell into a restless sleep before her mother woke her to wash and dress for her party.

A few of Charlotte's friends and classmates had come over for her birthday party and dinner, as well as her Uncle Dougie and other relatives and family friends. She managed to forget the day's earlier events and enjoyed the games, activities, and opening her gifts. Her friend Claire had given her a bracelet-making kit, her godmother Dana had knitted her a pretty sweater, and Uncle Dougie bought her the entire set of illustrated Harry Potter books.

But everything Charlotte had managed to forget resurfaced when her godfather Shahir gave her his present - a complete put-together model of the human body.

"Over a hundred bones and pieces," he said excitedly. "I'll bet you'll put it together in a flash! You might turn out to be a bone doctor, like your dad!"

Charlotte managed a weak smile and thanked him. She did like puzzles, but this one looked hard and Shahir, though he had meant well, had brought up today's taboo subject.

As that was the last present she opened, Charlotte had only one thing on her mind when her mom brought out the cake and everyone started to sing 'Happy Birthday.'

"Make a wish, honey!" Alex said as she set down the cake with eight candles in front of Charlotte.

Charlotte closed her eyes and thought of that day at school, the picture on her nightstand, and all the questions she had asked her mother over the years, whose answers only opened up more questions.

I wish I could meet my father she thought. She opened her eyes and blew out the candles in one try. Everyone cheered and Uncle Jeremy started cutting up the cake.

...

After everyone had left, Charlotte went up to her room. Since was a Saturday she could stay up later, and she started going through her presents.

She quickly made herself a bracelet and thumbed through one of her books. She then turned to her model, dumping all the pieces on the floor.

Charlotte frowned. The box said it was for ages 8 and up, but she had never put together a 3D puzzle and many of the pieces were quite small.

She looked at the instructions for a minute, then opened the small bag labeled Ribs (24). She picked one of the pieces and tried to fit it into the spinal column base where the picture said it went.

It didn't fit. Charlotte tried for over a minute to snap it into place, but it kept falling to the floor. She let out a loud, frustrated cry.

"Try turning it around."

Charlotte gave another cry and dropped the pieces she was holding. A man was now sitting on her desk chair, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Hearing her cries, her mom knocked on the door and poked her head in the room. "Everything okay honey?" Alex asked. She looked around the room and saw the mess on the floor, but took absolutely no notice of the extra person in the room.

Charlotte stood up. "I'm - I'm having trouble with my puzzle," she said. She kept looking from the man in the chair to her mother, waiting for Alex to mention him.

But her mom only smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. We can work on it together if you want. You should get to bed though, it's getting late." She then picked up the puzzle base and set it on Charlotte's desk inches from the man, who smiled at her, but she still didn't seem to notice him.

"Straighten up, then brush your teeth and get to sleep. Happy Birthday sweetie, love you!" She kissed Charlotte on the forehead, then closed her door on her way out of the room.

Charlotte stood in the middle of her room, breathing and thinking hard. She stared intently at the man, not quite willing to believe what she thought she seeing.

He wore jeans and a leather jacket over a dark T-shirt, and had brown hair and blue eyes. Her eyes traveled from the rose on his jacket up to his face. His warm smile met his eyes, which were wet and shining with tears. She had seen him so often in pictures, in that outfit, she knew who he was...but how?

"Dad?"

"Hey Charlotte," he said quietly, but smiling even wider.

Charlotte's eyes widened. "You - you're supposed to be dead. Mom said you went to heaven when I was still in the oven."

The man laughed and smiled again for a moment, then turned somber. "Yeah I - I did. I had an accident and had to leave you...and Mom and Luke. But I came back to see you tonight. For your birthday."

Charlotte thought for a moment. "You know about my wish? I only said it in my head."

"Exactly."

Charlotte continued to study him. "Are you an angel, or a ghost, or...?"

"You could say I'm a ghost, or a spirit. But I promise you I'm real. You're not imagining me."

Charlotte reached out to touch her father's hand. Thinking her hand would pass right through his, she was surprised when it stopped short. It was as if there was an invisible force field between them, keeping them millimeters apart.

"I thought you'd be like a Harry Potter ghost," Charlotte said, a little disappointed.

"Not quite," Charlie said. "But I can do this." He gave her a small wink and disappeared, reappearing a second later on the other side of the room.

Charlotte's jaw dropped.

"That's so cool!" Remembering she was supposed to be in bed, Charlotte lowered her voice. "Can you do any other tricks? What's heaven like? How long can you stay?"

"Whoa, slow down tiger!" Charlie said with a laugh. "One question at a time. I want to hear all about you too. Let's talk." He walked over to her bed and sat down at the end.

Charlotte switched out the main light, turned on her night light, and followed suit. She lay down on her stomach, propping herself up on her pillow so she could face her father.

"You first," she said. "What's your favorite food?"

"Nachos and pie. Yours?"

"Pepperoni pizza and chocolate cake. Color?"

"Orange. School subject?"

"Reading. Tell me how you met Mom."

"She was a new doctor at my hospital that wouldn't stop stalking me. Obviously I had to do something about it. How'd you get that scar on your arm?"

They traded questions for a long time, laughing and smiling at each other's answers and studying one another, trying to take in as much as possible. Charlie knew at once that Alex had a smart and lively firecracker on her hands, while Charlotte could now see how she reminded others of her father; they had many of the same likes including baseball and older music, laughed the same way, and despite the different color, they had the same soulful and expressive eyes.

It was nearing midnight when Charlotte tried to hide a yawn.

"I think someone is up way past their bedtime," Charlie said, looking at the clock.

"No, I'm not tired!" Charlotte insisted, giving her father a pleading look. "You can't go yet! You have to tell me all about heaven or wherever you came from."

"Ah, the first rule of heaven is to not talk about heaven," Charlie said with a mischievous smile. He motioned for Charlotte to get into bed.

She complied, but fixed him with another puppy dog look.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep? Can you visit again?"

Charlie sighed, but then looked thoughtful. "You never know which way the candle winds will blow. But," he said, this time fixing her with a meaningful look, "remember the most important part of a wish."

"Like anyone would believe me if I told them!"

"Oh, your mother might...and then she'd fill the house with lavender and sage," he added, more to himself. "Um, you haven't seen any other people like me, have you?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, but Mom asks me if I'm seeing anything odd when I'm playing or talking by myself. How come?"

"That's for next time," he said quickly, but smiling. "For now...story? Unless you're too old for those already..."

Charlotte didn't want to go to sleep but felt herself drifting off as she listened to her father's voice. The last thing she caught sight of, as her clock turned to midnight and her eyes fully closed, was a soft blue light and her father's fading image.

The next morning Charlotte lay in bed, running through the night's events in her head continuously. I remember it all so clearly, it had be real, she thought.

When her mom called her down for breakfast, Charlotte sat up and gave a small start.

The puzzle base on her desk had exactly eight pieces fitted into it.