“Good morning family!” Alyssa looked up from her book as her father entered the room; practically skipping down the stairs. What was he so happy about? It was normal for the Mayor to be in a good mood, but not this early in the day. Normally it took two or three cups of coffee to get him this way. She had to be missing something. Curiosity getting the better of her, Alyssa set her book down on the floor and began to follow her father into the next room; pondering over the source of his cheerful attitude.
Standing in the shadow of the doorway, she watched the others greet their father in a wave of hugs and kisses. “Happy birthday Daddy!” they all said when he entered the dining room. She froze. How in Whoville had she forgotten? Today was the Mayor’s birthday and Alyssa hadn’t gotten him anything or even remembered to say happy birthday to him when he walked into the room. She must have seemed so rude. That was when the panic started to kick in. Alyssa felt her heart rise into her throat and had to swallow to make the feeling go away.
The little green-eyed Who began to search her mind frantically for an idea; something that would solve her problem and make all of this go away. The Mayor would think she was ungrateful if she didn’t get him anything and would probably hate her for the rest of his life, but where was she supposed to get a gift on such short notice? But she didn’t have time to think. Alyssa decided she had better first get into town and there was only one way to do that without being noticed. She jogged to the balcony and jumped over the railing; landing safely on the roof of another building that she knew to be an old flower shop, Alyssa looked out over the town.
What was she supposed to do? She’d only know the Mayor for a few months and had no idea what he wanted. Plus, she wasn’t exactly rich. What kind of daughter was she? It was practically a law that children had to get their parents one of the most sentimental gifts possible and there was no way Alyssa could manage that. She didn’t even know what sentimental was. So there Alyssa sat, legs over the edge of the building with her gaze wandering from one end of the town to another in silence. There didn’t seem to be a single thing that the Mayor would want or need from her. How on earth would she ever find something in only a few hours?
She pushed herself off the roof and landed on a rather quiet part of the street. Very few Whos were out this early, but the stores were open and Alyssa was ready to do whatever she had to when it came to finding this gift. Store after store she visited and store after store she left empty handed. Why was this so hard? Alyssa wouldn’t give up though. This was her new dad after all and he deserved something special.

Morning turned to dusk in what seemed like a matter of minutes. Alyssa had continued her search without rest and now sat on the front steps with her face hidden behind her hands. Nothing. She’d spent the entire day searching and had come up without a single thing despite her work. Now it was far to late for her to do anything else. She would just have to go inside and face the music.
“Alyssa? What are you doing out here?” Alyssa jumped in shock when she heard her father’s voice. He couldn’t have found her at a worse time. The Mayor sat down beside her on the steps; his smile fading into concern. “Where have you been all day? Sally and I have been worried sick.” Very slowly, Alyssa met his gaze; eyes watering slightly. This was it. She began to explain her day as calmly as she could; keeping in every detail she could remember and telling him about how hard she’d tried to get him the perfect gift. “And when I couldn’t find anything, I came home….I’m sorry.” She finished with a sigh and turned away in shame. There. She’d told him everything and now just had to wait for him to make a response.
Silence followed as the Mayor thought about what she’d said. Now Alyssa knew he hated her. Parents didn’t just go quiet after a confession like that unless they were upset or about to scream in your face. She felt like such a failure.
But to her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a warm embrace. She was completely confused and didn’t move for a moment; taking in the feeling of his warm body holding her close, and the sound of his breathing. What was going on? Alyssa had expected him to yell or walk away, but instead he seemed to be happy with her. “I don’t understand….” she whispered. The Mayor pulled back and motioned toward the sky which was burning in an array of different colors. Above them, the sun was setting behind the houses; covering the sky in pastel reds, oranges, yellows, and dark blue clouds that seemed to be slowly fading into the horizon. It really was beautiful. “You got me the most perfect gift I could ask for. A nice sunset with the most beautiful daughter a father could hope for.”
Alyssa grinned and leaned her father’s arm. “Happy Birthday Dad.”