Candles against the sun

"I failed as a father." Wallace sighed, pulling Shera out of her thoughts.

She looked at the elderly man in confusion. "Grandpa, what are you saying? It was not your fault."

"I know. But as a father, I shouldn't have watched my daughter make the wrong decisions and done nothing. I should have dragged her by her hair if I had to, as long as it saved her." He looked out through the window, seeming to be lost in his own world. A long spell of silence followed, neither he nor Shera let out a peep. The only sound in the air was the crackling of wood pieces as they burnt in the small, white stone fieplace.