I found myself wondering in this area again. Leaves were scattered everywhere. The grass has grown a lot. In my point of view, this place is very much abandoned. No one must have loved visiting this place except for the person I missed so much and of course, me.

###

            It is Friday; my father is expected to return from Dubai. I was eager to arrive home early after school.  I run as fast as I could to hasten my arrival. To my surprise, I found myself in an unknown shortcut: the old cemetery. Then, I hear some soft sobs which startled me. I stopped. Then looked around.

            My heart beats so fast that I became deaf of it. Just as I saw a cute little girl.

“Maybe  the  sobs were from her.” I told myself.

            As I felt relieved, I felt a rush of cold sweat on my forehead and streaks of standing hair on my neck.

“What if she’s a ghost?” I heard myself pant as I mouth the words.

            I took a closer look at her. She was familiar. Yes, she was the shy girl who sits three seats apart from me. She who smiles often but talks quite less.

            “She’s crying? But why?”  I heard myself concerned of her well being.

            She has not notice me but I have troubled myself thinking about the reason of her sorrow. And I came home late than usual which caused me to explain a minute or two to my father fresh from Dubai.

            From that day on, I used that route home. And every time I would watch her for sometime while she sing or write something in her notebook. But most of the time, she sobs which makes me feel uneasy.

            The sympathy I have for her grows into fondness and maybe, just maybe, LOVE.

            Yeon Hee seemed normal at school. In fact Yeon Hee is a big fan of Ming Dao. Everyone knows it. It was an accident, during her presentation while her laptop has been idle for about a minute; the screen saver flashed revealing various pictures of Ming Dao. Yet seeing her sob every afternoon, makes me think that she has a big problem. But I still need to find that out.

            One afternoon, I saw something black was lying on the ground nearYeon Hee’s niche place and my favorite route home. It was covered with dried leafs. It is a black notebook and it says that it’s owned by Meilan.

            The very poem or whatever got me intrigued and then read it.

I’ve always love to be living in this wonderful world.

With flowers that amazes me,

Trees that protects me from the great sun,

Moon that makes my night comfortable,

And the stars that give me hope and courage.

I have grown happy and silent.

Time changes so fast, like the wind that passes,

Bubbles that burst, and eyes that blink.

Yet there are things that don’t work as we wish.

I know I need to adopt,

I know I need to brace myself from rapid changes,

And unwanted deaths.

I am weak and I am afraid that it is getting stronger each day.

It makes me crazy that I can’t cope up.

Now something strange is going on and no one believes me

They believe me no more

And it’s frightening me.

What should I do?

Wish you were here or should I go there?

I wanted to rest.

            “I wanted to rest? Weird.” I heard myself comment.

            A noise of steps leading my direction startled me. I hid among the growing bushes leaving the black notebook behind.

            It wasYeon Hee. She seemed looking for something then smiled after seeing the notebook I was reading a while ago.   

            “So it was hers.” I muttered.

            I watched her leave before showing myself. I sit at the niche then reached for something odd. It was a scraped piece of paper. It’s another weird poem from Meilan. From Yeon Hee.

You’re a cloud in a desert

You look so promising

But then you’re disappointing

When you drop not a single rain

You’ll bring joy

Some laughter

And then you’ll change

Or maybe you’ve show your true self

Like a mirror, time showed your true color

You’re not who I thought you are

You’re that fancy earring that fades

Beauty dissolves, dreadful you appear

            Her letters, poem or whatsoever were like clues in a puzzle but I never have it clear. She hated someone. And she wanted to rest.

            I started to move. Then paused for something funny.

            “She is obsessed .” I smiled while staring at the letters carved on the tree.

LOVE MING DAO

            I felt light while thinking the funny thought on my way home. Then I saw Yeon Hee again. I was about to about Ming Dao when her stepfather grabs her.

            “Please I don’t wanna come.” She wailed looking at me intently.

            I just froze at the sight. Then continued walking home when their shadows were eaten by distance.

            The night was cold. Something strange was urging me to go out and find Yeon Hee. The sight just hours ago troubled me. Then the thought provoked me to jump off my window and leave home without permission from my father who grounded me.

            It was already past six but the uneasiness I felt brought me fast to the old cemetery. The stars lit up my way. It’s creepy yet I found strength to continue walking. Then a silhouette of someone familiar was lying on one of the niche. It’s Yeon Hee.

            “She’s fine.”

            I opted to walk back to hide but I noticed something glittery red on her wrist reflected by the moon.

            “It isn’t a blood?” I gasped and hurriedly run her direction.

            The red thing that I saw was flowing from her wrist, and truly, its blood. Yeon Hee’s blood. On impulse, I held her and find my handkerchief to stop the spurt.

            She smiled at me with misty eyes.

            “Thank you but I badly wanted to rest.”

            Speechless, I started to carry her to ask for help but she struggled with her last strength.

            “No one believes me so let me.” This time she is begging me.

            Tears started to swell from my eyes. And words caught buried in my mouth. I obeyed her. Then reached for my cellular phone.

            Darkness, misty and vague sight I managed to fought in order to dial numbers for help. It’s only a matter of minutes I need to save her.

            “Someone’s dying in old cemetery.” I uttered huskily as I heard someone on the other line.

            The phone got battery empty before I speak again.

            The wind is cold but her hands are colder. Intently, she looked at me. Then slowly reached for my face.

            “Do you believe in me?”

            “Yes.”I answered her longing question.

            “I did nothing wrong. He acts weird. He not me.”

            It was unclear to me but I smiled at her and slightly moved my head up gesturing approval.

            “Are you in anyway Ming Dao?”

            “No. But I can be him for you.”

            I saw her smile, laugh and giggle most of time. They were all shallow. But the one that she gave me that night was more heartfelt.   

            Then slowly, the cute little girl who frightened me the first time I entered the old cemetery closed her eyes as my tears slowly reach my chin.

            People came rushing. They all got shocked. Murmurs here and murmurs there. Yena’s mother howling. Two deaths. Something hit me unconscious. The next morning, my father is furious, my mother is crying. And I am behind the cold bars.

 ###

            There’s no single flower. No trace of melted candle. No one bothered to visit her. Not a single soul. For years or maybe a century.

            “Hey! Long time no see.”

            “Yeah.” I answered back.

            “Isn’t it then last place you should visit after sometime there? It’s the place that caused you trouble and she…”

            I waved goodbye not bothering to hear another insult from a former classmate.

            “Funny no one believes both of us.” I thought.

-END-