Dukong & Totoro

~Some things, will just live on~

Taeyeon stirred. The breeze flitted in through her open window, the curtains bellowing in a spectacular showcase of wave-like motions, causing flashes of light to splatter across the room. Groaning, Taeyeon turned over to her side, snuggling further into the comfort of her blankets. The warmth of her bed lulled her softly back to sleep and she slowly drowsed off into her own dreamland.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open.

It was quiet.

The only noise in the entire house was the breath of the wind entering through her open window, winding around her as if it was taunting her.

The house was way too quiet.

Taeyeon strained her ears to listen for a sound, any sound that could signal the presence of another person in the house.

Nothing.

The melodic chirping of a bird wafted in the air, a harmonious song, yet for some reason chilling Taeyeon to the bone.

Something was wrong.

She sat up stiffly and looked around. Taeyeon tensed on reflex, ready to lash out at any suspicious movement. Her eyes scanned the room, eventually landing on a lone table directly opposite her. The mirror above the table pictured a disheveled Taeyeon peeking back at herself, silently observing the surroundings. Cocking her head to the side, she scrutinized the table intently before she realized what was missing.

Her dukong.

Taeyeon panicked and jumped out of bed, scrambling across the room to stand in front of the table. She traced the spot where she had placed the dukong, before ducking under the table to see if it had somehow dropped. Frantically, she searched the entire room for her special soft toy, only to find nothing. With her heart pounding furiously, she ran a hand through her hair in desperation as she stared intently into space, trying to recall any clues to where it was. Her dukong had disappeared without a trace.

Without a trace…

A sense of foreboding rose within Taeyeon, causing her to spin around quickly and run to the bedroom door, and stepped out into the hallway.

“Fany?”

A heavy silence hung in the air, even with Taeyeon’s voice echoing through the house. Fear started to build up heavily in her and Taeyeon frowned, scanning the hall way leading to the living room.

The house had a queer feeling to it. It felt much colder than before and had a certain emptiness which Taeyeon could not fathom. The spick and span hallway seemed to be more of an open mouth, beckoning her to her death. Taeyeon suddenly stiffened as a thought struck her, eyes bulging out and her heart stopped.

Oh God.

Taeyeon jolted out of her daze and ran to Tiffany’s room, throwing open the door with such ferocity that the door nearly bounced off its hinges, ready to march in. She stopped short and a trembling hand reached up to cover as she stared beyond the door.

Tiffany’s room was a complete mess, the blinding pink objects were now scattered all over the room, her books littered the floor and her table overturned. Tiffany was nowhere to be seen amongst the chaos. Horrified, Taeyeon took a few steps in, taking in the scene before her, trying to absorb the whole situation. She pivoted on her heel, only to see one object perfectly in place, a striking contrast to the rest of Tiffany’s ransacked room. Taeyeon gasped and staggered back, her eyes wide in fear as she shook her head furiously in denial.

No.. no no no no!

A tattered Totoro sat solemnly on the bed. Stained with blood and its head halfway ripped off, it stared blankly at Taeyeon, as if blaming her for its state.

Taeyeon staggered over to Tiffany’s beloved totoro, the one she carried everywhere, the one Taeyeon remembered carrying home to surprise her with on her birthday. She slowly reached out, eyes wide in fear, turning the totoro around as she observed it. She gasped.

An image of a flame was drawn on the Totoro’s back with fresh blood.

Oh god.

They found her.

Taeyeon’s heart palpitated wildly and her nostrils flared as she let out a frustrated yell. Crying out for Tiffany, she searched the entire room, trying to deny the fact that she had been taken. Breathing heavily, she shut her eyes to compose herself before snatching the Totoro and sprinting out of the room. Her abilities took over, assisting her as her speed doubled and her muscles tensed, tucking the Totoro firmly under her arm as she sped into the unknown.

The message was clear.

Tiffany was in grave danger.

Taeyeon pulled out her car keys as she dashed to her car, unlocking it just as she stepped in. She strapped the Totoro to the front seat and started the engine, hearing it roar to life as it growled, sharing Taeyeon’s anger and desperation to find her Tiffany. Stepping on the gas pedal, she fiddled with her earpiece as she waited impatiently for the person to pick up the call.

“Hello?”

“Hyoyeon, Tiffany’s in trouble. Locate her quick.”

“Wait wha-“

“They took my dukong too. The only thing they left behind is Totoro, battered quite badly.”

She winced and glanced at the pitiful sight of Tiffany’s beloved stuff toy, before turning back to the road. There was a silence at the end of the line; the only sound present was the rhythmic breathing of Hyoyeon.

“… They found her so fast?”

“Yeah, so don’t waste time. Quick locate her. Inform the others and send the location to me.”

“But-“

“QUICK!”

Taeyeon screamed in frustration, her hands slamming on the steering wheel as she came to stop due to a traffic light. She swore loudly as various scenarios flashed through her head, driving her to the brink of insanity.

“I’m on it. And Taeyeon?”

“Yeah?”

“Hurry.”

Taeyeon was then faced a blank dial tone. Gritting her teeth, she pressed the gas pedal with all her might as the speedometer crept slowly up. Taeyeon gripped the steering wheel with one hand as she sped through the roads of Seoul, and the other hand arranged her hand phone in front of her.

The hand phone beeped once and the location appeared on the screen. Taeyeon in a breath and her heart squeezed painfully, making her gasp. She shoved her phone down quickly, not wanting to see the picture. She knew how to go there by heart anyway.

Why there?

Taeyeon pulled up to an empty house at the edge of Seoul. Unbuckling the stuff toy, she scrambled out of the car and ran up the path towards the door. The house was exactly the same as before and she could almost feel the presence of her parents as they milled around the house, and the young Taeyeon frolicking in the garden, happily flitting about. Memories invaded her mind, overwhelming her and she shook her head furiously to clear