“Dad.”

A dark-haired man with gray highlights looked up from the piles of fabric he calmly folded by the woodstove. He sat on the oak floor with his legs crossed, while nodding his head softly at me. His eyes reflected the sparkling fire beside him and his mouth formed a gentle smile. I sat down on my knees opposite him, took up some white fabric from the floor and started to fold it. I looked back at the man again who had resumed to his work, not questioning what I wanted or why I was there.

You could hear the fire sparkle and the cold wind blowing through the wall, nothing else.  It was exactly like I loved it, and I didn´t want it to end, so I folded the fabric slowly and carefully to save every precious second. I was truly happy at that moment, knowing that I still had a home and family that loved me, and I loved them.

I realize that I had paused in the moment, starring down on the fabric that I held softly in my embrace, when a warm hand landed on mine. I looked up with curious eyes and faced the man whose smile radiated warmth and kindness, that no one else could. He knew that I had something on my mind, but he didn´t force me to spit it out. I was thankful for that. But, I needed to ask. I swallowed once before I took the piece of fabric in my hands to the rest of it in the pile on the floor. I took my brown hair behind my ears and my hands rested on my knees.

“Dad. I want to ask you something.” I shortly said, pulled me slowly nearer him and took his hands in mine.

“Yes.” He simple answered, nodded at me and hugged my hands tighter.

It was hard to form any words, I knew it would hurt him and I didn´t want it to do. I my dry lips and shifted my eyes nervously around the room before I decided to take charge. “I know you have said that I can´t go to town, but–“

“Stop. No need to continue, I don´t need to hear any buts.”  His voice sounded steady and determined. He took away his hands from mine and changed his gaze back to the fabrics that still hadn´t been fold yet and continued what he did before.

“Dad, please listen. I really want to visit the town, find friends and have some fun. I turn twenty next week, see it as a birthday present.” I felt frustrated, wrinkling my eyebrows as I tried to take his hands once more but failed.

He stopped what he did and looked deep into my eyes. “Don´t ever think about that.” The conversion was over, it was no idea to fight back. But I couldn´t think of anything else then that he destroyed my chances to have a life outside this house and forest. I was stuck, and at that moment nothing else was more important. I backed away a few steps and continued to help him fold the rest of the fabrics, in silence.

“I´m home.” A man´s voice echoed from the backdoor. “And I think I have surpassed myself this time.” The footstep moved against us. A younger man with a muscular body shape and chestnut hair could be seen in the doorway to the kitchen. He held a brown, big deer in his embrace, showing it of proudly. He looked at me first with a quick smile, before he landed his eyes on the old man. “See, the biggest yet this month.” He lifted it easily with one hand in front of him.

“Good job, Jungkook.” The old man answered and gave him an approval nod. The younger boy grinned happily, sticking out his tongue out at me. I snorted and did the same back to him.

Suddenly, a knock could be heard, and our eyes shifted to the door.

“I will take it.” The old man sighed and started to raise his body up, with help from his hand on one of his knees and the other on the floor. We followed the man´s limping walk from behind. When he reached the door, he opened it just a few centimeters, just so he could see outside. I could hear a deep voice from outside that didn´t belong to the old man, but I couldn´t tell what it said. The man looked back at us from the door over his shoulder and waved one of his hands behind his back.

At that moment something in his eyes changed. They were no longer sparkling or determined. It was almost like pure fear suddenly washed over him, but I couldn´t tell what he wanted. The man waved his hand once more behind his back when he turned his gaze to the person outside the house, when a hand suddenly grabbed mine and a flew up from the floor and a small cry escaped my mouth. The one that dragged me through the living room and kitchen was no one other then Jungkook. He opened the backdoor and he lifted me up in his embrace, that just for some seconds ago held the big deer. He jumped up on the nearest branch and ran through the trees. I held a steady grab around his waist while trying to look back at the house we came from.  I could almost already not see it, trees started to block the view, when suddenly something caught my eyes. Smoke. Something was burning at the direction we came from.

My mouth dropped, like my heart. “Stop. Please stop.” I plead. “We can´t leave dad alone.” I started to cry and punched his chest, everything to make him stop. “We can´t leave him!” The tears shoot out from my eyes and it felt like it would never stop.

“I´m sorry.” His voice shook a little as he took one of his hands on my forehead. “You will eventually understand.”   

Understand? Understand what? I looked at him confused and scared as we dashed through the forest. His palm was still resting on my forehead when I suddenly started to feel dizzy and sleepy. Eventually my eyes closed and that was the last thing a remembered.