Genre: Angst, College, Romance, Slice of Life

Summary: In the spring of 2000, a mail got delivered to Eunbi. It contains a handful of letters from her once childhood neighbor Sakura, who moved to Australia a few years back. Will these sets of letters reignite the once hidden feelings of Eunbi towards Sakura?

Word Count: 2057

Hashtag: #KkubiFestival_3LettersFromAtmnToSpr

 

Three Letters from Autumn to Spring

 

In the spring of 2000, a mail got delivered to Eunbi. It contains a handful of letters from her once childhood neighbor Sakura, who moved to Australia a few years back. Will these sets of letters reignite the once hidden feelings of Eunbi towards Sakura?

 

A/N: stanzas inside the [ … ] parenthesis are excerpts from the letters 

~~~

 

On a fresh, bright spring day Set on the last Monday of April 2000 The cherry blossoms are on its peak Which gives the city a brilliant tint of pink

 

Now on her 2nd Year In a prestigious Seoul University Kwon Eunbi sailed off To have a fresh new start of a week

 

The blooming blossoms nearby Reminds her of her previous neighbor Sakura is her name Which means “cherry blossoms”

 

As she goes on her journey to school Innumerable flashbacks played on her mind It was the summer of 1988 When it all started

 

Her mind wanders off to somewhere, Leaving behind her beloved portable CD player She quickly paces back to her home And notices a large brown envelope on the mail

 

“For Eunbi,” it says But her time before class is running out Quickly she grabbed her CD player and envelope And ran off to the properties of her university

 

Entering her classroom With pop melodies of Madonna in her ears She’s glad to make it just in time Not realizing the envelope she has been holding on

 

Throughout the day She went on her life as usual It was a relatively chilly afternoon So she decides to hop on a coffee shop

 

Realizing what she has been carrying around She opens up the envelope to see a few letters She takes a sip of her warm espresso And proceeds to read the contents of the envelope

 

Greeting her is a postcard of Sydney House Opera, A kangaroo, and a koala Chilling on a splendid summer day “Greetings from Australia!” it said

 

Her once neighbor flashed her mind for a second Knowing that her whereabouts now are in Australia It’s been almost a decade since she moved out But the cherry blossoms nearby might have a message

 

“To my loving friend Kwon Eunbi, Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul, South Korea” “From your former neighbor, Miyawaki Sakura, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia”

 

She stares at the envelope As her coffee started to get cold “It has been quite a while, Sakura, Thank you for reaching out to me”

 

Inside the parcel contains a handful of letters, A handful of old photographs, A handful of Australian postcards, And a handful of sentiments

 

She takes another sip of her cool coffee And carefully opens the first letter Made from a special type of paper “I was”

 

[ The once lush evergreens Are now becoming bright and warm March marks the beginning of Autumn Where we could finally take a breath of fresh air ]

 

[ The opposite happens to you, Where the once empty trees Are now blooming with such colors To highlight the coming of balmier days ]

 

[ Today, I was just reminded  Of our once innocent years. Why do leaves even grow, When they’ll eventually fall months after? ]

 

[ I ask the universe What did I do in my past life. Just to meet you? I don’t think I deserved this ]

 

[ I ask the universe If we’re so perfect together Why would we be separated? What did I do in my past life? ]

 

[ I ask the universe Why have we met At Least once in our lives? When can we see each other again? ]

 

[ The summer of ‘88 Was such a blessing to me Under the hot humid city, Our interactions cooled us both ]

 

[ Moving to a new country was something I was looking forward to, In the eyes of an 8-year-old Hoping I could have a better life ]

 

[ Back then, You knew that my family was struggling We have to move outside my home country Just to have a better life ]

 

[ When I met you, I knew that you were the one, You accepted me wholeheartedly, And I had you as my first friend in Korea ]

 

[ Remember that cat? Her name is Ivy We were both young I wonder how she’s doing now ]

 

[ Still, living? Still, thriving with her family? Maybe she has gotten old, Or had been buried 6 feet under ]

 

[ I started to attend school On the spring of the following year A wee young foreign girl Quickly got comfortable with the environment ]

 

[ Thanks to you, From 3rd Grade till 6th Grade, I felt like a local And it was fun while it lasted ]

 

The first letter “I Was” Short, yet nostalgic Eunbi teared up a