The snow has started

Snow is falling so slowly

The wind is blowing kindly

It is whistling pass by me

The cold seeping through me so slightly

I am so cold deep inside me

Wanting to find warmth deeply

A deep cold has started

Walking on the street, carried his backpack behind his back, a thick knitted hat on his head, a muffler on his ears, a woolen scarf around his neck and that covered half his face as well and, a leather gloves on his hands. Dongho looked just like anyone else covered to the hilt. It was the coldest day ever in record. Everyone was hurrying along, was trying to get out of the cold, and trying to get to where they were suppose to be heading, to each of their own destination.

"Oh, shoot, It's so cold,  shoooo" Breathe through his mouith,  "I don't think I wore enough beneath my jacket, brrrr" Dongho head down, his arms closer to his body and shoulders hunched to his neck, walked faster. He buried his hands in his pockets.

The walk should only take a few minutes, but to Dongho it felt like hours, came from the bus stop to walk to their house.

"Hay Dongho," Someone called out to him. Dongho looked to his left to see who was calling him, and found Mr. Park waving him over.   Dongho looked at the street left and right for vehicles before he crossed the street to Mr. Park's store.

He removed his hands from his pocket and and lowered his scarf to his neck and bowed his head, "Good afternoon, Sir." Dongho greeted. Then, returned his hands in his pockets, looked at Mr. Park inquiringly.

Smiling, "I was waiting for you. Your aunt was asking me to reserve for her a few things when they come, and there was a delivery just awhile ago.  So, I thought, instead of your aunt, you can carry them home with you, when you come home from school."

Smiling back, "Yes, Sir, I'd take them."

Placed a hand on Dongho's shoulder, "Just tell your aunt, I have a list of the items and she can pay me later."

Bowed his head, "Yes, Sir."

Dongho waited outside the store while, Mr. Park went inside the store and placed inside a plastic bag the items Dongho's aunt wanted. Then, returned back out to the front of the store and gave the bag to Dongho. "Here you go."

Bowed his head, "Thank you, Sir." Took out his hands from his pockets and took the plastic bag from Mr. Park.

"Go on, it is a cold day. Better hurry home, so you can get warm." Mr. Park touched Dongho on the shoulder again.

Bowed his head, "Thank you, Sir. Goodbye." Dongho turned around. Dongho's head turn left and right looked for vehicles before he crossed the street once again. Once on the other side, turned back to look at Mr. Park, waved his free hand and slightly bowed his head, and Mr. Park waved back and sliightly bowed his head, too and then, Dongho turned to walk to go towards his home. He covered his face once again with the woolen scarf and put his free hand inside a pocket.

There were a few vehicles that drove pass, so Dongho was walking on the side of the road.

Soon, Dongho has reached his home. He entered the front door, which was not locked, because he knew his aunt and uncle were home. His two older cousins will be home soon, too.

Dongho lived with his aunt and uncle since he was  three. His mother, who was the only family he got, died in an accident. Dongho did not know who his father was, his mother never told him about him. He was too young at that time.  His aunt, did not know either, who was a stepsister of his mother took him in. And treated him as one of their own. And his cousins treated him like a younger brother.

Dongho placed the plastic bag down for a moment and removed his shoes in the front door, and then wore his slippers. Then took the plastic bag once again, and headed towards the kitchen. On the way,  he removed his hat and mufflers while walking, then removed his scarf as well.  And  then, stopped and placed them on the backseat of a chair in the living room, and then placed down the groceries and removed his gloves as well and placed them on top oh his things, and then proceeded to the kitchen.

Dongho found his aunt sitted in the dining area stairing at the wall. Her back to him. His uncle was nowhere to be seen in the kitchen. Dongho thought, 'maybe, uncle was in the bedroom.' And proceeded to carry the bag towards the counter table.

Bowed his head, when he reached the side of his aunt, but did not looked at his aunt directly, his back to his aunt walked towards the counter table, "Good afternoon, aunt. Got some groceries from Mr. Park. He said, these were the ones you wanted him to reserve for you." Dongho placed the bag down beside the counter table and then, turned around to look at his aunt, "Mr. Park said . . " Dongho stopped in his sentence, when he looked at his aunt.

Dongho was suprised at the face of his aunt, who was full of tears. Silently crying.

"Aunt?" Dongho whispered, approached her tentatively. His heart started beating fast. He did not like the look of his aunt.

"Aunt, what happened? What is wrong?" Dongho asked in a soft voice.

'What happened' Dongho asked to himself. 'Did something happened?'

She looked as if she did not hear him, but was lost in thought crying.

Dongho lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, "Aunt? Are you alright?"

She looked as if she was coming out from a trance, looked at Dongho. "Dongho?"

"hmmmm" Dongho answered, and did not want to spook her.

She hugged Dongho, her arms going around by his waist to his back, hugging him tightly, and her head on his chest and started crying ernestly. "Dongho . . Dongho . . "

Dongho placed his hands around her head, hugging her to him.  Then, had one of his hand go down her back massaging her slowly.

"Aunt? What is wrong? Is something wrong? Did something happened?" Dongho asked in a soft voice.

She kept crying. Dongho did not asked again for a while, but continued to hold her head to him  and kept massaging her back.

'What could have happened to make my aunt to cry like this.' Dongho thought. 'Did someone get into an accident? Someone is sick? What? Who?'

'Are we being thrown out of our home? Did uncle loose his job? What?' Dongho kept thinking.

"Did something happened to one of my cousins? Or to uncle?' What? What else is there to think?' Dongho thought. 'Is something wrong with my aunt?'

She was starting to quiet down. Dongho then asked, "Aunt? What is wrong?"

"Oh," Taking a deep breath and exhaled slowly, " oh" (she whimpered) "oh . .Dongho .. it's . .it's . . your uncle . . (crying) huhuhuihu. . ooohh . . your uncle, Dongho . . your uncle . ."

"What happened to uncle?" Dongho was nervous and apprehensive to hear the answer. His heart was really beating fast. Tears was slowly forming in his eyelids. He was afraid to hear the answer.

"He has a mass in his abdomen, (crying and sniffling) huhuhuhu . . he needs an operation . . (crying and sniffling ) huhuhuhu  . ." she stopped and continued to cry.

"A mass? What does that mean?" Dongho said outload. "Is it . . ." Did not finished what he was about to say. Afraid to say the word.  Dongho thought of the word, but did not want to say it outload, as if afraid, it might come true.

Dongho felt a cold chill run through him. Tears was coming unchecked. "Un . .cle" Dongho whispered.

Dongho hugged his aunt more to him now with both hands, and held her head more tightly with his head on top of her head, crying ernestly, whimpering. And, his aunt cried again, joining Dongho.

They were crying together, lost in their own thoughts.