“Over time, I changed. Over time, my memories fade. Over time, everything decays. That one moment, cherish, or be gone, forever and always.”

Tiffany looked at the little clock by her bedside.

Tick tock, tick tock and it was already seven o’clock.

She turned to her side, sighing and grabbed her throbbing head. The hangover was real, but it wasn’t enough to stop her from thinking. Problem was, she did not want to think. The more she thought about it, the further her heart sank into the deep dark canyon lurking inside her, so deep that she wouldn’t be able to crawl out of. The canyon was dreadful and suffocating. She couldn’t breathe or move, but only helplessly listen to the screams and wails of her heart, echoing infinitely until it drew her insane.

She gazed out the window.

The sky was dark, darker than usual. Thick thunderous clouds were looming above the town, ready to rein hell. The weather would no doubt exacerbate to an even rougher climate than before. Normally she would be wondering what the hell was happening to the skies; they looked like they would crumble apart, but she couldn’t give a damn now, not in the predicament that she was in now.

There were only a few lonely stars twinkling together in the vast space above. The moon was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s your queen, soldier stars?”

She got off her bed and went into her tiny little bathroom, got herself dressed into a brown top and jeans, and proceeded to leave the room. The house was quiet. She could see Jessica busy completing her homework in her own room, her door was wide open again, but there was no sign of the other girl. Yuri must have been still outside, playing a fool or something.

Tiffany walked downstairs and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. The kitchen was the most abandoned part of the house, yet it was the cleanest. None of the girls cooked, or knew how to, so this part was practically abandoned. The two-year-old stove was still wrapped with the plastic as it first came in. Frankly, Tiffany felt embarrassed that in a house full of totally marriageable girls, neither of them possessed the skills of a chef. They would usually put up a lame excuse that they had no time for cooking.

She saw a fresh carton of beer stacked in a corner at the back. It must be Yuri’s. She grabbed the jug of cold water and poured some into her cup, sipping it thirstily. Despite the incoming winter, she still enjoyed a cold glass of water to quench the thirst from excessive drinking. Her brain froze a little, but she shook it off. At least it numbed the hangover. She then grabbed her slippers from the small brown cupboard at the foot of the back door and left.

Despite how scary the skies looked, it was snowing. Little pallets of white ice were slowly dancing down the skies, swaying gracefully with the night gusts, some landing gently on her brunette hair. If she was in a better mood, she would have felt like a Disney princess, where the magical land blizzards around her, waiting for the handsome prince. But no, she was definitely not in the best of dispositions.

Her slippers crunched the thin layer of snow gathering on the small sidewalk beside the main road, which was deserted. No cars were in sight. This was the typical quiet nights in the suburbs of the Yume Settlement. She strolled down the peaceful aisle of houses, of which all had the same standard structure and shape. None of them renovated the original foundation, only some threw over a fresh coat of paint. Most of the houses were lighted up, but only a few inhabited families. Most of them were students.

Tiffany pushed the door open and walked inconspicuously into the bar. Like the rest of the town, there weren’t many people in the bar either. The regular old man, Mister Frendericks, two guys that she didn’t recognize, and an elderly lady sitting alone in the corner were the only ones enjoying their drinks of pleasure.

“What can I get you this time, young lady?”

“Night, Dave,” Tiffany replied and sat on the stool at the counter, “I’ll have my regular.”

“Tiffany,” Dave sighed, “You may be good for my business, but you’re no good for yourself, you know that?”

“I didn’t come for advice on life, Dave. Just give me my regular and I’ll be on my way.”

“Alright, lady. You the boss,” Dave nodded and grabbed a bottle of vodka off the counter. He popped the tip off and poured the liquor into Tiffany’s cup. She raised the glass up in cheers, of which seemingly looked bitter. She drank it all down in a gulp and signalled for the next.

“Woah, slow it down, hoss.”

Tiffany gulped down the next glass in one shot and stared into space.

“Another one?”

“No, Dave. Enough for me tonight.”

“Really? Turning over a new leaf? I’m glad.”

“Hah. Yeah right,” Tiffany stood up.

The bar was always quiet. People did not usually talk. They just drank and keep drinking until they pass out. The ambience was just right; dim candle lights flickered to illuminate the silent bar, with nothing but the gentle crackles of the flames burning out the candles to accompany the clings and clangs of the glasses. It was kind of sad to see these people out here, drinking out their sorrows, but then she was of one of them too. She wondered what might have pushed them over the edge.

Maybe the cool air outside will clear her mind. She pushed open the door, walked out being greeted by the chilly breeze…

…and slammed into someone on the sidewalk.

“Yo dude. Watch where you’re going--- Hey… Tiffany!?”

“Oh. Yuri.”

“Woah, what are you doing out here?”

Yuri’s eyes shifted to the bar Tiffany just walked out of and narrowed her eyes at her, “Are you drunk?”

“No, I’m not. I drank a couple of glasses, that’s it. What are you doing out so late?”

“Me? I had to handle some bull my parents are facing.”

“Weren’t your parents divorced?”

“Yep, Tiffany, three times. Today was the fourth. I gave up on the two idiots. They came all the way here just to tell me that, and they didn’t even have a proper conversation with me. They stood and stared and argued with each other the whole time, like I was a statue or something.”

“Hmm.”

“Really? That’s all you gonna say, Tiffany?”

“Life isn’t complete without problems.”

“Wow. You really are a comforting friend, you know that?” Yuri sighed.

“Let’s take a walk then.”

“Where to?”

“You’ll see.”

Tiffany took point with a very curious Yuri following swiftly behind. They took a fork in the road and headed to the lake. The path was surrounded by trees; thick trees. The nightshades in the trees made some really strange bird noises, not the calm and relaxing one, but the shrill and high-pitched tone. Something must have spooked them. Perhaps it was the strange weather.

“Why are we going to Maiden’s Tears? It’s nightfall, and it gets creepy around the lake here when the sun goes down.”

“You afraid, Yuri?”

“What? Heck no.”

“Right,” Tiffany retorted, her feet scraping against the pavement walkway carved around the lake. The water was bleak black from the lack of moonlight. It wasn’t much of scenery or something great of sight to behold, but it was the best Yume Settlement could offer, so the people had to make do.

“Have you packed your stuff yet, Tiffany?”

“Pack?”

“Yeah. We’re headed for Florence in four days. Did you actually forget about it? Seriously!? How could you forget that!? I’ve been looking forward to it the entire week!”

“Yuri.”

“Yeah? Yeah, what?”

“Calm your .”

“Oh, shut up!”

“By the way, why is the new girl coming with us?”

“Who? Taeyeon? I don’t know, Tiff. Jessica said she’s alright. So why not?”

“Hmm.”

“Stop giving me that response.”

“Hmm.”

“… you’re incurable.”

They had the entire lake to themselves. They walked a few rounds circling the lake and there was not a single soul that crossed paths with them. This town was way too quiet. The winter was on its way, trivially unleashing its tiny minions of snow down to the surface, but it didn’t really feel cold. The surface of the lake became habitat to the falling snow, gathering in shambolic patterns, stirring slowly with trivial waves of the stagnant lake.

“There’re plenty of ghost stories about this lake,” Tiffany began muttering solemnly.

“Uh uh. I don’t want to know.”

“You sure? These urban legends seem pretty true and logical.”

“Yep, I’m sure. Hell-to-the-no.”

“It’s good to know, Yuri. Like one time-”

“Stop!”

“There was this lady that slipped on ice around that corner of the lake,” Tiffany pestered forward, “She drowned and apparently she froze together with the lake. It was winter, you see. So, her corpse had not been found until the ice had completely thawed. It was said that the essence of her spirit was also trapped within that block of ice, unable to be free. By the time the river turned to liquid, her spirit had already made residence here.”

“Oh my god…”

“So, sometimes, she would try to climb out of the lake at the same place where she slipped and fell. It usually would be past midnight, when people sometimes see an apparition of woman in white, desperately trying to climb out, only to scream and fall back in. So… if you suddenly hear a sharp scream and a splash in the waters…”

“OKAY, ENOUGH!” Yuri burst, “Look at these goosebumps. Look at them! LOOK AT THEM! Enough!”

Tiffany gave a weak chuckle and sat down on a bench. Yuri took a breath and joined her. They stared at the lake quietly, reflecting the ambient lightings into a rippled distortion. Perhaps it signified the state of their thoughts. No one knew as to why there were even ripples on a stagnant lake where no fish could even survive. Perhaps the earth was slowly opening up beneath, releasing air bubbles into the water.

“You okay?” Tiffany asked.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“Well, I asked you first,” Tiffany gave a smug grin.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been through this my whole childhood. Sometimes I wish they would just make up their damn mind whether to