Sock Puppets : Liu Yangyang

Chapter 2: Bracelets and coffee

Y A N G Y A N G

July 20, 2006

'It's... beautiful.'

I gently caressed the cracked plastic beads on the bracelet.

'My sister made it for you,' Neyza said. 'Because you're my friend. But she still doesn't think you're real.' 

'No one ever thinks I'm real until they see me.'

'I always thought you were real. I just didn't know you looked like a clown.'

'Little kid, I will throw this bracelet into the pond-'

'Don't do that!' she yelped. 'My sister took a lot of ef-fort to make it.'

I glanced at the bracelet again. No one ever gave me gifts anymore. Except for those Satan cult people who's offerings somehow winded up with me. Why would you confuse me for Satan? And why would you assume he liked burnt fingers?

A thank you felt very inadequate, though. So I made a flower the color of pure snow take shape in my hand.

'For your sister,' I told Neyza. She held it gingerly.

'What is it?' She whispered, as though the flower might wake up if she spoke too loud.

'A chrysanthemum. It symbolizes... well sometimes it symbolizes me, but that's not important. It's also a symbol of long life.'

'Thank you, Mister Death!'

'Yang.Yang.'

'Thank you, Yangyang! Saphyr will love it!' She was grinning from ear to ear.

All of a sudden, two figures in white materialized next to us. Neyza yelped, climbing onto my lap. 'What are they?!'

The brown-haired one chuckled. 'Hi! I'm Sad!'

'And I'm Happy!' the pink-haired one joined.

'And together we are...'

'Sappy!'

I made a gagging noise. 'Sappy? Really ?'

'Hater,' Happy grumbled. 'Well if you don't like that, I'm Jaemin and this is Jeno. Or Joy and Sorrow. Whatever you like.'

'So you're like Mister Death?' Neyza asked.

'I'm Yang- never mind. Yes, they're like me.'

'Your joy, my love,' Jaemin explained, 'Was so intense that you invoked me. Naturally, I dragged Jeno along, because I never go anywhere without him.'

'Helps keep a balance,' Jeno added.

'Sheesh, kid,' I chided, pushing her off me, 'You really should control your emotions. That's the second spirit you've called since I've known you. That's not normal.'

'Sorry,' she mumbled.

'So everything's okay, then? I left my Americano for this,' Jaemin said.

Jeno smiled, his eyes forming crescents. 'Don't be so grumpy, Jaem, I'll buy you some more.'

Neyza looked utterly confused.

'Sad just told Happy not to be grumpy?'