I remember the first time I ever felt scared, I was having a picnic with my mother in a woodland clearing when I thought it'd be a good idea to explore. At the time I was only 8 and had no idea how thick a forest could be.
I had walked and walked until I finally came to realize I had no idea where I was or how I was going to get back to my mother. I sat down by the foot of a tree and waited as the sky grew dark hoping my mother would come looking for me.....but she never did.
Luckily I had InHyuk, Changho, Jake and Yen to look after me. InHyuk had been the first to find me and although he was only 2 years older than me he looked like a giant compared to my small height.
A gloved hand fell on my shoulder, startling me as thunder spread across the skies.
InHyuk: there you are, now what did I say about running off?
Me: sorry InHyuk, I got curious.
He helped me to my feet and drapped an arm around my shoulder steering me towards where Changho and Jake were standing, both wore masks of anger.
Me: I really didn't mean to run off InHyuk, you believe me, right?
Ten year old InHyuk laughed and smiled,
InHyuk: of course I do.
As we reached changho and Jake everyone froze, there laying on the ground was my mother. I was paralyzed in shock, fear and grief, bit what was most strange is the ash like substance gathered in the shapes of letters next to her body.
______fastforward______
It's been almost 12 years since my mother died and I've not since anything even remotely close to the ash like substance that had covered my mothers body back when I was 8. And yet I will never forget those words written in ash.
