When I-I am king, dilly, dilly Yo-you shall be queen..."
It was quite late at night. The dead leaves crunched under her feet with each step she took. Yunhee tried to steady her pounding heart by quietly singing to herself as she walked through the eerie silence of the cemetery.
Today being her mother's third death anniversary Yunhee had come to visit and spend some time with her—a ritual that she has been following for the past two years.
But too caught up in her own sorrow, she didn't even realise how much time had passed. And here she was,
All alone in a creepy cemetery in the dead of the night.
Fun, right?
The cold wind whipped through her hair and nipped at her exposed skin. The poor girl was trembling like a leaf, looking like she was on the verge of bawling her eyes out.
And, seemingly out of nowhere, a raven squawked loudly as it stretched its wings and soared past her head from a nearby tree. Startled by the sudden movement and high pitched screech, the girl let out a panicked scream and stumbled backwards, falling flat on her bum.
"Bad, bad birdie! You scared me!!" She wailed loudly, tears running down her cheeks from the force of her fall—glaring at the raven, who stared back at her with nonchalance as if to say, 'Shut up you stupid human child'.
In an attempt to calm down her racing heart, she began taking deep breaths and forcing herself to relax. Sobs gradually being replaced with light sniffles when she sat upright. Gently rubbing her tiny fists against her eyes Yunhee got up, dusted off her skirt and resumed walking like nothing had happened.
She couldn't help but note the pretty flowers that adorned the surroundings. It made the place look a little less scary. The air smelled different, it was a lot more...plantful with the sweet fragrance of the flowers. She inhaled deeply, her lips curving in a slight smile.
Her first smile of the day. Not forced but a genuine one.
Her aimless wanderings led her to a little pond within the cemetery, which was home to a variety of colourful fishes. The moon's reflection on the pond, the gentle swaying of the trees in the wind, and the crickets' chirping were oddly comforting to her. She took a seat on the bench near the pond, enjoying the view in front of her. Shivers ran down her spine as a cool breeze kissed her already flushed cheeks.
Allowing her thoughts to roam freely, her mind eventually drifted back to her mother, Hyejin. Her tears seemed to have no bounds as they chose to make an appearance once more. She had been putting on a brave face for far too long- not wanting anyone to be concerned about her. Not like people cared but still. Yunhee struggled to hold back a sob, but she can't do this anymore...pretending to be alright when she wasn't.
