Paper Lilies | Jeong Yunho

01

I walked around the darkening afternoon, unsure of where I am heading to. I look down and kick the stones that reaches my wandering feet. After coming up of a location in my mind, I immediately raise my head to see where I was.

Oh, perfect. Just a few more blocks.

I started to walk faster, the directions already imprinted at the back of my head.

Left, right, straight, left, straight. Here I am.

I've always come here everytime I felt like I wanted to be alone. The soft breeze of the air in this place is like a comfort song to my ears. I never really had much friends. Well, I did, but obviously it didn't turn out well because I was as they say "a loud annoying kid who never stops talking about her boring interests."

And so, I just let them be and became a silent person ever since.

I sat at the top of the bridge, dangling my feet at the edge as I place my school bag beside me. I opened it just as I hear a small meow at my right. Tilting my head, I smile as I see a ginger cat coming closer to me. I hurriedly took the blue tupperware inside my bag before closing it and opened the container. I slide the tupperware to the cat before lifting up my feet from the edge and crossing them. I watch the little animal eat the mashed potato and carrots that I had purposely left uneaten.

As the cat continues to eat, I opened my bag again to pull out my almost full sketchbook and precious pencil that I had been keeping for years.

As I close my bag again, I flipped my book to a clean page as I started to trace my pencil around it.

"Meow."

I dart my head to the ginger cat as I saw that she had clean the whole tupperware. I close my sketchbook, taking the tupperware and covering it before placing all my stuff in my bag.

"Meow."

The cat nudges my hand, licking my wrist while looking at me. I chuckle at her before lifting her up as I sit at the edge of the bridge again, placing her on my lap. Another reason on why I like this place is because one side of the bridge faces the direction where the sun sets.

"I guess we missed the sunset again, Riri."

Me and Riri always sit at the bridge to watch the sunset after I feed her, but school had been quite hectic that I always arrive here late. Riri meows back at me before she curls herself more on my knee length skirt.

We both stayed in our position for a few more minutes when I suddenly felt a cold chilly breeze past through my face and neck. I look down to see Riri trying to find warmth on my lap.

"Oh no, are you cold?"

Just when I asked, Riri answers back with a little meow. I open my bag again to find anything that could warm her up and see the red scarf that I had finished knitting yesterday. I pulled it out, closing the bag again before wrapping the scarf around Riri. She seems to relax a bit as she feels the warmth of the knitted yarn around her. I sigh before repeatedly rubbing my hands on my bare arms to find any warmth for myself.

"Are you planning to freeze yourself to death?"