This is Not My Obituary

I Heard It in The Back Cavern

ZeYu trudged through the muddy and marshy Old Mr.Yi's grounds, sneakers squelching with each and every weighted step the man took. He had his fists balled up in his zip-up jacket pockets, trying to fight the inevitable clammy and coldness that came upon them when he entered this place. It had always scared him, ever since he was a child chasing Hanyu into the back caverns. Looking back on it, their endeavors were extremely dangerous and there were many times the two of them should have been seriously injured.

Now at the age of 25, he convinced himself that the grounds weren't all that scary. But, every other minute or so, he heard the creaks and cracks of things unknown around him.

"I'm not scared." He mouthed a couple hundred times, trying to convince himself of the words.

"Yes you are." The grounds said, feeding Zeyu's imagination. He had remembered hearing the land speak as a child, that being one of the reasons he began fearing the trip to the back caverns. It was a toe curling, stomach churning experience to hear it.

The earth groaned and grumbled under his feet as he heard it again. "You're scared."

"No I'm not." He whispered, closing his eyes to keep the mangles and tangles of the trees, brambles and brush from playing tricks on him, shapeshifting and toying with his mind.

"You're only little ZeYu. You shouldn't be out here." He heard the voice again, this time eerily imitating that of an 11-year-old Hanyu from his memory. "I'm not little. And I'm not scared." He retorted, still keeping his eyes closed for the majority of his journey, never once stopping.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." The grounds mumbled one last time before quieting down and leaving the man alone in a deafening silence. It was thick and dense. ZeYu slowly opened his eyes, light filtering in at a painful speed, pupils dilating hastily.

He was right there. A large, circular opening in the ground laid before him, sealed off with a few boards and a tarp. ZeYu could remember as kids always being told by the grown-ups not to go anywhere near Old Man Yi's grounds. They used to tell them tales of how the ground opened up one day and swallowed a little boy whole.
ZeYu never knew if it were true until he was in the 7th grade and found student records in the high school basement. A student had been claimed by the cavern, but that had been back in the fall of 1948.

"You're not going to find GouGou down there ZeYu." The grounds gurgled back to life as ZeYu tore at the tarp, unveiling the seemingly bottomless pit.

"Then where the hell do I find him?" ZeYu chastised, looking down in the the darkness, a cool, still air hitting his face. The opening stunk of musty, stale earth.

"What the hell are you doing?"

A voice completely separate boomed, scaring ZeYu as he teetered, threatening to fall forwards into the cavern. He breathed heavily as he steadied himself.

"I'm, I'm-" ZeYu stood up from his crouched position and turned to find the voice, not belonging to the grounds.

"Oh my gosh. Shuyang?" He mused, a smile spreading on his face as he spotted a tall figure, maybe a few feet away from him, hands tucked into his jeans pockets, hair long and half tied.
"ZeYu?" The man asked, chuckling as he helped the older away from the earth's opening.

"What are you doing back? Weren't you going to college in Connecticut?" Shuyang looked over the tall man and hardily slapped the older's shoulders. "Yeah, but I heard about GouGou. Eh- Xinlong called me." The taller explained as Shuyang's express dropped.

"Right, GouGou." He repeated sadly. ZeYu looked down and sniffed a bit, feeling terrible about mentioning it.
"Any-anyway. What're your doing out here?" Shuyang asked, trying to brighten his face. It had been hard to do anything since his best friend left him.

"Oh, I was... searching," ZeYu swallowed thickly, "for something."

"For what?" Shuyang probed, poking at Zeyu's collar.
"Well- I don't really know, but-"

"Oh right you hear the- grass- or whatever." Shuyang huffed. "Grounds, the grounds." ZeYu corrected, bringing a smile to the younger's face.

"Well what were 'the grounds' telling you?" Shuyang asked, bringing back a million and one memories about the very same topic. ZeYu used to scare them all with his ability to hear the voice near the Back Caverns.

"Something about-" ZeYu looked up, eyes shifting from Shuyang to the Cavern entrance. "GouGou." He finished shakily.

"What?" Shuyang questioned, a nervous pit forming in his stomach as the words seeped into his brain. The grounds knew about GouGou?

"He's cute." The grounds whispered in Zeyu's ear. "Which one? Shuyang or GouGou?" ZeYu asked back.

Shuyang stared in awe as he watched his old friend carry out a conversation with no one at all.

"Shuyang," ZeYu announced, rubbing his hands together a bit.

"The grounds says you're cute. They wanted you to know because you obviously can't head them."

Shuyang felt his jaw go slack as he listened. He just nodded and decided not to fight with nature.

"Well, all the other guys are at Hanyu's house. I was headed over there when I saw your car parked on the side of the road." Shuyang explained, booking his thumbs in his belt loops and rocking back and forth in his sneakers.

"I was headed there too when I passed this place and all sudden like heard a familiar voice." Zeyu rubbed the back of his neck with a clammy hand.

::::::

"Well look who decided to show up." ZeYu hung out the window of his old, beat up car from high school, a smile on his face as he looked into the garage. A bundle of familiar faces gracing his eyes. "Shut your mouth He Xinlong! You know you're always late!" ZeYu retorted, jumping out of the car and slamming the door shut, not bothering to lock it. ZeYu figured anyone stupid enough to steal it deserved it.
Shuyang followed in suit, slamming the door to the signature red truck they all knew so well. It had been Shuyang's father's who used to deliver groceries for the ladies on Mondays.

It was no wonder each and every woman he delivered to got a certain twinge between their legs upon seeing that red truck, as all the memories of those hot,passionate, steamy Mondays came to their heads. He had slept with almost all of his customers and Shuyang had a few more siblings then he would like to admit.

It didn't help now that he himself drove the horny machine and was an absolute remake of his father from his younger days. The older ladies had gone mad for the young man in recent years and it killed him a little inside when he got whistled at by 50 year-old women he's known since birth. Him and GouGou used to drive the woman silly in this small town.

"Yeah well I was early this time you little shit." Xinlong laughed, getting up from his spot and bringing the two younger into a genuinely loving hug. "It's been too long." He voiced, patting Zeyu's back with a smile.

"Dinner's ready! Hi boys!" Dela wobbled as she held out for Hanyu's hand, finding it steadfast in hers. "Hi Dela!" ZeYu enthused, hugging the small woman. Shuyang smiled crookedly and hugged her as well, relishing in how nice she felt. Shuyang had been one of the ones who was madly in love with Dela when they were kids. He never quite got over her. Hanyu had knocked her up in high school too, marrying her quickly after graduation only for her to miscarry and Shuyang had no chance at all to try and get to her. He didn't mind much anymore though, or so he let on.

"So-" ZeYu started as Hanyu helped Dela back into the house.

"I went to Old Mr. Yi's grounds today."

The whole atmosphere changed as vacant stares were targeted at the tallest.

"Somethings there." He whispered, breathing a bit heavily.

"They told you?" Xinlong asked, stern expression replacing his previous smile. ZeYu only nodded. "I found him there on the way over." Shuyang added.

The room was silent.

"Tomorrow-" Hanyu stared, "after the funeral we'll go."

They all nodded, the orders coming from their default leader. When all went to shit, you listened to Hanyu.