Lisa was an orphan that was adopted by two foreigners to be part of their family. She used to stay on a small poor village in Daegu that was often visited by Non-government organizations. Her dreamy eyes caught her foster parents' attention, that's why she ended up growing up on Australia. Miles away from her birth place.
Going back in fifteen years ago, Lisa had her stained white shirt while her other hand has a small shovel full of dirt while another has bag full of crops. She rushed to her own house, the home where her dead immigrant parents used to stay.
"I've got potatoes!" Lisa shouted. She's only seven years old and most of the time, she forgets that her parents died. Her coping mechanism was to keep them alive in her memory and to other people, it seemed that she was having a hard time to distinguish a memory into the current reality.
"Ma? Pa?" She shouted once again.
Her footsteps can be heard against the muddy floor.
"Ma?" No answered, a very unusual thing for the household, as per Lisa's memory.
"Pa!" Lisa shouted in panic. Then suddenly, after seeing the two dusty plates on the wooden table, as if they were waiting for her parents to use it, Lisa remembered how long her parents were gone. One year to be exact, and those plates had been there for the similar time.
She started to cry. She's a kid and no parents are around to look after her. She can't accept it. It's too painful to accept it.
"Lili?" A voice suddenly called her and Lisa run at the corner of their small house while her tears were continuously rolling into her cheeks.
"Lili!" It was Irene. Her tone was worried.
"Lili, it's me! Please come to me." Irene begged.
"Lili, I'm not leaving until you show me your face." Irene said softly.
"I miss my parents!" Lisa shouted in pain.
Irene had a clue what direction to take, although the house was small, it was too dark in there since Lisa didn't lit any candle.
Once Irene took the turn to where Lisa was, the younger kid suddenly run away. And Irene knew where she was exactly going so she removed her worned out sandals and went after her.
"Be careful! Please don't run, you know I'll still be able to catch you!" Irene shouted as she step on the twigs that hurts her feet.
"Go away!" Lisa shouted and Irene slowed down a little after hearing that.
"You are not my parents, so go away because I don't want to see you!" Lisa shouted once more and Irene went back to chase her.
After few minutes running on the forest, the serene sound current of the river welcomed her. It was Lisa's escape. That sound make her sleepy.
"Lisa." Irene mumbled. She sighed in relief when she saw Lisa stopped running and stood there with wide arms while standing. As if she was telling the river to take her.
"Don't runaway like that. You might get trip and hit your head." Irene scolded her lightly.
"I'm sorry, unnie." Lisa started to sob, she softened when she turned her head and saw Irene. She didn't mean to say those things. If anyone had love Lisa after her parents, it would be Irene. She took care of her as best as she can even if she's only sixteen when Lisa's parents passed away.
"It's okay. I understand." Irene's smile made Lisa at ease. It's one of the things that Lisa loves about her unnie.
They sat at their usual spot, the edge of the unfinished little wooden bridge.
