The Echoes Of Autumn | Minseok

Chapter Four

I awoke when I felt something sharp prodding me in my cheek and then suddenly in my eye. I bolted upright to see a little boy giggling at me and soon ran away. My head was pounding and looked around my surroundings where I was now in a familiar park sitting on top of a pile of autumn leaves under a tree.

'How did I get here? I must have stumbled here somehow last night...' I questioned confused in my thoughts.

I pushed myself up from the ground and began to trail out of the park where children were running around giggling. I stumbled onto the busy streets trying to recall what exactly had happened the night before.

As I was flicking through my mind I began to have the oddest feeling. I felt like someone was watching me as I walked. I turned by head looking behind me as I still walked only to bump into someone.

"Minseok! How have you been?" A cheery voice asked.

I looked up to come into eye contact with my friend Jongdae.

"Mhm fine I guess..." I mumbled.

"Are you sure it looks like you have just woken up?" He said pointing to my hair.

I immediately began to flatten it down making me look slightly more presentable.

"I'm confused Minseok...What are you doing out at this time stumbling around? You should be working at the coffee shop!" He exclaimed at me.

I looked at him confused I hadn't worked at that coffee shop for the past two years so what on earth is he talking about?

"Coffee Shop?" I said slowly slightly baffled.

Jongdae began shoving me towards the right direction before pulling away.

"Yes the coffee shop... Now get inside there before you get fired for being late!"

Jongdae was then suddenly running off in the opposite direction waving goodbye leaving me standing in front of the shop. I was about to walk away and head back home when a hand yanked me into the shop.

"You're late! Now hurry up the morning rush will start soon!" I soon recognised it was my old boss who I hadn't even seen in two years and still looked exactly the same. He still had his black hair falling in front of his eyes and the same strained facial expression he always wore.

I was beginning to get very confused about how the events of this morning had been turning out for me. So I was pushed behind the familiar wooden counter again and an apron was shoved in my hands rapidly.

I sighed deeply to myself.

'This is only a one off. This place brings back too many memories that I don't want to look over.' I mentally told myself.

So as the usual morning rush filled the coffee shop with a buzz, I simply got on with the job I used to love doing. The familiar smell of coffee wrapped around me and I felt like I had never left this place for two years.

But what was strange was that people were coming in and out as if they had seen me every day for the past two years. They would ask me how I was and when it came to making their coffee some would just answer with 'the usual' and I had no idea what their usual was so I had to get other employees to handle the customer.

I constantly kept flicking back to the clock wishing that the hours, minutes and seconds would tick by faster so I could get out of here. As I turned my attention back towards the coffee machine watching the liquid fill up the brown takea way cup I had that same feeling again that someone was watching me. I could feel the intensity of their eyes burning in my back but when I turned around there would be nothing there.

'It's just your imagination Minseok... The lack of sleep might be getting to you' I tried to convince myself but this time I didn't feel as if someone was staring at me. This time that sensation I had been feeling in my hands had come back.

Only this time it wasn't warm and reassuring.

It was cold and menacing.

I felt the circulation of the blood run cold and my hand that was holding the coffee cup began to go numb and stiff. I quickly placed the coffee cup into the customer's hands and as he left I stood behind the wooden counter staring at my blue hands shivering as if I was going to freeze to death at any moment. My legs began to buckle as they were in the process of stiffening up and I couldn't move and my breaths started to become short and laboured.

The door to the coffee shop opened and suddenly warmth flooded my body and I was no longer a stiff figure standing behind the counter. Autumn Leaves had blown in from the rough wind outside; I trailed my eyes from the floorboards stopping at the boots that went high up to the knees. She was holding her usual book where she drew sketches of the leaves and wore a brown knitted jumper with a scarf wrapped securely around her neck. Her fiery auburn hair was flying free slightly curling at the end as it always did.

She looked the exact same way as the day I first met her.

She stood at the door fixing her hair and her scarf that she seemed to think had gotten dishevelled in the wind and made eye contact with me and smiled warmly.

The familiar smile that I have yearned to see for the past two years.

'This can't be real. I am dreaming. I am dreaming. I am dreaming

Or I must be going mad...'

Suddenly a memory pierced through my mind crystal clear and I found myself whispering the words I last heard.

Vos ire, ubisentiuntvivere..." (Go where you most feel alive..)

A/N: So a slightly shorter chapter over here... I was a little stumped on what to write for it but I got there in the end.

Hope you guys are enjoying this so far and the sense of mystery that comes with it slightly.