...And his faithful camera had taken a snap during every miracle that happened.
All except one.
Her.
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Twenty Polaroids. Two months of memories worth a million lifetimes. Two souls whose fates are intertwined, parts of a whole that is meant to s...
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We joked about the future.
We dreamt about the near and far futures, became architects for plotted plans and at the end of it all, relished the mere idea that life would get better.
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Every since those unsaid stories had been shared, though she never spoke about it, her every gesture spoke gratitude. She was with me all the time, staying true to her word. And she was always happy, the word that has come up too many times in this stretch of my memory.
The rain had lasted the entire night. But the next morning was so bright that no one could believe that the heavens had been at war a few hours ago, for the sky no longer held those threatening bundles of water. The sun came up from behind the hills, radiant and blazing, the warmth that had been missed coming back.
The beaten ground was sloshy everywhere. It was a feat to survive the day without stepping into muddy ponds. While Jungkook was the only one who was able to do it, the rest of us experienced the icky feeling of having water trickle into our shoes.
This day was no different from the previous.
"I can't believe that she's actually making us do this," Hobi hyung spoke into my ear, keeping the volume to the least he could. "I mean, look at the ground!"
"I heard that!" she shouted over her shoulder. She had the torch with her, guiding us to see the sunrise like we did everyday. She refused to skip it, no matter how much we tried to convince her. Nor did she give us the choice of sleeping instead. I woke up quickly, before she could toss me onto the ground, but hyung wasn't that lucky. Jungkook could barely stand, his body swaying, threatening to give up.
"Damn it," he said under his breath.
"I heard that too."
"Well, I can't help it!"
"Hyung," Jungkook's sleepy head that was being supported by my back said, "stop shouting, will you?" He buried his head between my shoulder blades, dragging his feet against the moist floor. I couldn't carry him, so he had settled for the next alternative: leaning on me, leaving me to hold most of his weight while I didn't have to use my hands.
Hobi hyung still spoke, ignoring the maknae's plea. "It's earlier than usual today. I know that I saw the clock read half past four." He observed.
She didn't answer.
Deciphering the silence, I said, "I'd leave it at that hyung. She's not going to say anything else till we reach the spot."
And so we marched forward. The path seemed more tiring than usual. I thought that we would have gotten used to it. Every step happened in slow motion, the feeling of each leg lifting up after the other clearly registering in my head.
"When- when are we going to be there?" I asked panting, tired from supporting two people's weights. Kookie was not helping by almost sleeping behind me. He kept tripping over his feet, sliding down my back before adjusting himself back in the initial position.
