To be, or not to be: numb.
To see your father's shattered limbs, cracked and twisted like a broken plastic doll, and be numb.
To see his deformed spine, body contortioned like tightly knotted rope, and be numb.
To see his opened skull, blood leaking from his brain like a gashed tank, and be numb.
Insensible to his mother's agonizing cries.
Deadened by his father's pale body in a coffin.
Desensitized at the sight of his tombstone.
Min Sungho
March 25th 1965 – June 7th 2020
Loving Husband and Father
To be numb.
***
There was no one to welcome him in, the mirror's reflection already displaying the three piece waterfall.
He passed through with ease, summoning the tunnel on his own.
2 petals left.
A forest was planted before him; a water color of shadow trees clouded by mint fog beneath a cotton candy sky, a honeyed moon hidden beyond the pines on a berry lake.
The intoxicating mix of aromas closed his eyes and swayed his feet, every step light, barely touching the ground. He was another shade amongst the brume silhouettes of the leaves.
The sweetness coated his tongue with a familiar essence; he licked his lips in an attempt to discern the taste, but failed to distinguish the various flavors.
Body no longer floating away with the mist, the weight of the persistent scents anchored him down to the mud. He was once again of flesh and bone.
Opening his eyes, they were greeted by nothing but black stains. From up above the ink seemed to have spilled, droplets pouring down to form the crooked branches, the thin tree trunks, and the intertwined roots that surrounded him entirely.
He had no memory of having wandered so deep into the woods. He had no recollection of anything at all.
His heavy breathing fumed the cold air as his chest skipped with every frantic heartbeat.
Nothing around him had a name.
"What's this?" He asked himself, touching the trees. "What's this called?"
His mind was blank.
"What's my name?" He shut his eyes, pressing his forehead against the tree.
He didn't know.
"Come on, it's..."
Nothing.
"It starts with a J! No, a Y! No!" He groaned, smacking the tree with his fist. "Who am I?"
"A human!" said an excited voice.
He snapped his head around, mouth circling open as he firmly pressed his back against the tree.
The blotted canvas of the dark woods was torn in two by a shining halo of pure light that left in its wake a trail of color and life. As the glow approached him, it diminished into the white short-haired coat of a large animal, its hooves executing a gait of refined poise and elegance.
The majestic creature stood only a few inches away from him, its breath blowing his hair out of his face when it spoke. "Are you alive?"
He was paralyzed. His eyes were stuck on the horn on top of the beast's elongated head. Something about it filled his soul with childlike wonder.
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Petals Behind Glass | Taegi
FanfictionYoongi's relationship with his parents is far from perfect. He can't stand being around his father, and is too embarrassed to be around his mother. When he has to spend his summer back from university at their new house, things turn sour very quickl...
