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Hyonsan Kim

The streets were crowded with shoppers and passersby as I ran from the town’s square It was market day and the vendors were out, selling everything from supermarket produce to marinated silkworms. Good. It would provide good cover so I don’t get caught Running away was probably stupid, even without preparation or a place to stay the night, but I’d done it anyway.

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Why have I run away?

I guess it was many things

Across many months.

But most of all, it was shame that I had covered up under my sweatshirt as I made my way out of the market and up towards the apartments that rose up on the horizon.

Where would I stay now, I wondered.

I walked and walked I finally reached the old playground at the top of the hill and slid down one of the tunnel slides. My head popped out the other end. The sky was cerulean with a river of persimmon and coral running across the horizon.

I couldn’t stop myself from bursting into tears. I wasn’t quite sure why; shame, guilt, anger? Melancholy at the past that now seemed to be covered in a tight layer of webbing that I couldn’t get out of? I squeezed my eyes shut

I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again, the sky had turned a dark purple, the sun out of view. I squeezed my eyes shut again and groaned, turning over in the slide When I opened my eyes again, two white feet were staring back at me. I looked up and saw a slim woman smiling down at me. Her eyes were the same cerulean blue from the sky earlier today, her hair shiny black, and her skin looked perfectly white under the street lights

“Did you run away from home?”

The question startled me out of my trance I jerked my head down, hoping she wouldn’t see my anger in my eyes. It wasn’t as if she was wrong. That’s how we stayed as the night ticked on. I hoped she would just leave, or turn away enough so that I could make a run for it, but no such miracle came Rather it began to rain.

It started off as a light drizzle, but soon enough a small river was forming, running down the hill into the city streets below.

“My house is right around the corner, you can stay there until the rain stops!”

The lady screamed through the downpour Oh great, she still hasn’t left I had hidden myself in the tunnel slide and remained fairly dry, but I was pretty sure a wall of plastic wasn’t going to protect me from a cold and a fever Whoever this nosy lady was, she didn’t deserve to get ill because of someone like me. I crawled out of the tunnel and we trudged our way to the apartments a little ways off.

She lived at the very top floor, and wasn’t as clean of a person as I had thought of her to be. It wasn't as if there were clothes strewn everywhere with a full sink, but there were definitely a few shirts here and there, with there being just enough space on the marble countertop for a wristwatch.

“Wait here”

The lady went into one of the rooms and came back with a fresh set of new clothes. I was told to shower and put them on.

“I’ll use the other bathroom.”

She said before I could open my mouth to argue We rendezvoused back in the living room, and sat on opposite ends of the sofa. I realized I hadn’t asked for the lady’s name yet

“Alice”, she replied when I asked I thought of asking for her last name, but couldn’t find the right moment, and felt too embarrassed to do so. She’d done me so many favors already; saying something felt like a distraction A ding came from the kitchen, breaking the silence. It was almost midnight. Alice went and came back with cup noodles.

“You can have this, I’ll make another for myself ”

Only an extended umm made its way out of my mouth as I took the cup in my hands. Soon enough we were sitting on the sofa once again, slurping piping hot ramen with My Strange Friend playing on the TV I must have been really tired, because the next time I opened my eyes the room was empty and white light from a blue sky filled the room.

I sat there for a moment and stared at the icing smeared across the floor. I dipped my finger in it and brought it close to my lips Suddenly, the phone rang, the noise shaking any strange me out of my trance. I hesitated then stood up with a grunt before almost falling over again. Blood spewed out of my ankle as I caught myself, and continued to hop towards the kitchen table The blue light from the phone illuminated the blue evening in even more blue, as I read the white numbers on the screen

It was mom calling

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