That day, it seemed like the perfect day.

Dad left without a word, probably out on his way to get me a birthday present. The skies were clear and yet it wasn’t sunny at all. The weather looked good, so while I had the chance, I went to this place that I had recently discovered. It was a pretty abandoned place. There was a bridge, but no one had passed over it even after a few days.

It seemed like the perfect place.

My mind was blank. My heart, the calmest that it could be. And just like a mindless doll, my body moved on its own. Eventually, my hand was gripping the rails of the bridge. It was the only thing that was preventing me from slipping off. But, just as a gentle breeze passed by, my tears came falling down my cheeks. The wind felt as if someone was patting my head. It felt as if someone was telling me that everything was finally going to be okay. I was trembling, but it didn’t matter.

Then, just before I loosened my grip…

“S-Stop!”

…he came.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“Lia… hic… please… don’t leave me alone.”

I had forgotten… that Cain, my best friend — my only friend — still needed me. His voice cleared my mind. Even without turning myself around to face him, I could tell that he was bawling his eyes out. There was probably some snot mixed in there too. I scoffed at myself. I was an idiot.

“Waaaaah! Cain! I’m scared! Help me out of here!”

Despite that…

“O-Okay!”

I was happy.

“Are you… hic… okay, Lia?”

I still had Cain.

“Yeah…”

Because in this cruel world…

“Lia, you dummy!” He cried, as he tightly wrapped his arms around me, sniffing. “You can’t leave me! Waaaaah!”

“Cain, you’re such a crybaby.” I hugged him, patting his head. “What would you do without me?”

…I only have him.

Perhaps, because Cain was weeping so loudly beside my ear, I also felt like crying. The pain and suffering that I had always hid inside me bursted out, that we ended up crying on each other’s shoulders for quite some time.

“Lia… sniff sniff… let’s run away.” Cain said with both his hands steady on my shoulders.

I was dumbfounded. In all the time that I’ve known Cain, that was the first time that he looked me dead serious in the eyes.

“Are you sure?” I replied, “you’re twelve. I just turned twelve. We don’t even have any money.”

“We’ll figure it out!” He argued, as his voice started to crack. “Just… don’t go back to that place...”

Then, as if a spell was casted, he appeared exactly at the right time that we needed him.

“Hey, you two.”

The one person that saved us.

“You can run away with me.”

He was just a kid like us, but his eyes also seemed to know the truth.

“To my wonderland.”