Chapter Text
I ran out of the house and to the top of the hill. I saw Jungkook at the bottom of the hill, looking down at the ground.
“Whatcha doin’? I asked, as I walked up to him.
“Looking at these rocks.” Jungkook said. He didn’t look up at me when he replied, just kept poking the slabs of stone.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Jungkook shrugged.
“Do you know what they are?”
Jungkook shook his head.
“It’s our tombstones.”
“Tombstones?”
“Is that the kind of rock it is?”
“No, not quite. It’s a special rock. It means that we are here.” I said, not wanting to tell him what they truly were. I was scared of how he’d react, knowing that we were dead, and all.
“See? This one on the left is mine and the right one is yours. They say our names. Can you read it?”
“Yeah.” Jungkook nodded, then he looked back and forth between the two and started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, pursing my lips.
“Mine is bigger than yours!” Jungkook cackled.
“No it’s not!”
“Yes it is! Look!” Jungkook pointed at them. “Mine is bigger than yours! Mine is bigger than yours!” Jungkook chanted, sticking out his tongue.
“You’re dead!” I shouted and he ran away.
Except that you are. You are dead. We both are. We died that day, bleeding to death from our wounds before we could be taken away, I thought, something intrusive that I didn’t want to think about.
“Catch me if you can! Slowpoke!” Jungkook taunted, then ran across the field as soon as he could. His shadow, always the same size, chasing after him. Because the sun never moves.
It’s always daytime, always sunny, always warm. The weather may change there, but here, it’s always the same. The flowers never grow, they never wilt; the birds never leave, always chirping like clockwork; and the clouds never move.
Both of our parents had moved out of the houses a few months after we died. During those few months, I tried to keep Jungkook away from them, since we were the only people who lived out here in the fields. Whenever Jungkook would see his parents, I’d just distract him with something.
That way, he could forget about them.
I know he wants to run up to them and hug him like he used to. I want to do the same, just want to be in their arms and feel safe and warm and alive again. But I know that we can’t. And it kills me when I have to watch my family break down, while I can’t do anything to help them.
I don’t want Jungkook to find out that he can’t interact with our family. I know it would hurt him. Now, I just want him to be happy - until our family joins us, too. Here, in the place where time stops.