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The day after it happened was surreal. Mango had wished so, so hard after it happened, that it was just a dream. But when he woke up the next morning, to see Her bed empty, he knew it wasn't.
The old house felt suddenly quiet and cold, now that She was gone. Mango sat helplessly on the floor, The weight of his sweatshirt almost too much to bear.
Tears were pounding at the back of his eyes, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.
He couldn't believe he'd never see her again. He'd never be able to run his fingers through her tangled hair, or pick her up and swing her around. He'd never hear her wonderful laugh, kind and loud.
His heart was beating loudly through his body, his breath heavy. It didn't feel like he could take in enough air.
The whole world was off balance, now that she was gone.
"Gold..." Mango's voice cracked as he said her name, almost as though the world couldn't bear the weight of the word. And as he said her name, everything shattered. It struck him in the chest, everything crashing in at once.
He remembered the days when she was just a baby, taking her to that park for the first time. He remembered when she found that stick, and they had a sword fight. He remembered the play fights they'd had dozens of times after that.
But the image he couldn't get out of his head was her terrified face the last time he saw her, falling apart and slipping away.
Mango slowly breathed, falling back to the world around him. He was covered in a cold sweat, scared to move. His eyelids felt heavy. He was ready to stop, to just lay there and forget everything and never get up again.
Still, despite the pain, Mango slowly stood up. He didn't talk to himself like usual. He couldn't find the words.
He slipped his shoes on and headed out the door, not bothering to clean himself up. He'd been so distressed the night before that he hadn't bothered to shower or change.
Mango breathed in the midday air. Outside, everything was the same. The sun was still shining. People still walked down the sidewalks, talking. Cars still ignored the stop sign. Clocks ticked and phones still rang out their cry. The world carried on like mad, and nobody noticed a thing.
Nobody except Mango.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and bowed his head, trying to push out the sound around him. It was too much, everything was too much.
Now that she was gone.
Mango winced as he passed by the park. It was empty, painfully empty.
He picked up the pace.
Mango couldn't explain why he took a walk. Maybe he was trying to clear his head. Maybe he wanted to remember her. Maybe he wanted to leave that house, where all the memories were.
But mostly he just wanted to keep moving forward.
That being said, he didn't know where he was going. Mango had no destination in mind. He guessed he would just keep walking until something stopped him.
And just then, he felt something that did.
It was a corn dog cart, a simple, plain corn dog cart, one he had seen hundreds of times before.
But this was the first time without her.
He made a cautious approach, slowly moving towards it, with a grim stare on his face.
The corn dog guy, in the same uniform as always, glanced up at him as he approached. "Ah, hey Mango!" He smiled in his chipper tone. "Two as usual?"
Mango looked up, stunned. He couldn't think of what to say. The air vanished around him, and he once again remembered he would never see her again.
She was gone.
For good.
Corn dog guy's smile faded, and Mango teared up. "Hey, wait.." Corn Dog Guy reached out a hand, trying to call him back, but Mango was already gone.
And Mango knew at that moment that something had to be done. Someone would pay for the pain they had caused him.
Someday.