Episode 6 – Promise

“Taetae, I..I..”

Stephanie was having a hard time finding the right word to phrase what she is going to put across.

“Yes mushroom?”

Both girls are sitting on a see-saw, lifting and descending the dual.

“My daddy said that we are moving to America because my daddy has to work there.”

Silence engulfed the couple.

“When… when will you be leaving then?”

“Daddy says a couple more months. He said he needs to settle his work here before moving over.”

Once again, silence took over the couple.

“I will be sad, mushroom.”

“I will be sad too, bad Taetae.”

No words were exchanged. The only sound that could be heard was the cracking sound from the rusting screw of the see-saw.

“When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know about that. Maybe if I am a good girl, I will be back in no time!”

Taeyeon let out a big sigh.

____

“Are you going to the beach trip that the teachers are organizing, Taetae? I think it will be fun!” the same bubbly and chirpy Stephanie asked her playmate.

“If you are going, then I am! I’ll need to ask my Mummy though, but I think she will allow me if I tell her you are leaving.” Taeyeon ended off her comment with a hint of sadness.

“Taetae, we will meet again I believe! Make sure you ask your Mummy about this okay! I want to spend a day at the beach with my mean Taetae.”

“Sure, I will ask since you requested me to do so. Anything for my mushroom.” The sadness was conquered by the smiled on Taeyeon’s face. Stephanie returned with her crescent-shaped like smile.

____

“Great news Mushroom! My mummy is letting me go for the beach trip. HOORAY!”

“HOORAY too! There is plenty of sand for us to play. Unlimited amount!”

“Yeah!”

___

It was a humid June afternoon. Although rays of sunlight hit the grounds on Earth, the temperate didn’t rise. Two girls aged eighth were strolling down the coast of Eastern Beach. They were holding hands, intertwined.

“I’m really sad to see you gone. I want you to play with me,” the girl slightly shorter with longer hair cried. She tightened her grip among their fingers. Continuous sniffing sounds escaped her mouth.

“Same here, “the slightly taller girl commented while returning the grip, increasing the tension among the hands.

“Remember to visit me when you are returning back to Korea okay? You are my playmate forever.” The taller girl smiled faintly, with her eyes shaped like a crescent.

They continued their walk along the coastline, chatting about the games and toys they dreamt to get hold on.

“Follow me!” the shorter girl ran while pulling her playmate along. They reached a quiet and deserted part of the beach, where a young palm tree was situated.

“Let’s make a promise! That we will meet under this tree after 15 years. By then, we will be twenty-three years old and the tree will be tall.” She dragged her last word while gazing up towards the sky, imaging the height of the tree after 15 years. They exchanged glances with no words spoken. She looked up to the taller girl, waiting anxiously for her reply. Instead, the taller girl let go of their touches and turned her back towards the other girl. For that moment, she thought that her playmate is going to leave her without any last words. She took a deep breath, attempting to yell at the taller girl before she lost sight of her. But, the taller girl picked up a small rock and faced her.

“Let’s mark this tree so we will spot it after 15 years! All these trees look the same here.” She pouted at the shorter girl, sounding excited at the beginning.

The shorter sighed and nodded her head simultaneously in agreement. The taller girl advanced towards the tree and placed her left hand to cover whatever she marked on the tree, as though the other girl is going to copy her answers for a test. The poor girl behind was hopping and jumping to have a glance at what the other girl was doing, but failed badly. When the taller girl was done, she stepped back so that the shorter girl is able to see it. The latter chuckled after she caught a glimpse of the mark. It was marked as “Taetae and Mushroom” on the top and “15june96” below it. She snatched the small rock from the taller girl and added her mark, which was a heart shape surrounding the text. Both girls smiled with content as they made their way back home. Their walk home was a quiet but memorable one. No words were exchanged because both girls are devastated that they could not play together anymore.