𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄-𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃, lee yeon x nam ji ah

1| Yeou Gogae

THE GROWLING OF THE ENGINE WAS the only sound in the endless road. The wheels slid across the gravel and the peeling blue paint of the car bathed in the light of the peeping moon.

"I was going to give you this once we got home but here it is. Your birthday present!" The woman, her mother, in the passenger seat chirped, her features dim with the lack of light and handed the little girl in the back a medium size box wrapped in purple paper and finished with a bow. The man in the driver seat, her father, looked in the rearview mirror and smiled seeing the spark of joy that appeared on the child's face.

The little girl whose hair was tied in two pigtails took the box that was handed by her mother. She took of the lid and took out thing that was inside. It was a miniature figure of a carnival ride, the ride where the horses went up and down. Upon turning the lid a melancholic tune began to play. The soft melody blended in with the silence that had settled upon opening the gift. "Do you like your present?" He asked, looking back for a split second before turning to look at the road before him. "Yes, I really like it!" She smiled widely, revealing that one of her teeth was missing. He laughed lowly and looked towards his wife. She gave him a reassuring look and tight lip smiled. As the silence over took the ride, the only thing still playing was tune from the music box.

There wasn't a car in miles, a road that seemed endless and there was only three of them. Suddenly, the street lights went out, one by one. It went eerily quite. The only light produced by the headlights. He clutched the steering wheel hard and his knuckles went white. A looming shadowy figure suddenly flew before their car. He tried to maneuver the car to avoid it but instead lost control and the car flipped.

The glass in the windows broke in mid air and glistening shard flew. Pieces of glass embedding themselves in their bodies as blood prickled at an agonisingly slow pace. The car landed upside down and left them hanging. Multiple nick nacks from the car where shattered on the road and surprisingly the girl wasn't hurt as much. A single drop of blood visible on the cuff of her white sleeve. But her parents weren't that lucky, blood covered their bodies. The lonely tune that was still playing gave the scene an eerie feeling. She opened her eyes, that were subconsciously shut, when she heard the groans and grunts that were coming from the front seat.

"Ji A..." Her mother's voice was heard, barely above a whisper. She looked around desperately when she heard footsteps. Two pair of feet appeared alongside the flipped vehicle. "Please help me." She cried out towards them to no avail. This time she screamed the same thing a little louder in hopes to draw attention. When no one came, she fiddled with the seat belt until it opened and she landed on her knees. She crawled towards where her parents bodies were hanging only by the support of the seat belts. Tears that had sprung in her eyes without her consent sparkled. The two figures that were standing bent down and she saw their faces and what she saw was shocking, it was the duplicate image of her parents, her parents that were covered in blood at that very moment. She did the only thing she could do at the moment, she screamed.

Her eyes shot open. The room was a minimalistic room with a few modern decorations. Her father's eyes followed her as her mother looked at her from the open kitchen. " You're up." Her father's voice made her look towards him. "I'm glad it was all a dream." She said with a pout, her chubby cheeks red. Her mother walked from the kitchen with a tray of fruit, her father leaning forward to get a piece. "Alright, let's have some fruit." Said her mother. She quickly sprung up and hugged her mother, "Mom, I love you. I love you so much." She said, almost crying. "What had gotten into you. You were just asleep." He mother replied but hugging her nonetheless. She turned away from her and turned towards her father, "I love you Dad. I love you a lot." She hugged the just the same. "Okay, I love you too, Ji A." He said, releasing her from the hug. "Did you have nightmare or something?" He asked, caressing her hair. "I don't even want to think about it." She said and sat down beside him.