It is said that if you fold 1000 paper cranes your wish will be granted.

Usually everyone wishes for health , forever lasting love, quick recovery, but the boy from our story didn't want any of that, his wish was different, special if you could call it like that, eerie or bizzare. But whatever you thought about it, it was in the end, a wish of a human being. Each of us has to find his own wish, set his goal and work towords acomplishing it.

And so he did, or... not quite.

A park.

But in this park there was neither a swing nor a sandbox, not even a tunel.

In this park there weren't any children. There's wasn't any laughter, so in the end happiness left.

Despite the warm sun that kept tickling the leaves, making them rock back and forth, the trees looked dull and unexpresive. They looked exactly like what they were. Trees. And nothing else. Not those fairy like nimphs that children were imagining them to be, neither some dancing silhouettes or singing artists, not even the giants that mistreated earth so they were doomed by Gods to live like trees forever. They weren't moving trees, wise trees or living trees.

They looked like they were broght from a painting of a depressed person, and that is a huge compliment to describe them.

Because the scenery wasn't sad or happy, it was plain, colorless and dull.

 This is why a little boy liked this park, because it was unusual. It was quiet, a nice comforting silence that embraces you, but at the same time you could hear in the distance a small noise made by cars, or the fake laughter of the students when they finally finished school. And ocasionally you could see a person or two passing by.

But there was only one soul whom you could see daily in that park. A lost little soul with pin straight, honey colored hair, a small waist, and a  skinny body, and in this season he always wore oversized sweaters that were dragging him to the ground.

He wanted to remain unnoticed, but as much as he wanted that, it didn't happen because, well... how could absolutely no one notice him, when he was sitting daily on the same bench from dawn till dusk?

Like I said, a few people walked around the park and they were usually old grannies and granpas, who grew older with the trees, they became rusty like the benches, and eventually they were forgotten like the park itself.

Although I said that, a new figure found the secret path to this specific place. He was wondering the streets in a hurry one day, because he was late for school. So he decided to pick another route, hoping that it will led him to the right route. And it did. Maybe it was luck, maybe he just guessed right, or maybe... the park itself wanted to help this new soul that decided to walk through it, hoping that it will rise again, that it will be full of laughter and hapiness, just like in the old days, which only the elder remember vaguely. 

 Since that day, Minho prefered to walk through the park. Even so, he was always in a hurry that he didn't notice the leaves which were swinging back and forth every time he ran, the sun that wanted to give him a warm welcome, the autumn breeze that tickled his black hair. He wasn't the type to believe in fairytales. He had problemes and a social life, a girlfriend to take care of and school to attend, and... something else. So why would be even bother to look at it? It looked just like the other parks, benches, trees, trashcans, leaves, nothing special, nothing new, nothing extraordinary.

 But there was one little boy who knew all about this. Our lost soul, who was startled at first when he saw the new presence in his sanctuary. 

" What is this guy doing here?"

He thought at first, but he erased it fr his mind, thinking that maybe the guy got lost and won't come again tomorrow.

That didn't happen. That guy came the next day and the day after. Our little soul wasn't scared or anything like that, he was just annoyed. Because that tall figure with his keroro eyes was always stumbling  in the morning, destroying even the most peaceful day, and in the afternoon his heavy breath could be senced miles away announcing that a gigantic creature was on his way there. This guy was always on a run, as if he was on a neverending marthon, Taemin wouldn't be surprised if the guy was running in his sleep.

 A week passed and the little boy was very annoyed, he had to go somewhere for a couple of days so he wanted at least one final relaxing day.And since it was Sunday maybe, just maybe it was be possible. He whished for too much.

" Running again, figures. God, doesn't he know any other path?" he mumbled and a folded sheet  flew from his hands. He sat up knealing to get it from the ground when he realized...

 " Oh ."

 There was a bump and some indistinguashble mumbles coming from the two figures that were now both on the ground, grumbling about their injured limbs and one of them had a lovely bruise on his chin.

 " Great way to start your day" the little boy said with one hand on his head mesaaging it slowly.

 " Sorry, I'm in a hu..." Minho began, but was cut off.

 " Hurry. Figures. Like always.You're always running around up and down with your heavy breath and dinosour like weight that even the trees are shaking. I'm surprised that none of them didn't fall yet."

 " Wha... What did you...?" he was definitely taken aback.

 " You heard me!If you weren't so blockheaded and blind you would have seen me! I'm sure a herd of oxes would see me. And their eyes are smaller, compared to your big owl eyes. Why do you even have big eyes if you don't use them?"

 " Excuse me? You were the one in the middle of the street. And from what you said you saw me. And what do you have with my looks now? Just so you know many girls from school want me."

 " Oh, excuse me Don Juan for not being able to recognize a beauty, it seems that my startards are lower. But if this..." and he glaced at Minho ." .. is the highest quality, then I'll pass."

 " You sure don't know how to recognize the best slice of meat when you see it " Mingo said proudly.

 " Do you realize you just made yourself a raw slice of meat don't you? So I don't see what's the diffrence between you and an ox. Oh.. yeah, they can make use of their eyes."he said puffing in his face.

 Minho was flushed, this little figure really knew how to play with him and it had some frustrating guts also.This was a first, and what the heck is his problem anyway with how he looks? His eyes are perfectly normal, or at least that's how he saw them.

 " Well if you have such an amazing eye sight then why did you come in the middle of the road anyway? "

  " Well if I stayed still you would've run over this!" and he took out from underneath him a piece of white crumpled paper.

 " Oh.. a piece of paper, that's really worth risking your life for" Minho said sarcastically.

 " It's not just a piece of paper, it's... Ah, forget it. You're not worth my time." the small figure sighed trying to push the boy who was sitting on top of him. He noticed that they were pressed to each other and it was quite hard to breathe since a dinosour was sprawled over him, that guy sure weighted a lot.

 " Well, excuse me for not being as wise as you. But just so you know I'm an A+ student... umm..." he didn't even knew the person's name. Even so they were quarriling over such a minor problem. Minho wasn't like this, not at all, but this person had something different, or maybe it was just because this was his first time quarrling with a stranger in the middle of a park, in the beginning of the morning. This was something new, thrilling, and surely strange.

When the person screamed in his ear, he acknowledged their current position.

 " And why the heck would I care about that? Just get off of me you big ugly frog! "he said trying without any success to push him over. Great way to start a day, squashed by a giant frog,

" Ah, sorry I just..." Minho was mumbling and his movements were uncertain.

 " Just get off already I can't breathe!" he finally said it.

 Then Minho realized that the person had indeed a very slim body covered with an extremely oversized sweater, he was surprised that he could even sit up, that those  thin legs can  lift his weight, then again the clothes probably weighted more than him, or her... He wasn't quite sure what he was yet, because he had the built of a guy, but he never saw a guy so slim and his hair was a little bit too long and honey like, it was definitely dyed but it really fitted her. And he just couldn't take notice of those thin fingers that grabbed the paper and that pretty white skin that looked like it was glowing in the light of the sun.

 " Sorry again for what happened, I'm not usually like this. I..."

 " Why are you even standing there?” the small figure asked taking a seat on his bench trying to straighted the piece of paper. " Don't you have somewhere to run to?"

 " Oh , the soccer practice." Minho said looking at his watch he realized he was indeed late.

 He began to run again forgetting to say goodbye to the stranger, but then again why would he? That  was after all just a stranger and their meeting was an accident. That's all, a simple accident followed by a bitter quarrel. It wasn't as if they will meet again, or so he thought...

 But a thought kept bothering him.

" Hurry. Figures. Like always.You're  always running around up and down ..."

 Does that mean that he/ her saw him? That she or he was there all along, in those weeks when he passed through that park? Then.. why didn't he see anybody? Why didn't he took notice?

 Maybe it was because Minho doesn't look at all at what life has to offer, he himself is not living, always on a run, with chores with school with his own problemes, that he forgot how it is to just stay still and breathe, to capture the moment and imortalize it. He forgot how it is to enjoy the blooming flowers in the spring, the cold breeze in the summer, the falling leaves in the autumn and the white snowflkes that dance in the winter.

 As strangely as it seemes he was always in a battle with time, but time itself wasn't his enemy, it wasn't even a battle. He decided to make it. He was just lost, and so, time stopped for him too, at least for his living self.  

 On Monday's, Wendesday's and Saturday's Minho went to the hostpital. Not because he was sick, maybe it would've been better that way, he thought sometimes. It was due to his mother sickness, he would've stayed there and tare care of her if he was could. But she didn't allow it, she wasnted her son to experience life. He was still young. While she had her time to live, she experienced a part of what life had to offer, and achieved happiness, she had an amazing son, a beautiful daughter and a loving husband. She felt sorry for them, for putting them in such a tense contin, she regretted the fact that Minho had to take a prttime job at night just to pay  her fees and her husband had to go overseas soon, because Minho will graduate and their son must concentrate on studing. It was hard, but they managed it somehow.

 She wasn't the melodramatic type of woman that transforms her life in a drama.

 A life can look perfect from one's eyes but imperfect from another's.

 It was Monday, the day after Minho's accident and he ws rushing, like always, nothing new in this to the hopital since his last class ended. But this time was wasn't running because he was in a hurry, he just wanted to see that person again and apologize for his rudeness, he didn't look at all at the path, if he would've he should've seen that little body in the middle of it.

 He was stressed about it since he wanted to do this in the morning. Minho even woke up earlier, but no one came, so he hoped that maybe it was just too early and the stranger didn't woke up yet. But as he continued to pressume, new explanations gave him new questions to think about.

 " Why is he always there?"; " Doesn't he have school to attend?"; " Does he have a family?"; " Is he a poor street guy?"; " Is he starving?"; " Was he always there?" " Why wasn't he there now?"; " Is it because of our encounter?"; " Did he had an accident?".

He stopped his train of thoughts saying that he was ridiculoas saying stupid things like these.

But when he arrived his concern grew, as he was greeted by an empty bench a the cold breeze of autumn. Then a thought crossed his mind." Maybe he changed his place, maybe he's just somewhere around here, maybe..."     

So he wondered around the park, but somehow he knew that no one was there, he was lying himself. But why? Why was it so important for him to apologyze to someone he didn't even knew. Minutes pass, and it's already been a half an hour since he was running around like a lost dog looking for his exist from a labrtrinth or his beloved master. He coudn't continue like this, he was to leave and go to the hospital eventually.

 Wish a sigh he took one last glace to that bench when he saw something...

 It was a little white sheet of folded paper.

" It looks like a boat" he thought analizing it on each and every part. " But why does it have this sharp little fold here then. It lookes like a head. Maybe it's a ptedorachile or.. hmm.. a goose. It does look like a bird, or some sort of preistoric dinasour. "

 He put it in his pocket. Somehow he felt warm inside, like that person's soul was with him, but then again he would've been happier if he had found the person in flesh and bones and not a shattered piece of his soul.

At the hospital he figured his sister was tired of waiting for him at the entrence so she went to their mother's room.

"  Hey mom. " he greeted the old lady, tossing his bag on the table. " How are you feeling?"

" Fine sweetheart. " was all she said completely concentrated on her task.

 " What are you two doing there?"

 " Paper cranes! " his little sister said excited showing her brother a folded figure that he saw previously. He went to the zoo before he saw cranes, he saw pictures in his enciclopedia too, and that definitely doesn't look like a crane.

 " It looks more like a goose or pterodactil to me."

 " You don't know how to apreciete art Minho" she puffed cutely and Minho smiled ruffling her hair.

 " Yah, stop that! You're ruining my hair."

 " As if there was something to ruin."

 " Mooom, Minho's picking on me again! "

 " Aish, Minho.. leave your sister alone. " the lady said, making one last fold and looking at her crane proudly. " Finished! What do you think Minho?"

 " Sorry mom, it still looks like a goose to me. "

 " I told you before " just close your eyes but keep your mind wide open". she sighned.

 " Bridge to Therabithia" Juley completed. " Mom when are you going to stop quoting from movies? "

 " What? That was a great movie" she tried to defend herself.". You guys should live more, feel more, see more. " she puffed.

 " Mom, life isn't one of your fairytales! I'm already ten, dad's going to leave, Minho's going to go to collage soon." July shouted tears forming in her eyes while her cheeks became red. "A- and... what if... you're going to leave too?What am I going to do? Grow up already!"

 " Sweetheart. Come here" their mother said with her arms wide open and a tender, calm, lovely smile on her face. Maybe it was because the kindness or the little child that never left her soul, either way she always had a calming effect on people. Sometimes she acted like a child, more then July or Minho, like a little four year old, telling them the strangest things ever. Stories about magical creatures like nymphs, brownies, pixies, faerys, hobs, and some of them gave them nightmares too, like bashees, the howlers, the haunts, adoros. She liked to believe in those sorts of things even at her age. But at the same time she knew when to act like  a grown up,  when one of her kids deserved to be scolded or on the rare ocasions when someone will piss her off, well... then.. like she quoted from one of her last readed book from Neil Gaiman." When angels go mad, they go bad then anyone else. Remember Lucifer... he was an angel too."

 I'm not saying she's an angel even on a daily basis, she's kinda annoing reminding you to eat your vegetables as if they're still 5. And it's not as if she's going to kill someone or anything like that, heavens no!

 Just that... she can be really creepy and very very scarry when she's man, even the tone when she said that quote freaked Minho and July out.

 " Sweetheart I'm not going to leave you any time soon. " she tring to sush her daughter sobs rocking her back and forth. " You have to grow strong and make your own life, I won't stay with you forever you know that. Sonner or later we all must part."

 " I don't want to! I don't wanna..." she mumbled  burring her head in her mothers chest.

  Minho sighed, taking a sit on the bed and his sister's back  slowly.

 " You gotta live/ You gotta learn/ You cannot quit/ Because it hurts"

 " The white Tie affair - If I fall" July mumbled chocking her last sobs. " Mom is contagious. She's quoting from movies and your quoting from songs. God, people, read some books will you?! "

 "  There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state to another " - Alexandre Dumas. Ha! And you said I didn't read books. " their mother said triumphaly.

 " Aish... mooooooom... "

 " Come here you little... "

 " And there they go again" Minho said gigling watching the tickling fight, and the result wasn't always the same, so he didn't knew what to expect.

 So he just took a sit in the chair next to the bed watching the scene amused, with a wide smile on his face. That until his mother decided that Minho was grinning too much so  July and her  attacked him with their experienced tickling tehniques, that Minho didn't stand a chance.

This is like the only fanfic 2min I've written of which I am very fond of. 

I've written it last autumn, on rainy days and cold outside walks. Hope I managed to get all of my emotions and feeling into it.

Stay in touch for more! I'll post the next part soon!            

*throws cupcakes*