Pak

　　I materialize in an instant. The chilly air shocks me and locks up my muscles. I hear every grain of dirt scraping against every other, and I feel it in my pores, turning my sweat into mud. The smell of upturned earth buries itself in my nose. My eyes catch every stray speck of dust, watering, stinging. My stomach churns and bubbles in my throat. It`s unbearable.

　　I bring the weapon close, watching my distorted reflection quiver in the blade. I just want to go. I just want to be done with it, done with everything. I have nothing left to live for. I`ll never find my dad. I have no other family, no friends. Cabbage won`t even come to me anymore. I have nothing&

　　I stretch out my right arm, showing my wrist to the sky, studying the protrusions beneath my skin, veins like threads in ripped cloth. I rest the flat part of the weapon on my arm. The edge gleams in the faint traces of surface light. It`s so sharp. It cuts through rock. It won`t take much. It won`t take long.

　　I smile a little. The pain will be gone. I`ll disappear for real.

　　I shut my eyes, tighten my grip around the handle, take a deep breath&

　　Shwick.

　　&and cut the threads.

　　It hurts for a moment, but the adrenaline lifts the weight in my chest. I slash my other wrist before I can`t hold the weapon anymore. It`s warm, at first, the feeling of blood pooling in my palms. It gushes until my heart begins to slow, and soon it`s just a trickle. Some time passes. The cold sets in. Numb tingling follows. Fear nibbles my neck, a sense of impending doom. I whimper. It`s getting hard to breathe&

　　I whisper my last words for no one to hear.

　　"I`m sorry&"

　　Kano and Cabbage

　　 unrequited or forbiddenIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　something treasured, something hidden

　　you`re the only one who`s ever made me smile

　　and I bear a heavy burden

　　but you take it when you can

　　just to get it off my shoulders for a while

　　so of course, of course I love you

　　wish I didn`t, but I do

　　you`re the only one I trust to light a flame

　　unrequited or forbidden

　　something treasured, something hidden

　　I`d do anything for you to feel the same

　　*******

　　Had Cabbage been traveling alone, he could have reached Pak in nearly an instant. He could have entered the Dream portal, and with his natural ability to navigate its currents, exited back into the world as if crossing the street. But since he had to lug the half-human around, it felt to Cabbage as if it were taking them days - weeks, even - just to cross the same damn street. Kano had no sense of time, no understanding of how slow they were going. Cabbage had to keep reminding himself that the half-human was doing his best, however frustrating it was. But they were almost there. The portal was clearly in sight, and his connection to Pak was becoming stronger with every step&

　　Until it disappeared, like a rope that had been cut and gone suddenly slack.

　　Cabbage froze for such a small fraction of a second that Kano couldn`t perceive the stutter in his step. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. The connection had been in flux for as long as they`d been separated, but never had it released its grip entirely. Since the mortal had summoned him all that time ago, he`d never once lost sight of it - not even when he`d thought Pak had expired on the mountain. Panic overwhelmed Cabbage`s soul. He had to get there. Now.

　　"RUN."

　　As the cat-owl took off, Kano unquestionably followed, breaking into a sprint. He had no idea why they were running - perhaps something really was chasing them - but Cabbage`s voice imparted terror and urgency in its most absolute state. In the distance, Cabbage`s form shrank until he was barely discernible, then vanished through what looked like a black hole suspended in the air. The hole was shrinking too, threatening to seal Kano in.

　　"Wait!" Kano cried, pounding his legs against the surreal ground as fast as they would take him. The hole warbled, its shriveling halted just long enough for Kano to dive through it, launching him unceremoniously into the cold dirt of reality.