II.V ‖ intercalary day

SHANGHAI 
December 
Location: Iva's Apartment 

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I didn't know what was I thinking when I blurted my name out mindlessly but there was a satisfied grin etched in his charming face before he turned around and left through the main door of my apartment. It didn't even come across my mind that I was holding my breath all along until I felt the slight ache in my lungs and my body forced itself to respire in order to prevent me from dying of asphyxiation.

I turned and walked towards the drawers beside my easel and picked out a photo frame that was stashed all the way in the deepest corner. I flipped it around and picked up a paint-stained cloth to wipe away the dust that had collected on this forgotten piece of the item laying in my house. 

"Hey Mom," I smoothed my finger over her face before it moved over to the man beside her. "Hey Dad."

I held onto the family portrait and walked towards the seating area. My gaze lingered on their faces, finally remembering all the forgotten features that had gradually faded with the phase of time. Thoughts rushed into my mind and I realised that next year is that year again. 

I shifted uncomfortably as my hand reached for the locket necklace hanging on my neck. I sighed, hugging onto the photo frame with one hand and gripped tightly onto the necklace with the other. My back leaned against the backrest of the couch and I closed my eyes while flashback of the past replayed itself in my mind. 

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KAWAZU 
February | 15 years ago
Location: Kawazu River 

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The eight-year-old girl stretched her arms out towards her father, begging for him to carry her up high. He laughed lovingly and bent forward to grip on her underarm to pick her up in his hold. Her hands quickly reached for the low branches filled with vibrant pink petals as her hazel eyes sparkled in awe. Her father mentioned, "Isabel, you can only touch them gently. You'll hurt them if you aren't careful."

"They feel?" she asked weirdly, frowning in confusion from what she heard. 

"They do, darling," he smiled, combing a falling lock of her dark brown hair back before continuing, "All that is living would feel."

"Why don't they say 'ouch' when they are hurt?" she inquired further, intrigued by the new knowledge. 

"Not everyone says 'ouch' when they are hurt, little munchkin." A woman came close and stood beside them, her hand pinched slightly onto the little girl's nose while smiling fondly.

"Mommy!" The little girl scrunched her face slightly and struggled a little to free her nose from her mother's mischief. 

"Honey," the man said, leaning over to land a gentle peck on the woman's lips.

"Goodness, Liam. Isabel is watching!" The woman turned bright red at the sudden gesture but the man showed no remorse, he laughed lovingly at his flustered wife. 

The little girl giggled funnily and poked fun at her mother, "Tomato!" 

"You!" the woman frowned slightly and placed her hands on her waist, pretending to be angry. When she heard the little girl burst out in her laughter, she couldn't help but also joined her in that brief joyous moment. 

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The three of them walked down the avenue that was clothed in bright blossoms, enjoying the soft scent in the mild breeze that travelled playfully in between the trunks as though in a good-natured game of tag. The wind's impishness had carelessly separated the petals from their sepals, parting them earlier than they were supposed to. The little girl caught a floating petal in her small hands as a frown appeared on the corners of her lips. 

"What's wrong, darling?" the man asked, sensing that her daughter had become upset. 

"Ouch," that was all she said before a small tear trickled down her rosy cheeks. The man caught the tear with his thumb and hugged her close to him. Patting her back, he comforted her silently. The little girl knew that her father was never a person of words but he showed all his emotions through his actions. In his arms, she was encircled in the security of his warmth as she dropped her head on his shoulder and looked towards her mother.

From the side, the woman smiled funnily, unsure whether she was glad that her daughter had grasped the concept of empathy quicker than she had expected or she was heartbroken to know that her daughter was crying at something beyond her control. Yet, in life, there are so many things that happen by its own nature. There was just too much that she wanted to convey to her, but she didn't know if her daughter's young mind would be able to comprehend. Still, she said, "Isabel, as time goes by, everything had to go. You've got to treasure every moment you have because just like the petal, you never know when will be the last." 

"Mommy..." the little girl cried and straightened her arms towards her, wanting to hold her mother. 

Unlike her father, her mother didn't have the strength to carry her for long, so she placed her on the ground and hugged her while she stood. The woman continued with a light-hearted tone, "It's 29 February today. You know what that meant?" 

The little girl shook her head against the woman's shoulder, clueless. 

"29 February represented the intercalary day that only happens every four years," the woman explained, moving the little girl to face her as she cupped her tear-streaked face with her warm palms. "This means that every four years, mommy and daddy had one extra moment to spend loving you, little munchkin." 

The woman gave her daughter a wide smile and she immediately stopped crying and responded with her toothy grin. Her father also patted the top of her head before wrapping his long arms around his lovely wife and his adorable daughter. 

The little girl wished this moment would last forever so that she could spend every second treasuring the happiness that shone as brilliantly as the pink in the entire landscape. 

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But who knew that the day she fell in love with the colour pink would also be the date she grew hatred for it?

That day, as the family drove out into the main road towards their next destination, a reckless driver drove right into them. The man swirled sharply on the steering wheel in an attempt to dodge the car. He was successful in that but little did he expect the car to skid towards a downward slope. The vehicle flipped a few time before it hit to a stop. 

The little girl whimpered, feeling all the ache all over as though being torn apart. Her vision was upside down and her hair hung helplessly in the air while her body was pinned tightly against the child safety seat that she was strapped onto. 

"Liam," the woman cried, struggling from the passenger seat. Her voice was shaky and she stretched her arm out to nudge on the arm beside her. 

"Valerie," the man replied weakly, fading in and out of his own consciousness. "Isabel. Get—" he coughed in between his words. "Get her out."

The couple struggled to reach the backseats from where they are. "Mommy, daddy," the little girl cried, feeling their hands all over her as they strained to unbuckle her from her seat. 

"Little munchkin, you're going to be okay," the woman assured even though there was a heavy dread in the way she talked. 

The man successfully got the little girl out of her seat and pulled her towards him with all the strength left in him. Using his bare hands, he cleared the shards of the window next to him. Sharp ends of the glass pierced through his skin and crimson red trickled along the length of his arm. With his other hand, he slowly pushed the girl through the small opening. He instructed, "Roll four rounds away from the car, darling."

"Why?" she asked through her sob. "What about you guys?" 

"We'll be out by the time you are done rolling," the woman smiled towards her. 

"Now isn't the time to play," she cried even harder at her mom's words. 

"Hurry, darling. We are going to be okay," the man gestured with urgency in his voice. 

She did as she was told because she didn't know what else she could do. By the time she was done rolling, she turned around and saw the car in ablaze and thick black smoke obscured her vision. 

"Mommy! Daddy!" she screamed as panic consumed her in whole. She struggled within the pile of pink petals on the ground and the blood from her body smeared and tainted the rich pink in deep red. Her small hands reached towards the burning car but her vision blurred. It was not long before darkness seized her. 

The last thing she remembered was a soft whisper that spoke through the brittle air, "Isabel, we love you."

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SHANGHAI 
December 
Location: Iva's Apartment 

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Opening my eyes, I pushed myself off the backrest and into a sitting position. I looked at the photo in my hand one last time before walking towards the drawers and stashed in back to its forgotten corner. 

"29 February became the intercalary day that I took a moment to grief instead," I laughed dryly. 

Pushing the drawer close, I headed towards the balcony and stared up into the moonless, cloudless night sky. "I hope both of you are well up there," I breathed out a sigh and smiled. "I just don't know when the three of us will ever meet again." 

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 please let the people who mattered to you know that you love them.

happy 29 february.