the scent of fried food and sugary snacks.
I finally made it. Happy birthday, Appa.
And for a second, she thought she saw a man in the crowd, holding his hand out as if he’d been waiting for her.
“Why would you want to come here voluntarily? How can you stand the crowds?” Junu whined. Somin jumped at the sound of his voice. She’d been focusing so hard on the man, she hadn’t heard Junu come up behind her. When she looked again, the man was gone, if he’d even been there at all.
But she did see other figures moving throughout the crowd. At least a handful of them that others didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps they didn’t realize these forms were floating instead of walking. Ghosts. Somin squeezed her eyes shut; she didn’t want to deal with the supernatural. Not today. But when she opened them again, the ghosts were still there and the parkgoers remained mostly oblivious.
“They really can’t see them,” she breathed.
“Most of them, anyway,” Junu said, gesturing to a little boy who stared openmouthed at an elderly ghost beside him. The boy seemed equal parts in awe and terrified, like maybe he thought this was part of the park’s offerings.
“They can’t hurt you,” Junu said, taking her hand. He squeezed it comfortingly, and it helped calm her. “Not if you just ignore them.”
“Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe this is selfish, coming here when the world is turning upside down.”
Junu sighed, “No, I promised I’d take you here. I keep my promises. Even when those promises lead to a day of torture.”
Somin laughed at his morose tone. Like he was being forced into hard labor instead of a day at an amusement park.
She craned her neck back to glance up at the glass dome above. It let in the sky and the sun while protecting the parkgoers from the elements. She’d just take today, no, just half of a day, and have fun. Then she’d return to the real world and the problems that plagued her friends.
“Fine, but no more complaining. I’m not calling you out for buying two youth passes.”
“What’s the matter with that?” Junu asked.
Somin gave Junu a knowing look. “You’re not quite a youth anymore, Junu. Haven’t been that for a few hundred years.”
“Well, the woman in the ticket booth didn’t care.” Junu shrugged. “And she seemed to like me. It’s almost like she wanted to give me the discount.”
“Everyone thinks they like you at first. Because people are innately shallow.” She playfully grabbed his chin.
“Everyone except you, my love.” Junu scrunched his nose playfully.
Somin stopped at that. She knew the words were said in casual jest. That they didn’t mean anything. But they made her heart stutter regardless.
“Come on, I want to go on the pirate ship,” Somin said, grabbing his hand, trying to ignore her erratic pulse.
“I don’t do fast rides.” Junu glared at the swinging pirate ship. Riders screamed in delight as it rocked back and forth, each time threatening to go all the way upside down.
“Why?” Somin teased. “Are you scared?”
“I’m just not willing to give up my breakfast right now.”
Somin laughed at the fear he couldn’t quite hide. She found she liked this new scared version of Junu. Made him seem more real. More human.
“Mortals love a thrill. They love to be reminded of their frailty. Nothing like knowing you’ll die to make you really want to live.”
“I can’t tell if you think mortality is a good or a bad thing.”
“I think it’s . . . limiting.” Junu shrugged. “I knew a boy once who was a disappointment. He couldn’t do anything right. He brought a lot of shame to the family. He was worth only what honor he could bring to the family name in his short lifetime. Everything, including his happiness, came second to the family honor. And when he rebelled and tried to find a sliver of joy, he was kicked out of the family. And he died alone. And no one remembers him now.”
“I don’t care how others measure my life. I care how I feel about how I’ve lived.” She gestured to a ghost standing by a trash receptacle. Actually, it was standing half inside the trash receptacle. “It seems like now more than ever, I’m being reminded that death is an inescapable fact of life, so why let the fear of dying stop me from living?”
That made Junu’s brows rise. “I can’t decide if I’m impressed by how cavalier you are or scared.”
“Well,