Closer ...
If I was only a little closer
The violet lanterns illuminated the cool spring evening. Earlier in the day, children flew kites that danced in the early spring wind, running relentlessly to keep up with the swaying paper shields. Hanky-sacks jumped in the air above their heads. Yunnori sticks were tossed, and people engaged watching in hopes of receiving good fortune. Dancers in vibrant costumes and musicians in abstract mask performed folk pieces. Firecrackers were shot into the sky, sparking resounding explosions, but nothing distracted from the happiness Add and his family shared.
Add's father waved incense above the table of delicious offerings, then placed it in front of the scrolls.
"Catch a lot of luck in the new year!" the family sung the ancestral rites in unison, performing the traditional bow to their deceased relatives.
The Kims were dressed in the finest silk hanboks, color-coordinated in shades of violet. Violet was a symbol of the family's high status. Mr. Kim stood tall, with prominent shoulders, but his warm smile vanished anyone's impression of his assertiveness. Beside him was his wife. She carried herself with such poise, and her blonde locks were up in a topknot, showcasing her radiant beauty. Her luminous magenta eyes shone under any light. Their first and only child, Add, was at his father's right. Add was an adorable young boy, with peach-like cheeks that called for a pinch. His silver hair set him apart from other children. He had his father's nose and his mother's eyes, Add undeniably had golden genes. Everyone recognized the Kims as the leading science researchers.
Add fumbled with strings of a Bokjori decoration, a sign of good fortune. He jumped, trying to reach the hook upon the wall. Add's father saw him struggling.
"Need help there, Addie-boy?" He hollered, stepping closer to his son.
"I can do it! And I'm not Addie!" The young boy replied, puffing his cheeks to a pout
"Addie is a girl's name too!"
He laughed, then lifted Add up to help him hang the Bokjori. He faintly blushed because he was embarrassed that he couldn't hang the stupid ornament three feet above his own height. Add kicked his legs as soon as he finished, hinting to his father that he wants him to let him down now. Mr. Kim adjusted his grip on the boy, then proudly spun him around for a hug.
"Hey! Let me down already!" Add exclaimed, his pout hasn't left his face yet.
"My boy!" Mr. Kim chimed.
"It's almost time you guys, let's go!" Mrs. Kim said, waving her hand for the boys to come follow.
As they left the temple, the heavy wooden doors shut. The clanging of the brass bells began, marking a new year.
It was the Lunar New Year's festival, the Seollal, just a month past Add's seventh birthday. It was a time that only comes once a year, when families come together in memory for their ancestors. Everyone anticipated spending time with each other. The Kim family celebrated their Lunar New Year at Ruben Park.
His father returned from the food stall with sweet deukbokki(rice cakes). His mother bent to Add's level, and picked a slice, keeping her hand beneath the cake. She blew a the warm cake, just to make sure it wouldn't burn her precious child's tongue. Add's mouth instinctively opened agape for her to feed to him. He loved desserts so much.
"Watch your Hanbok!" his father said, wiping the sauce off Add's chin. Add chuckled, and his parents grinned ear to ear.
He walked between his parents, their hands intertwined with his, or, Add's fingers wrapped around his father's pinky finger, because Add's hands were just too small and delicate to fit. He skipped along the way, his parents could not stop smiling at his innocence. Add's hands often pulled at his father's finger, but Add was light enough that his father didn't mind.
They continued walking home, hand in hands. They followed the stone path, surrounded by oak trees, with blossoms almost ready to bloom.
They crossed a short wooden bridge, lying above the river. Lanterns afloat slowly made their way down the stream, pushing the lily pads off to the side. Hangul phrases that read "Luck", "Happiness", "Prosperity", as well as paintings of cats, dragons, and koi fishes marked them.
"What are those, dad?" Add babbled, pointing to the floating balloons
"Those are lanterns, Addie" Add's father answer "People make wishes with them to be shared with the river spirits"
Add spotted a humble-looking old man ahead folding the lanterns, and ran towards him.
"I want to make a wish!" He giddily yelled, almost loud enough that everyone within a ten-mile radius could hear.
"Wait up, son!" Mr. Kim called. His two parents chased after Add.
The old man looked up at the excited young boy and a smiled.
"What is your wish, my boy?" He asked, screwing an iron handle on a lantern.
"I wish we would be like this forever!" Add grinned, holding the hands of his parents
"We will dear," His mother replied, her magenta eyes twinkling
"Forever is a long time..." Add's father whispered inaudibly, but Add ignored his remark. He wouldn't have understood it anyways.
Add's sleepy eyes opened, from the bright fluorescent lights tapping against his eyelids. Reluctantly, he woke up, trying to remember where he was. He wiped off the bit of drool around his soft, pink lips, and slicked his messy silver bangs out of his face. He lifted his heavy shoulders up, and felt an ache on his right bicep. "Ow," he hissed under his breath. He realized he fell asleep upon one of his dynamos.
"What just happened..." The confused boy thought, "I shouldn't be here"
He caught sight of the bowl of porridge, burning candles running out of wick, and a pair of scrolls laid out in front of him.
Add's face turned white, as soon as he remembered what he was doing last night; praying to his deceased parents.
