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You’re walking to your home after a long day’s work. It’s rather late, but it isn’t quite dark yet. The sun has just begun to set, leaving an amber glow over the sides of buildings, washing the windows of apartments a vibrant orange. The sounds of trains leaving the city echo, nearly drowning out the sounds of footsteps racing down the street and children laughing. For a moment it sounds like a normal scenario of yelling and play, but after a moment you notice something a bit off. One is crying. The laughter only seems to increase at that. It looks like your neighborhood isn’t free of bullying, either.

“I heard your mom dances in that night club in the shady part of town! My dad said that he saw her when he was there!” one of the children jeer, their voice a bit smug. 

“I don’t care- Leave me alone!”

“Wow, I bet you must be really embarrassed. I would be if my mom did something like that.”



“It’s really sad. I bet the only reason she does that is because you’re a lot to handle. Aren’t you going to a fancy private school?”



“That’s not-“



“Wooow. I bet she would have been better off if she hadn’t had you. At least she wouldn’t have to dance for money. Maybe you should just do her a favor and run away.”



“Oh! Maybe you should just die.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t it be better that way?”


The scene goes silent as soon as you step into your view. Even if you hadn’t meant to intrude on their tormenting, it’s the only clear path towards your home. The group of older children who had been teasing the small boy who, hasn’t seemed to notice you through his tears, freeze. 



“W…Well maybe I will!” the littlest one screams, standing up quickly and running down the road. The other children scatter, running down the alleys before you can properly reprimand any of them. From far away you can see the distressed boy take a turn down to the left. If memory serves you correctly, that path is the one that leads to the forest on the outskirts of town. Even when you were a child it had been rumored to be a place where people would often go to die. It had gotten so bad in recent years that a wooden sign was erected, urging people to turn back and to have hope. As you pass that intersection, you see the sign has not deterred him from running in.

Even if he doesn’t go through with his plan, it is increasingly dangerous. Rumor has it that the forest is thick enough that it is incredibly easy to become lost once entering should you go off the trail. There is at least another half hour of daylight to work with, but even during the day it would be hard for someone that young to navigate. Let alone what he may find should he wander off the trail. There were people who routinely collected the bodies of the deceased, however…

You should go after him.

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Hiroshi enjoyed his walks, especially after work like this, where the sun's setting into brilliant shades of oranges and reds, then across the sky to the purples and blues of the eastern skyline. It made him forget just for a few moments of the apathy that fills his life currently without any sort of high calling to call his own. It was a pitiful existence if he had to be blunt. He just kept moving forward and forward without any idea of what tomorrow will hold or even what today is for, he just keeps moving forward and forward in the hopes of something special will happen. Unluckily for him something did happen, but it's not some great calling but the sounds and eventfully sights of something he always hated. Bullying.

Even from down the street he could hear the bullies laughter and the comments they were saying, which were nasty and deep cutting, how anybody, let alone kids can be so cruel he would never understand. It made him fume with anger, so much so that he took quicker steps almost to a sprint at the sources of the kids voices so he could stop the horrid activity before something happens they would regret, and it's far to early in life to have such regrets.

As he walked to the opening to the area where the mockery took place, the victim responded back to the bullies' declaration to just kill himself with an agreement which caused his heart to ache in sympathy also in understanding, which made him feel sick.

Before Hiroshi could call out to the child and his bullies they all scattered in the surrounding alleys, to him the bullies don't matter at the moment as he seen where the small boy ran off to. He is heading towards the woods on the outskirts of town. Hiroshi ran after the boy as fast as he could, but the boy was way too fast for him to catch up to. He knew about those woods for as long as he lived in the area, it was a popular suicide location where groups of people meet up and kill themselves. Even if the boy was just in distress and not going to kill himself the woods were so thick that the boy could get lost and hurt and nobody would know. Nobody but him.

The logical thing to do was call the police and have them look in the woods while he goes back home. But logic is not a thing he could do at the moment, his inner parent was screaming at him to find the child and bring him back to safety even at the cost of his own, but deep down he felt validated that is life has meaning if it is for just a few quick moments when he brings the child out of the woods.

When Hiroshi was running down the trail of the road he didn't even acknowledge the sign telling him to turn back and have hope. as he ran past it.

After a solid minute of running, Hiroshi slowed down then stopped competently to cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled out to the kid,"Kid! Where did you go! Turn back and head out of the woods! Its not safe here!" His yells were muffled out by the thick foliage. He hoped the boy is safe. He hopes the boy will turn back and head back home where it's safe and warm. Ir should warmer then his house.

The sound of footsteps cracking branches continues to grow more distant. Though the sun was starting to set, Hiroshi would be able to see the child mounting over the height of the hill on his scrawny legs. Upon being called the child turned to look at him, eyes full of tears. His hands were shaking around a small swiss army knife, likely one for simple survival techniques as opposed to a real weapon. But regardless, it was still enough to cut and, despite his trembling hands and lip it was clear the boy had enough intent to follow through with the action.



 “Leave me alone I... I don’t belong in this world!” he shouts, pressing the heels of his hands to his face to wipe away his tears. Upon further inspection, the very core of the child’s chest was glowing underneath his tattered, food stained shirt. The ethereal glow beat in time with Hiroshi’s heart, as if it was able to read his pulse down to the very second. It disappeared a few moments after its appearance as the boy turned away and ran towards the sound of rushing water.

So many news reports had spoken of a majority of deaths that took place in the forest ended up being in the cold waters of the river that passed through. The site was a convienient place to wash away one’s body so a family member wouldn’t have to find it. It was also a place where murderers brought their dead to hide them, sometimes in an attempt to mask their victim's death as a suicide. Because of this, the river had been named after Death itself, for all of the lives that it took down into its murky currents. Today, it seemed another soul was determined to throw itself into the dark waters, never to be found.

And indeed, a splashing sound followed by a high scream would alarm Hiroshi to the fact that the boy had already started to put his plan into motion. There would only be a short amount of time to stop him.

In the surrounding area a plethora of blue lights started to ignite and flicker, their bright cyan eyes glowing bright through the ever looming darkness. The little puffs of fire lined up by the river, bathing the edges of the water in blue tones. They stood still against the bank among the roots, indifferent to the small boy choking and splashing against the current. Their duties had already been fulfilled.