I closed the door behind me without making any sound. And then, I walked away as fast as I could.

I knew my destination; the old bridge. The old bridge at the edge of the town, built by our old colonizers, used to be a popular place for the youth during my grandparents' time. But then the town had developed. We got a club and a small amusement park. Teens who didn't go to these places met at the church.

No matter where they met, the club, the park or church, their purpose was the same. To date and to get laid. That hadn't changed over the years. I don't know if the adults knew this. They must, since they were teens once themselves.

Anyway, the old bridge was abandoned now. Nobody went there anymore. It overlooked the beautiful lake of Lotus Waters that made way from the top of the hills and headed to the thick lush green forest. Though beautiful and cold during the day, after four in the evening, the forest was a dangerous place to be. It was dark and quite easy to get lost in.

I had been planning to go to the bridge for sometime now; maybe a few months. If my bridge plan wouldn't work out, the forest was my next choice. It's difficult to return from there, though it might be a more painful option.

I hadn't realized that my steps had slowed down, as I was lost in thoughts. I looked around the town; my stupid small old town. I had spent a major chunk of my early life here. Especially my teen years.

Actually that's one third of my whole life!
I paused walking as it struck me.

I continued walking. The sun still shone brightly in the sky, but it felt too cold. I immersed both my hands into the pockets of my thin jacket. When one sets out to do what I'm about to do, one wouldn't think of getting a warmer jacket. Neither did I. Besides, the lake was not going to be warm. It was a lake, not a hot spring.

Mum and pops. My beloved parents who raised me to this day. I would have easily been gone for good if they weren't in my life. They took care of me and my four siblings so well for the past few decades. They needn't be that disappointed just because of me. The other four did pretty good in their lives. It was only I who was strayed.

But they were so wrong for each other.

Pops grew up in a farm. They grew cabbages, turnips, ginger, garlic and many other vegetables. They had cows, pigs and hens. Grandpa wanted pops to work in the farm, marry a farm girl and look after the farm after grandpa passed away. Grandma wanted the same. They were old you see, they didn't want their life to go to waste.