Over the hedge

Dave rubbed his eyes, grappling with reality. Clearing Refinery Palace first on the server? Probably not happening. Hell, someone likely already did it. He clung to his seat as if in fear of awakening something that would get out of control.

‘It must’ve been something big. Real life is more important than dungeons. Real life is more important,’ he rehearsed a calming incantation.

Perhaps the best way to settle his mind was to ask her directly. He typed slower than usual as he weighed every single word.

‘Hey. Is everything okay? What happened?’

Closing his eyes, he swiveled in his chair, letting go momentarily. Then the notification tone chimed — a new message.

‘That was fast…’

But it was not what he had hoped to see.

‘Hey. How are you?’ ‘she’ wrote.

He stared at those four words. Seemingly harmless, but full of poison, slowly but surely teeming towards his heart. The ringing tinnitus kicked in, as he couldn’t fight the temptation to reply.

‘Hi. Okay. You?’

‘Mmm, don’t know… Fine, maybe. I miss you.’

A rancid taste spread through his mouth. It was a manipulative tactic she had employed repeatedly, designed to elicit the very pity she yearned for. And he used to fall for that. Oh, so many times. Offer ‘her’ the world. ‘Just tell me what I can do for you, anything,’ he used to say whenever ‘she’ felt down.

‘So, is there something you want?’

‘I wanted to warn you about the healer you’re playing with. Was it Miira? I just heard some shit, you know, I care about you, so thought I should tell you.’

‘Right.’

‘Did you know she used to flirt with guys to get carried? All the top tanks.’

‘And where have you heard that?’

‘Oh, you know, people talk. Just wanted to let you know.’

Oh, sure. Perhaps it was the surface intention, but Dave knew her motives extended way beyond the ‘care and love’ ‘she’ had for him. ‘She’ enjoyed seeing him in despair and, more than anything, would be overjoyed to see him grovel back to ‘her’.

Something boiled in him. He wanted to tell ‘her’ ‘Haven’t you heard the things people talk about you?’ but he had wasted enough of the breath already. And with that, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and blocked her. Finally, after months, he did it.

‘Your reign over my life is over, my dear,’ he smiled tenderly in a murmur.

***

Friday evenings were not Dave’s favorite time for a walk, and his sentiment was swiftly affirmed by what he encountered. A group of drunken people sang loud as they walked with no stability afoot. He veered across the street.

‘Should I have stayed home? No, no. There’s no way I could like this,’ as he breathed in, the chilly spring air tickled his throat. He continued on and for a while, it was calm until he reached a dog park. One of Kyu’s favorite places to go. There, a group of three guys and two girls sat on a bench without regard for proper seating. One couple engaged in an impassioned make-out session while their friends documented the spectacle.

‘Oh no. No no no,’ with utter disgust Dave turned away. A desperation for a quiet spot kicked in.

His phone in the pocket vibrated. Finally, a reply from Miira.

‘Hey. Sorry for ditching you guys. Had a situation going on and needed to take care of it.’

He held his breath. Was she going to say more? Explain her circumstances?

‘She used to flirt with guys to get carried. All the top tanks, ‘she’ said.’

‘I see. I hope you’re alright. Let me know if I can help,’ he wrote, hoping to keep the conversation going.

‘Don’t worry. I can handle myself.’

It was her way she put her words. The weight of them. It deviated from her usual lighthearted manner. Now every word was straight to the point, cutting off any opportunity to interject.

‘Alright. The offer still stands.’

No reply.

‘Were you tiring of me? Did my mistakes wear you out? Did you look for a better tank?’

He put his eyes up and realized he wasn’t on his regular path anymore. He usually looped through the park with the make-out couple, but this detour took him deeper into an unfamiliar neighborhood. Yet it wasn't completely alien — it held a hint of familiarity. If he continued for about 10 minutes, he should reach an intersection and take a right…

Wait. Was that a false memory? Or a wrong turn? Instead of a turn to the right, a tall hedge wall extended along the pathway.

‘It must be here, I swear,’ he picked up the pace. ‘Just how huge is this?’

Abruptly, he halted, facing slightly ajar iron gates that reached skyward, adorned with delicate vine motifs that twined through the bars. He had seen this somewhere. Yet now it felt older, worn out.

He facepalmed. ‘Right, I turned on the wrong street.'  Recognizing a familiar smell, his face softened. ‘This is the hedge park mom used to take me when I was little. After those horrible days at the daycare, when ‘friends’ teased me, called me ‘parrot-nose’, when they left me out.’

That night, it was exactly a spot Dave craved for. Who would go to a hedge park with friends on a Friday night? It was too remote, too unknown, too… boring for average adolescents looking for fun. He pushed the gates and stepped in.

The darkness of the park, illuminated by a soft orange glow of the lamps, brought on an inexplicable sense. After confirming the coast was clear, he went deeper into the park.

***

The park brought back a flood of memories. Its central hedge stretched out for what seemed like an eternity, flanked by benches that provided moments of respite. And then there were the side paths branching off the central hedge, each weaving its own unique labyrinth.

He grinned as he recalled pleading with his mom to play hide and seek there. Overflowing with excitement, his little legs propelled him forward, maneuvering through the hedge's twists and turns, sometimes even leading him astray. Finally, upon finding a good corner to hide, he hunkered down and waited with his little heart fluttering. But as the minutes ticked by, he couldn't help but worry. She couldn’t find him. What if she never would? He yelled for her. It took her another few minutes to find him. Those few minutes filled with terror. Terror of being left alone. Never to be found again. He scoffed at it now, realizing he wanted nothing more but solitude.

Following his hazy memories, he continued along a truncated hedge wall. His hand gently grazed its rough branches, etching the palm. His mouth corners curled up a bit, and he picked up his pace. A familiar bench came into view. It was here that he and his mom had sat, enjoying the homemade sandwiches she always prepared ahead of time. But there was something unfamiliar about it. The closer he walked towards it, the more he started hearing sniffling, an occasional ‘Idiot, you idiot’.

It appeared to come from the other side of the hedge, but no actual conversation seemed to go on.

‘Perhaps it was a bad idea to come here too…’ and with that thought, he tried to sneak away. But the pebbles underfoot had their own intentions, betraying his attempt at stealth. The person on the other side of the hedge gasped.

Dave froze, shut eyes tightly, held his breath in. Carefully, he peeled one eye open to see his phone light up. What now? A reply from Miira.

‘I might die.’

‘???’ sheer confusion oozed from Dave.

‘I think there’s some stalker around where I am. So, in case I die and go missing, here’s the evidence of what happened.’

‘Do you want me to call the police?’

‘I don’t know. What if it’s just a random person and I’m wrong?’

‘Bush tell me where you are and I will call the porridge,’ Dave wrote as his fingers made and excellent work on the typos.

His heart raced. It was not the time and place for it. And then he heard snickering behind the hedge.

‘What the hell…’ he thought and quickly edited the message.

‘Just tell me where you are and I will call the police,’ the edited message reappeared.

‘Right. Okay, well. Don’t call anyone yet, but I will send you my location, just in case I go silent.’

He patiently waited, and as soon as Miira shared it, he clicked it. But the app must have glitched. It showed she was at the same place as him, which obviously was impossible. Dave opened it again, but the issue persisted.

‘Send it again. This one seems bugged.’

And then she sent another one. Yet, he saw the same. He pondered for a second. Could this be real? The chances were astronomical.

‘Are you in ‘The Quiet Hedge Park’?’ he asked.

‘Yup. So it’s working. Great.’

No way. His heart stopped in his chest, and legs lost the strength in them. He quickly Googled ‘The Quiet Hedge Park’, searching for any alternatives, perhaps in a different country, that could explain the confusion. But no. It was THE only park with this name. Was it a joke? No. She wouldn’t do that. Would she?

‘You’re not messing with me, are you?’ he just had to ask.

‘Why would I pick a time when my life is in danger?’

‘Should I just call her name?’ 

He hesitated, holding the air in his lungs. ‘Miira?’ he said out loud.

***

No sound came from behind the hedge, allowing Dave’s shoulders to relax a tad. He wanted to laugh at himself. ‘What an idiot to think she would actually be here,’ he thought as he received another message.

‘Call the police. NOW. That definitely is a stalker. He just said my name.’

Oh. OH. Oh. So… she really was on the other side.

‘Miira, it was me. I am the person on the other side of the hedge.’

‘It’s not a good time for jokes like that.’

‘I’m serious.’

‘What? Are you stalking me?’

‘No, I am not! I’m as stunned as you are,’ he finally communicated with his voice.

‘Oh my god. Seiyun. What the hell?’ she replied, in a voice lower and darker than usual.

‘What the hell indeed.' He took a seat on the bench.

‘Well, I guess no need for police then.'

‘No need for police.’

Silence. More silence. Snickering. Laughing. And now they were both bursting in laugh. Uncontrollably as their tension dissipated.

‘Why… why are we-,’ Miira was trying to catch her breath. ‘Why are we laughing?’

‘No idea!’ Dave snorted accidentally, which, naturally, only intensified their laughter.

‘Seriously! What are the chances? Gosh…’ she calmed down. ‘So you’re really not stalking me?’

‘No!’ Dave’s denial received the tiniest cackle from her. ‘I didn’t even know we live in the same city.’

A slight rustle came from Miira’s side, as if she was getting into a more comfortable position. ‘Why are you here?’

Dave recounted his evening. His uneasiness after she didn’t come back for runs, the drunk people, a familiar park he rediscovered.

‘Why did they call you ‘parrot-nose’?’

He blushed, propped by her question. If he told her, would she still treat him the same?

‘It’s the shape of the nose. The tip is low…’ it felt silly explaining it. The nickname hurt him multiple times, and now he unraveled it to someone he didn't even see.

‘Kids can be cruel, huh? If you’re just a little different, they will ensure to make a point out of it. I’m sorry you had to go through it.’

‘I’m fine now, really. I grew out of it and if anything, it gave me a good lesson about people.’

He firmly placed his trembling hands on bony knees.

‘I’m glad to hear that,’ she paused briefly. A light tapping sound came from the other side. ‘Hey, listen… I’m sorry about today. We didn’t get to clear it first. I know you wanted to.’ she said, voice full of regret.

‘Don’t worry. We will clear it first next update. I was pretty bad anyway. We wouldn’t have made it this time.’

‘Why do you care so much about clearing it first? It really doesn’t mean much apart from a shiny title.’

‘Hey! It’s cool! Everyone looks up to the guys with a shiny title like that. Also,’ his voice went soft. ‘Back in the days me and my static used to try. And it was special. It was the only time I felt like we were truly working as a team and put personal scores aside.’

‘You’re really good. How come I’ve never seen your party anywhere near the top?’

‘Ah… That. Well,’ he looked around and rubbed his forehead. ‘Our static was pretty unstable in the past year. You know how it is when you don’t establish a consistent group.’

‘What was the problem?’

‘Our healer, I guess… My ex. ‘She’ was good, but also very picky about the people we played with. If someone stepped on ‘her’ tail or critiqued ‘her’, we would need to replace them.’

His face soured as life circled him back to ‘her’ once more, despite his efforts to put the past behind. He recalled the time when ‘she’ demanded getting someone called Raccoon into their static. An annoying guy who couldn’t stop his dirty banter with ‘her’. Although it wasn’t long lived, as he dared to call ‘her’ slow. Eventually, it was Dave’s job to talk to him and make him leave upon ‘her’ request.

‘I see. Was it Yuneya?’

He winced at the sound of the name. ‘Yeah.’

‘Yeah… It sounds like her.’

‘You know ‘her’?’ he narrowed his eyes as nausea crept in.

‘No no. Not like that. Just the regular gossip. Sorry for bringing her up.’

‘Past is past,’ he mumbled, shifting in his seat. ‘Anyway, why are we talking about me so much? It seems you’ve been through something unpleasant yourself today.’

‘I really rather not talk about it,’ she said it slowly yet firmly, leaving no room for debate.