Foreteller

Extra post for my birthday month. It's longer than my usual posts but I didn't want to do more than one extra post this month.

             -Rose B.

Foreteller

    The first one is never easy, but there is always one that never leaves you. At the time it may seem no different than any other, but no matter how many songs you'll sing the memory of it will never fade. It will come to you in the most mundane moments, keep you up at night, and make you wonder if you are going insane. Even as I lay here barely breathing on my own, I still see it as if it happened only moments ago...

    The first time I saw him is the image that haunts me the most. Summer was beginning it counterattack against winter. Patches of grass triumphed over the snow's reign. The sky shifted between gray clouds and the blue sky. He was at a table with friends surrounded by the sun's warmth, and when he laughed the sunlight was almost blinding. I was so startled by his smile I almost dropped my books into the dirty melting snow. The skin on his arm was already gray. Every time he moved the Ash fell from him and vanished before reaching the ground. I gave a moment to mourn before continuing on my way.

    Honestly, in that first interaction, he was like any other stranger. I didn't have a sense of foreboding about singing for him. I only spoke a handful of words to him and I don't even remember his name. I know child, it's odd that he is the one that sticks with me. I've spent many hours trying to figure out why but I've never reached an answer.

I didn't see him again until winter was in its final struggle. Small pockets of snow only existed in the coldest of shadows where the heat of the clear sky couldn't reach. I bumped into him as he was coming out of a building. the Ash had reached his neck, almost his whole arm looked like peeling paint. I jumped into the shade, trying not to show anything on my face.

    He smiled, "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

    "It's alright," I murmured, my voice little more than a whisper. He didn't reply and maybe he didn't hear me. On my hand, Ash sunk into my skin looking for the similar darkness in me. My eyes followed his carefree back until he turned a corner and I knew I couldn't avoid this any longer.

    I saw him more frequently after that, the Ash slowly increasing and smoke pouring from the cracks. I wondered if some part of him knew what was coming. Was his skin rough where the Ash had claimed him? Did his joints creak, bones ache, and muscles spasm? Could he feel pieces of him falling away like old memories? I imagined his smile looking forced as summer progressed but none of his friends seemed to worry or even notice.

    Songs are never abrupt, spur of the moment things. The urge always occurs before. You might be able to ignore it for a time but it won't go away. It will only crescendo as the song does. It will feel like it's tearing your throat apart but if you sing to early you won't be able to stop until it's over...

    The urge started in the height of summer's rule when the sun beat down, and everything struggled under the heat. Most of his body was covered in Ash but his smile was just as bright. I told myself it wasn't time yet and swallowed the song. The urge grew into a need and I withdrew from conversations, afraid that if I opened my mouth the song would spill out in place of my words. In these moments my throat is so dry it feels like it's sticking together. I hear the melody in my sleep and catch myself humming the haunting tune.

    You won't miss the timing to sing, the song won't let you. The song resides in us but it does not belong to us. You will never forget it, but even if you try to sing it any other time you won't be able to. We are just the messengers and when it is time the song will flow like spring water.

    It was a day of dark skies, threatening rain when it arrived. I watched from the roof as he chatted with friends. His stride unhindered, unburdened, even though he was covered in smoke and I wondered how he hadn't fallen apart from the Ash alone. Thunder rolled through the air obscuring the sound of the truck. In the next breath, the song burst from my lungs as he was dragged under. The notes started soft but grew with the screams. Rain cooled the air as it waltzed to the shifting melody. Unnoticed by the commotion below, the slow refrain filled up the empty places. Carried on by the sirens it pierced the hearts of all those who heard it. Skin prickled and hair stood on end as the chill settled in their bones.

Roses are Red 5

Roses are Red

5

    On Thanksgiving you met Mama and Papa. Mama was overjoyed, she hugged us several times and couldn't stop talking about how good we looked together and we were obviously meant to be. Papa peppered you with random questions throughout dinner, but he calmed down a bit once he discovered you were a law student. It was obvious mam loved you as she would use anything as an excuse to talk more with you. Papa slowly warmed up but seemed content by the time we left. On the sidewalk you said my family was lovely and I wondered if you really thought that. Now I think you were telling the truth as you still see my mother on occasion.

    Some time before December I met your sister, when she suddenly stopped by to visit you. She was just as energetic as I imagined and just like you warned she called you nothing but Lucy. When you ran out to grab lunch I asked her for the story behind your nickname. She smiled and said there wasn't much to tell. She thought you were a huge jerk as a teenager and would secretly call you Lucifer. You made her so mad one day that she almost blurred it out with your parents in the room. She quickly shortened it to Lucy and it caught on. You came back and quietly added that now everytime she calls you it, it gives her a good laugh.

    I met your mother at Christmas. She was sweet woman and it was obvious you loved her. She loved the homemade fudge I brought anad asked me for the recipe. Sometimes I wonder if she makes it, and if it reminds you of me or if you've forgotten I was the one who introduced it to your family.

    New years we spent together. I made food and you brought roses and lilies. I told you it reminded me of the cheesy poem. You laughed and almost sang to me,

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Lilies are pure

And I love you

I don't think I was ever happier in my life then in that moment. Life seemed perfect and the future seemed laid out before me.

    Valentine's Day you brought me a bouquet of snap dragons and two flowers I didn't recognize. One was clusters of small purple pink flowers the other were fluffy looking light pink flowers.

    "What are these?" I asked.

    You smiled and pointed at the light pink flowers, "These are Begonias, I've heard that sometimes they are used for garnish on food." You switched to the clusters, "these are Rhododendron. They are slightly poisonous so don't eat them."

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Roses are Red 4

Roses are Red

4

    "Does your sister help out with the flower shop too?"

    "When she can, She's a cop so it's harder for her to drop everything and come help. What about you, do you have any siblings?"

    "No it's just me and my parents, they wanted more kids but, as mom likes to day, it just wasn't in the cards for them."

    We reached the door of the dessert shop and you opened the door for me. The shop was surprisingly empty, besides the two employees there was only two other customers. We ordered cookies and a slice of cake and picked a table. Once we were situated you started the conversation again. "You know I do gardening but what do you like to do in your free time?"

    "I read books or watch whatever is on tv. What do you do in the winter when there are no plants to take care of?"

    "I'm sad to say I read law books and sleep."

    I laughed, "So you must really want to practice law."

    You smile at me, "More like I just want to be done with school. Why did you choose business?"

    "It was mostly to help my parents but they needed me before I completed the degree."

    The night grew longer as we talked. I don't remember most of the conversation topics, the things I learned about you in the beginning now seem like things i always knew. I do remember on the small porch of my town-home you told me you found me interesting and wanted to get to know me better. It seemed like a dream to me, I fully expected to wake up the next day to find me life had returned to normal. It wasn't a dream, though now sometimes I wish you had been. We were too busy to see each other often but we talked through messages and phone calls. When we had time we would see movies or visit local restaurants. You gave gardening tips and I showed you how to cook.

    The first time I visited your house, I was amazed at how clean everything was. You promised it was because you weren't here enough to get it dirty. On your mantle I noticed only the photos of your dad were older. You explained that your dad had died of cancer a couple years ago, leaving your mom to take care of the flower shop. You said the first year was especially tough but your mom has been doing better recently. I didn't really know what to say as the only death I had experienced was that of a pet cat. The darkness in your eyes seemed to deep and old for me to traverse lightly, so I just stood next to you and looked at the photos. We eventually moved onto other topics but that was the first time I noticed that you hide things behind your smile.

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Roses are Red 3

Roses are Red

3

    "That's nice of you. What does he do?"

    "He runs a small car dealership. I can't do selling but at least I can help out with paperwork and phone calls."

    I glanced up to see you nodding, "I get that. My parents started a small flower shop and I still help out when needed."

    "Is that where you learned about flowers?"

    "Yep, you learn quick when people have no idea what they're looking for but want to make sure the flower meanings are correct. I started growing my own when I started college. It's a great way to de-stress."

    "Maybe I should learn more about gardening then."

    You smiled, "I could bring you a couple books to get you started." I nodded and your smile widened, "Great, since we just did the coffee thing, how about I take your to dinner? I'll bring the books and we can go over them together."

    I agreed and you gave me your phone number so I could tell you when I wasn't busy. From the beginning you were easy to talk to and made me laugh. I wanted to keep talking to you, but I let you leave with only a friendly "see you". I left as soon as you were out of sight and almost flew home. I called mama and she was ecstatic insisting i bring you over for family dinner. I tried to explain we had only really talked once but she didn't care, she was just happy that her little girl was finally interested in another human.

    I was able to text you my schedule the next day and you were happy to tell me that our schedules matched up enough that we could go on Saturday. i agreed that it worked for me and you asked if I had any allergies for foods I disliked. The answer to both questions was no. You told me to plan on sushi and we agreed on a time. The rest of the week passed quickly and before I knew it, it was Saturday. You took me to a popular sushi place and, despite it being rather full, the noise didn't bother me as we talked. As we flipped through the books you pointed out what worked for you and what didn't. What I should be wary of growing in the Rockies and what thrived in this area. After the meal, and with gardening books safely tucked under your arm, we began walking to a little dessert shop nearby.

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Roses are Red 2

Roses are Red

2

    "Hey, I feel I should apologize again for the other day," you said.

    I tugged at my scarf, wishing it would hide me, "It's alright I should have been looking where I was going."

    You sighed and scratched the back of your head, "Normally I don't check the grounds right in the walk way so I feel responsible."

    "What do you use them for?" I asked looking at the bag in your arms.

    "I make a special fertilizer out of them, not that I can grow anything with winter right around the corner."

    "Why do you keep getting coffee grounds then?"

    "Most of my backyard is for flowers so I need a lot of grounds and it's easier to get them when not everyone wants them."

    "That must take a lot of work."

    You smiled again and I couldn't help but think you were an angel who had fallen out of heaven, "It is but I love doing it."

    The barista called out a butchered form of my name and you follow me over, "Do you garden?"

    I shrugged as I grabbed the warm drink, "I make sure the plants in my house and the bushes outside have plenty of water."

    "At least you take care of the plants you do have." You pushed up your glasses, a habit I would come to recognize you'd do when you remembered something, "I'm sorry I haven't even asked for your name yet."

    I smiled as we sat down at a table, "I'm Sarah."

    "Lucas, although my sister loves to call me Lucy."

    I laughed, "Why?"

    "It started as a joke when I was a teenager but it stuck. She loves to use it in public, she once called out to me on campus and my classmates haven't stopped calling me it since."

    "What are you studying?"

    "I'm right in the middle of a law degree at the U. What about you?"

    I looked down at the dark wooden table, "I'm helping my father with his work instead of finishing my bachelors in business."

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Roses are Red 1

Alright lets begin the short story. This was written for a group that never read my poems. So the twists will probably be less surprising for you.

          -Rose B.

Roses are Red

1

    I see you've found another girl. Is she like the others, the ones you just picked up off the street, the ones whose lives are extinguished a couple hours after meeting you. Or is she like me where you "hoped things will be different."

    I remember when I met you. I had just received my drink from the Starbucks barista and was in a rush. You were crouched down grabbing a bag of coffee grounds when I tripped over you. I don't remember what drink I ordered or why I was in a hurry but I can still see that moment clearly. Your chocolate colored eyes widening as I begin to fall. The looks of amusement and pity from customers and workers as my drink leaves my hand. You reached out to catch it but you only grazed the cup. I caught myself but the drink splashed all over the floor.

    "I'm sorry," You said as you stood up, "Are you okay?"

    I nodded, "I'm alright but my drink..."

    We both looked down at the mess. I sighed and turned to an employee who watched the whole thing from behind the counter, "Do you have paper towels?"

    He produced some and I mopped up the liquid as best I could. When I had thrown away the dented cup and soaked sheets, you handed me another drink. "It was partly my fault so take this as an apology."

    I smiled and accepted the drink. I almost forgot myself and stopped to chat but my reason for hurrying weighed on my mind and I left with a thank you. I didn't see you again until a couple weeks later in that same Starbucks. You were chatting with a barista, holding a bag of coffee grounds when I walked in. I didn't know if you would remember me or if I wanted you to remember. I moved into line and pretended to look at this year's Christmas cups so I could watch you.

    You looked like you belonged in this space. Clean shaven and well dressed in a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbow and pressed jeans. Your hair was the color of the coffee beans and was well styled. As I was paying for my drink, you turned and caught me staring. You smiled and behind the black frames your eyes melted. I blushed and looked away. As I tried to walk past you to get to the pick up counter, you stopped me with a hand on my arm.

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Roses are Red, Tears are blue

This is a concept I've been working on for 5 years. It's been two poems and now a short story but I'm not completely happy with it. I'll share the poems in this post then start with the story in the next one. You don't have to read the poems to understand the story, and the poems spoil the twists in the story.

                -Rose B.

First Concept

 

Blood is red, Tears are blue

You said you loved me, So why'd you kill me.

Second Concept

 

Roses are Red

I met you long ago you're smile was a perfect match to your chocolate colored eyes.

You were a fallen angel in my eyes: beautiful and out of reach.

Violets are Blue

Taken in by your beauty I couldn't see the skeletons that follow you.

You hid them well when you brought me bouquets of Oleanders, Begonias and Chrysanthemums.

Daffodils are Yellow

Everyone said we were meant to be and that I was lucky to have you.

You smiled at me sweetly and I wondered why you picked me.

I should have known then that you never loved me.

Gluttony is Pink

I thought we would be everlasting when we sat in the warm sun.

My world was a little brighter with you but now it's dark and rotten.

Pride is Purple

Unable to look away I watch as you show someone else you're precious flower garden.

But she only sees the flowers not the hidden truth that lies beneath.

Wrath is Orange

You still smile at me but not like the charming smile you show her.

When you smile at me it tells of a shared secret with the danger laid bare.

Lilies are Pure

One day she'll know what is hidden away and you won't let her escape.

Then you'll have another to smile at as you show a different girl the flowers.

The End is Black