The Rose Museum at the heart of New York City sits a delicately woven floral. Its petals are made of small fibers dyed a bright red with its tips of pink. The tourists stand behind the thick pane of glass glancing at the beautiful rose. Designed by an anonymous artist with its intentions of being gifted to a partner was then lost and sold to the public. Many stand everyday to have a glance at the mystery.
The teacher shuts off the lights as the children are sitting on the rug with candy canes in their little hands. They twist the plastic wrapping off, giggling to their friends. A Christmas movie plays on the projector, carols echoing through the speaker. Snowflakes fall down onto the sidewalks, decorating the bushes and roofs of the town.
“Shhhhh,” the teacher whispers, holding a finger to her lips.
“Michael is typing…”
I quickly open our chat, watching as he sends the message through. We’ve been chatting for a week straight now. He’s really nice and attractive. On his profile, he says that he enjoys adventures and is always open to trying new things. I love that he’s so open and honest, he even gave me a few tips on my research paper but he doesn’t want to meet up or anything. He asked me to pay for his flight to come meet me and he told me he’s still sorting it out but it’s already been a few days.
“Hey, sorry for the late reply but the money didn’t go through, could you send it again?”
“How was your day?” he adds.
The money didn’t go through? I swear I saw the five hundred dollars disappear from my bank account.
“Are you sure? Haha, I swear I sent it,” I type, trying my best to appear as friendly. I hope he doesn’t get mad or anything.
“Yeah, if it’s an issue, I could try to pay half if that’s ok?”
“Sure!” I venmo him two hundred fifty dollars. After sending him the money, we continue chatting about my classes and what I’m doing for the day until he has to go to his job. I go onto my Venmo, checking my transactions. I swear the money went through the first time.
“You paid Michael Henry -$500.00” “You paid Michael Henry -$250.00”
Did I just get scammed?
“That was probably the worst idea you’ve ever had… and yet it worked,” she told me as we left the school.
Today was supposed to be the day of our final history exam but like Mandy and me, many of us had just gotten back from the basketball trip. We missed multiple days of classes and wouldn’t be able to pass the exam with flying colors unless we did something about it. My idea sparked in the middle seat of the yellow school bus.
I whispered in Mandy’s ear, “Let’s spray paint the school walls.” It was risky and not right but I needed to be able to study for the exam. Mandy shook her head, disagreeing with my decision.
“They will think it’s a burglar or something and probably cancel school to investigate,” I explained.
“That’s not smart,” Mandy said. “I mean it won’t be the end of world if we just take the exam,” she spoke. But Mandy was so smart, she always could score higher than everyone else even when she never studied.
“Please?” I begged. I did my best to try to make her give in.
“Fine, only because you’re my best friend,” she replied.
“Yes!” I screamed, a little too loud. A few of the other students on the bus turned their heads to us.
After the bus, everyone went home as Mandy and I went to the store for spray paint cans and gloves. We went to the school at three in the morning and painted the whole front doors of the school. After we were finished, we hopped over the fence and sprinted our ways home. We both slept in our beds until six in the morning as our mothers knocked on our doors, telling us to sleep in because school was canceled for the day.
I have to. I need to. Just plunging the knife into their hearts and faces, watching as their eyes roll closed for the final time is the most satisfying feeling. Their bodies going limp and their skin pale. I’m normal. This is normal. Everyone has something that makes them feel on top of the world. I’m a saint compared to others. I don’t leave them to rot. I don’t leave them to torture for days. I stab them and they’re left in peace forever.
The sky was a joy of pinks and oranges as they blended together into the clouds. A boy sat on a bench overlooking the city. He watched as the wind blew through the trees and the clouds as they moved to the west. In the city, he watched as rats scrummaged through the trash bags that were dumped onto the streets. The waste was a poison of dreadful smells and toxins. He saw the trash bags that were overflowing and some that had been untied, left to spill onto the sidewalk. The boy loved the city.
In the ruins of a forgotten civilization, a traveler finds a mirror. Gazing into it, they see vivid memories of an ancient stranger's life and are drawn into its joys and sorrows. The traveler held onto his cloak as the wind blew through the mirror. He peeked inside, viewing a little boy with his friends playing in the water. They splashed in the river as it flowed through the rocks and sand. The friends were laughing and smiling as they shook their heads, water spattering onto their faces. Suddenly, the mirror flashed to a different scene as the now man stood on his knees, holding a small clay bowl, begging for money. The then young boy surrounded by friends and family was now a peasant who was alone.
