What can you say? To your best friend. Ex-best friend. When they steal away from you everything.

Slamming closed the front door you storm down their garden path. Not looking back. Seeing their soulful eyes welling up with pain and confusion, left you physically hurting. You mustn’t give into the tug of regret. Don’t even imagine them sobbing, broken on the living room floor. You were supposed to be elated for them, but bitterness bubbled to the surface. Jealousy stained your tongue with acidic words.

Icy claws dug into your shoulders as you plowed through powdery drifts. A frigid blast from the very heart of your soul did nothing to quell the beast. The more you walked the more it grew. Slowly consuming you piece by juicy piece. Stormy clouds swirled above your head, spitting out tiny bolts of chartreuse.

How dare they get into the university of their dreams!

How dare they finally buy a house!

How dare they get into a loving relationship!

They took you place on the sports team!

They were yours! They weren’t meant to be anyone else’s.

They beat you in the cross-country tryouts!

You were meant to be the best.

You were meant to…

Through the cacophony of your internal voice, an idea came upon you. Did you dare to finally feed the tiny seed?

Pulling out your phone from your pocket you thumbed a quick message to your friends. Everyone knew that your best friend didn’t particularly like you and only stayed because you made it impossible to break free. Honestly, you preferred hanging out with your group, also known as Forever D’vil.

Swinging into the gloomy alley your heavy boots chewed up the pristine blanket. Finally arriving in the uninviting graveyard, you pushed open the creaking gate. Weaving around the ever curious heads, some listing alarmingly, you made your way to the large ewe tree. Through chattering teeth you whistle out the password. Waiting patiently for the returning hum from beneath the ladened branches.

Shoving the strong arms aside, you step into the shadowy cave. Greeting the rest of Forever D’vil, with a sneer, “How are we all?” A collective rumble established that all were in agreement.

Seconds ticked. Minutes whirred. Hours dragged. Soft ballerinas fell. Conniving winds whistled. Stealthy darkness crept in. At last the meeting was dismissed. Scattering on the breeze; a deadly trap.

It felt good to finally feed the seed of the devil. Something bloomed and felt liberated, this is who you were. Returning to your best friend’s house, you raised a pale hand. Rapping sharply on the door you hear it reverberating throughout the building. Calling longingly out begging to be heard. The call was heeded.

Sleepily the protective barrier yielded, revealing a gloomy hall and a shadowy silhouette. “What are you doing here?” Pain laced in their melodious voice.

Sickly sweet you spread out your apology, “I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten so jealous of your achievements. Please come take a walk, it is wonderfully magical out, so we can talk it out.”

Your sharp calculating eyes caught a slight shrug as they pull on their shoes and coat. Grabbing their keys they join you outside, gesturing for you to lead the way. Somehow you manage to keep up a positive patter as you strolled down the twinkling road. A strange orange glow held back the encroaching darkness; as droplets of water captured the light in a strange twist of power.

Just as we turned into the park a fresh sprinkling of glitter started to fall. Growing into a twisting swirl of innocent flakes. Your friend grins childishly, reaching out to caress the frozen flies. Using the cover of the growing howl of the earths breath I whistled long and low. The hunt had begun.

Three figures materialised from thin air, you dropped a few paces behind your friend. You could sense the fear rolling off their slim frame. “Life is a game and bad losers suffer,” you growled. Leaping forward as they spun around you hurled them to the floor. Raining down punches onto their face, watching as deep purple marks flourished. They tried desperately to protect themselves against the onslaught. Four against one was no match.

Switching in and out the Forever D’vil’s showered the fractured doll with all manner of abuse. Bones crunched like feet on ice. Swollen lips whimpered like wind on the wires. Until there was silence.

Disfigured. Distorted. Deceased. Crimson rivers stood boldly contrasting the pure white snow. They wrote the final lines of their story, wracked with excruciating pain. Betrayal ran deep, friendship lay intricate and superficial. A gossamer cage laced with honey, held captive a hopeful soul, finally sucking the life from their eyes.