Short Story / Rose

“Elas” A small seven year old voice asked,

“Yes Rose?” Elas looked at Rose, violet eyes wide with concern.
“Oh, nothing like that Elas….. Just, I was thinking about those flowers from science class again….” Elas couldn’t help but giggle…. “Can I promise to get them for you one day, so you’ll leave them alone.” Rose crossed her legs, and swung them over the bench avoiding Elas’s gaze for prolonged minutes, but then she couldn’t help but giggle at Elas’s question, “Yes Elas…. But would you really buy them?” Looking at Rose Elas couldn’t help but laugh, “Rose of course I will.” Rose’s eyes lit up like a tiny town on Christmas night. “Really? Elas thank you!” Elas tried to fight away from Rose’s hug, “Yeah, ok…. I get it, I promise and your welcome.” Holding up her pinky, Rose wrapped her pinky around Elas’s and sealed the deal by tugging on the two intertwined pinkies.

YEARS LATER: Both girls had just graduated high school, and were going to soon be on their way to party at Harvard Law.

Elas picked up her cell phone it was her friend Rose calling “Hello… Oh, Rose hey. Yeah I’m just picking up some flowers then I’m on the way.” Rose and Elas were going out to party in celebration for Friday the 13th as well as their graduation from High School to Harvard Law. “Huh? Oh, yes those are perfect, oh… Bye Rose, I’m on my way to pick you up now ok. Bye!” (Click) “Oh, like I said… Those are perfect.” Elas was just hanging up the phone with Rose, and complementing the florist for the lovely bouquet that she made. “Wow, 13 black tipped roses on Friday the 13th…. Are you sure there isn’t some superstition against this?” Asked the florist, “No, I don’t think there is anyway, thank you.”

Their friends were throwing them a “Get out of Town Party” Along with a traditional party to celebrate Friday the 13th), out on a back country road, in a hay field that had already been used for the year.
“Yeah baby yeah, we’ll be fine. Do you know how many times we were out their wasted, and tired at the same time?” A very drunk Elas was trying to talk her boyfriend into letting her go to the mill pond barely a mile away from the hayfield. “Come on Elas; don’t worry about the baby Robbie.” A mildly drunk Rose laid her head on Elas’s shoulder. “Oh don’t worry Robbie, I’m driving, I know how to drive drunk and I will get us their safely… Just later on when were wasted you’ll have to come get us.”

Glaring at Rose, Robbie said he would drive them and drop them off at the mill pond then come back and get them no later than midnight. “Fine! Come on Elas, let’s get into the jeep.” Hugging Elas tightly Robbie practically carried her to the jeep, and set her in the back seat with Rose. “RJ! Let’s go!” Just as Robbie called his name, a pudgy RJ came running and climbed into the jeep. “Bye Tucker you little faggot!!!” Laughing Robbie hit the gas and headed off towards the mill pond. Angered by RJ’s comment Tucker began to yell back, “you stupid mother- Ah screw it. They wouldn’t here me anyway.” Halfway to the mill pond, the radio was blaring AC/DC, and Rose was complaining to Robbie and RJ about putting in Korn or Slipknot. “For the last time Rose, no we are not going to put in Korn or Slipknot, or Marilyn Manson or- Elas” Robbie pushed her hand away from his neck. “What baby, I can’t massage your neck for you.” Giving a low laugh Robbie replied with, “No, no baby not while I’m driving.” Elas slung herself to the back of the seat with a loud “Humph!” while also sticking out her bottom lip in a childish manor.

Stopping at the mill pond, Robbie got out of the jeep and pulled the seat to find Elas’s bottom lip poking out still. Laughing Robbie kicked Rose and RJ out of the jeep, climbing in the back with Elas he kissed her bottom lip gently saying “Come one baby, let’s get rid of them and you me can stay out here tonight.” Rose gasped as if she were offended, “I don’t fu-“
“Rose!” Elas said impatiently, “Now baby, tell me… What could an almost entirely drunk girl do, with a sober guy out here?”
“A LOT!!!” Robbie couldn’t help but laugh, “You know all you need is some coffee… And now you’re getting out of the jeep taking that basket which probably has more alcohol than you need in it. Can I have it?”
“No, bye baby!!! Bye RJ!!! Don’t forget to come back out here like you did last time!!!” Robbie couldn’t help but reply with, “Yeah, just don’t go swimming like you did last time.”

“So what are we going to do Robbie?” RJ started to blare AC/DC again, “Were not going far away. You see that tall grass over their,” Nodding his head, RJ put everything together. “Oooooooh, so were going to wait until midnight…. Which is….” Checking his watch, “2 hours away from now, in tall grass; just to keep your drunken girlfriend and her best friend from drowning.” An aggravated look crossed Robbie’s face, “Noooo, you remember that mass murderer that used to go around in the country killing all of those teenagers.”
“Yeah…WAIT!!!! WHAT?!? You’re going to risk your girlfriend’s life just so you can get reward money? You know that document is probably null and void now right.”
“So, that guy has not left this place even if it has been fifty years since the last sighting of him.”
“How do you know he’s still out here?”
“I’m a descendent from his first wife’s son, the wife he married before his second wife who died and then he went far over the edge of insanity and made a pact with the devil to keep himself alive forever.”
“Wait what? You lost me at first wife’s son.”
“Basically what I’m saying RJ is, that crazy guy who went and-“
“Ok! I get the descendent part!”
“Ok, good. He made a deal with the devil to live forever so he could destroy all young people in love, the very same way his life in love was destroyed. He was 25 when he died…. Or supposedly died…”
“Ok, so now my question is… How do you know he didn’t die?”
“I saw him last night,”
“You were buzzed last night and you told me you were at home…”
“Well… That’s a half truth; I was at home when I spoke to you… But shortly afterward, somebody started calling my name… And I walked all the way from my house to out here… He was floating over the water, it was foggy… I’ve got to destroy him tonight or else he’ll start killing people again, he was begging and or telling me to join him.”
“Man Robbie, you know must have been on the reefer that night.” Turning the music down, RJ grabbed hold of the dash board to keep himself from flying around in the jeep while Robbie pulled into the tall grass. “This is nice, now were going to be bitten by everything on earth, and covered in ticks… Thank you Robbie, thank you.” Laughing, Robbie replied with giving RJ a beer and saying- “Thanks RJ, thanks for coming out here and sticking with me. Oh, and I quit the weed when me and Elas started dating. Just so you know now.”
“Ok, but since when did a girl have the power over you to make you stop doing weed?”
“When? When I met Elas about 10 years ago…”
“Wow, this is the same girl that has probably forcibly made you sterile from all of those times she’s kicked you in the balls… And now you’re dating her?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

“Rose, here, you get out the Bacardi.” Handing Rose the basket, Elas laid out a thick blanket on the dock and laid down on her stomach. “Ok, Raspberry, Watermelon, Strawberry… Black tipped purple roses… Wait, what did I just say? Looking at the roses in her hand, Rose looked at Elas’s stupid grin. “Well? Do you like them Rose?” While hitting Elas in the arm, Rose held a shocked look on her face. “I never thought you would have bought them for me. I didn’t think you’d remember. Thank you Elas.”
“You’re welcome Rose, now can I have my Bacardi now?”
“NO!” Rose popped Elas’s hand as she reached out for one of the bottles.
“Owe! Huh, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to drink anymore… And if I don’t feel like drinking anymore then you’re not going to drink as well.”
“What? Do you think I spent close to $200 for us to not drink tonight, for no reason?”
“Yes.”
“You’re wrong, gimme.”
“No!” Rose picked up the bottles and started running with them causing Elas to chase her. But after five minutes Elas’s started to puke, “You hoe!!! Why’d- you make-(gag) me-(gag) run?!?”
“Because you needed to get that alcohol out of you before I sit down with you again.

1 HOUR LATER:
BOTH ELAS AND ROSE PASSED OUT ON THE BLANKET, AND ROBBIE AND RJ FELL ASLEEP ON THE HOOD OF THE JEEP.

Setting: Fog started flowing from the pond filling the entire area. A ghostly presence started rising from the pond calling Elas to come to him, “Elas, Elas, Elas… Come here, get up.” Elas started to stir, since Elas puked up all of the alcohol in her system she knew she wasn’t going crazy.

Elas sat up abruptly and looked around, other than tons of fog nothing was changed from when she passed out. Looking at Rose, Elas laughed, there was a half empty bottle of Bacardi in Roses right hand, and the Flowers in her other hand. Elas decided that if she couldn’t sleep then neither could Rose, shaking her violently Elas started to call her name. “Rose, Rose… Rose wake up!”
“What?” Rose pushed Elas’s hand away and sat up straight. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing but we did pass out.”
“Oh, and boy friend Robbie never left. Both him and RJ are”- Roe pointed towards the tall grass. Elas shook her head, “Yeah, I know. It’s sad he doesn’t trust me not falling into the water.”
“That’s not why he hasn’t left yet.”
“Why? Charles?” Charles was her ex-boyfriend, a prep school whore who had no respect for women and cheated on Elas every chance he got.
“Yes, and no. Not because of ex Charles, but because of dead guy Charles.”
“Nysyn Charles?!?” Rose shook her head and started laughing, “They were walking over here just to check on us to see what had happened to us I guess…. And RJ was like, well Robbie happy? Their still a live, Robbie didn’t say jack until he nearly fell into the water and RJ had to catch him before he feel.”
“Oh my god, you’re kidding me right?” Rose shook her head no and started laughing, “They also took one of our bottles of Bacardi…”
“Don’t you mean you drank it?” Elas said pointing to one of the empty bottles floating in the water. “That to,” taking two roses out of the bouquet Elas gave her, Rose looked at them and frowned. “Their smushed! No! Their smushed.” Laughing at Rose Elas took the bigger one, and asked Rose- “Do you remember what we said in middle school when I finally got the roses for you?”
“Yeah, we’d take the two that were smushed and throw them into the pond one at time while simultaneously making a wish.” Nodding her head Elas couldn’t help but say, “So what do you think? We do it now?”
“Yeah, starting with you. Oh, and don’t wish for anything corny like marrying Robbie or you know not getting pregnant during college. Because you know that’s going to happen anyway so don’t even think of wishing for something like that.” Offended Elas pushed Rose to the side acting as if she were going to throw her into the pond. “Oh my god, that is sooo mean!”

30 MINUTES LATER:
“SO, are you ready now Elas?”
“Yes I am Rose,”
“Ok, just remember, like I said… Nothing corny.” Intently, Rose watched Elas as she kissed the rose and closed her eyes making the wish and as she tossed in to the water. The flower floated gently in a circle until the stem faced the dock with an unseen demonic aura under it waiting for the second rose to be tossed in. Finally, Elas opened her eyes and looked at Rose, “Well, it’s all up to you now.”
“Ok,” Elas watched Rose do the same ritual that she herself had just done, when the rose landed in the water it created an X with the other rose. Both rose’s started to turn around and around until both stems (still maintaining the X form) pointed towards the bottom of the dock. A red light started to pore from the stems causing both girls to stare intently, so intently that Rose fell into the water screaming. Elas was stilled dazed by the light and right when she was supposed to fall in Robbie and RJ had arrived just in time to catch her and struggle keeping her from going into the water.

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