PageOfCups

The apple fell from limp fingers as she slowly chewed on the single bite she had taken from it. Her dead eyes watched it blandly as the fruit bounced once in the pebble covered sand, somehow leaving the scarlet skin unblemished as it settled in the thick syrup like blood. Though none would know it, the slight tilt of her head showed fascination with the few minute droplets of blood that had splashed up and struck the unblemished pure white flesh, to spread out and seep through the crisp fruit to eventually look like mere lipstick marks.


Anyone looking at her would think she was a child of thirteen at the most. Her frame still boyish and most likely under weight, her height lacking and her features innocent if blank. She brought a porcelain doll to mind with her girlish clothes and gleaming red ringlets.


The scene was an innocent one as well. At least it was at a glance. A dawn beach covered by pebbles that the sea had taken the greatest pain to polish to smooth perfection. The sea quiet and gently lapping by her Mary Jane clad feet and the slight breeze ruffling the frills on her white socks.


Slowly she crouched down and reached her hand out to the fallen apple, her slender fingers closing around the bloody fruit and brought it to her lips. She hesitated once it was there. Her dull eyes roaming the flesh, taking in every soaked in drop and bead of blood. Her lips parted and she sighed onto the apple’s skin as though she was going to polish it on her doll’s dress.


Then she took a small delicate bite, savouring the sweet, crisp taste of the fruit and the metallic salty tang of the blood that tainted it. Her eyes closed and the slightest smile, a content smile, touched her lips as she lethargically chewed.


Another glance and a passer by might notice every fault that the scene held, though it was doubtful. She didn’t want people to see it. But they might.


They might see the young man, well dressed and well groomed. Or at least he had been. His white sweater was soaked with sea water and speckled with blood, much like her apple. His hair, once pristinely gelled into place had been dragged into being dishevelled by the lightly lapping waves and the gentle breeze. Not to mention the cavity in the back of his head out of which blood was still leaking and the smallest glimmers of white bone could be seen.


The tide had come in since the large rock that sat beside where her apple had fallen had been used to strike this promising young man down. The salty water accepting the slowly seeping blood as it lapped against the young mans face, pressed into the pebbles. What are a few more drops to the ocean?


Her eyes opened and turned to this new spectacle as the red billowed out like a dark cloud. Like ink would. She wondered briefly if she could make a marble picture by laying a piece of paper over the pattern forming; or would that only be possible with ink? But the thought didn’t last for long and she swallowed her bite of the apple.


A true sigh escaped her lips as she crouched, resting her arm on her legs and holding the apple close to her lips, ready to take another bite should she choose to do so.


The young mans lips were parted, letting the salt water lap against his tongue. She tilted her head. Tiny grey buds slowly pushed their way from his mouth like maggots spilling from a rotting apple. Once free of the young mans lips the buds swelled like a bloating corpse. There were four of them.


Each bud, now the size of the apple she was eating, burst open like fireworks. Pallid greyish blue flowers twice the size of her fist spreading their petals as wide as they could, stretching out like a yawning cat with their stalks still reaching back into his mouth.


And through this most bizarre display she did not so much as bat an eyelash nor raise her eyebrow when others might have screamed. Others might have been entranced. Others still may have thought themselves hallucinating. Yet this doll like female remained unfazed by the close proximity of an obvious corpse, an unfortunate victim of murder no less. Not only that but a corpse out of which large carnation like flowers had just bloomed faster than any flower should have the ability to grow.


Her lifeless eyes returned to her apple, still stained with the blood of the man she crouched beside, within arms reach. She looked at it for a moment or two more as though considering taking a third bite then turned her attention once more to the lapping waves. They were slightly closer now. Lightly touching her shoes.


Shielding her eyes from the sun with her free hand, she gazed out across the ocean. The fire of the dawn had passed half an hour ago, leaving the odd golden afterglow that had the look of warmth and the feel of cold. The sea glistened brilliantly in such light but the glare didn’t bother her. Evidently she saw something on that horizon for contentment touched her features once more for the briefest second.


Lowering her arm she reached out towards the slightly deeper waves with her hand that held the apple. Gently she placed the unmarred half of the fruit in the water and with the smallest push released it. Unhindered by the waves, the bright red apple bobbed steadily away from her, the blood that had been clinging to its skin drifting into the sea. It’s wavering voyage into the unknown did not hold her eyes for long and soon she returned her attention to the undeniably dead young man.


This time her delicate fingers reached for the flowers. She did not shy away from brushing the dead man’s lips with her hand as she took a firm hold on the stalks, not even seeming to notice his still warm skin. Nor did she seem to notice the bobbing of his Adams apple or the convulsions of his throat as she slowly pulled the flowers from his mouth. The stalks were long, dotted with bloodless thorns and wide dark leaves.


Once the stalks, some how neatly clipped, were free of the young man’s lips she rose to her feet. After brushing off any sand that may have managed to find its way to the hem of her dress, she held the flowers to her chest and began to walk.


A black dog ran past her to the corpse, its horrified owner hot on the animals heals. Neither noticed her in their rush to the young man and had they looked back, they would not have seen her as she wasn’t there to be seen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the first time I've posted any of my work on this site so please don't be too mean. Pluss I don't tend to write short stories very often so it probably isn't that good anyway. I look forward to hearing what you guys think ^.^

spooky buk

My English is not so good as to judge aesthetic writing, unfortunately. I cannot do in English, as i could in Portuguese - to just glide over the words and let them take me, to see how they feel. I have to pay a lot of attention, reading, just to decode words that are not used so often, it it ruins the rhythm for me.

But i do believe i could give you an opinion that could be useful, though i'm not sure.

You use the word "blood" 11 times. At some parts, it seemed really repetitive to me. Maybe that was your intention - as i sad, my rhythmic reading is compromised. But if you didn't notice it, trying reading again and changing it for another image meaning the same thing, to see if you'd like more that way

Even not getting much of it, i did like some parts.

LolliAdverbs

It's not badly written, but I'm having trouble with it. I think the point of the story is the symbolism, but if that's the case, it's not readily apparent.

My one note would be to ditch the "a casual passerby would see" and "anyone looking at her would think". It's best to just describe and let the reader, who is the casual passerby in this instance, decide what they see.

Otherwise, good. Just not my taste.

__________________
Modify yourself.

PageOfCups

To Spooky Buk - I know I say blod a lot in this. I tried using other words for it but it sounded even worse, perhaps I could cut out a few references to it ^.^ Thank you.

To LolliAdverbs - It's not sybolism, don't worry, you weren't missing any subtext. It was weird idea that was inspired by some weird photographs by an artist I follow. As for the passer by and glance thing, it was part of an effect I was going for. Since it didn't come across too well I guess I could do with more practice at it or, like you said, cut it out. Thanks ^.^