Then Why Am I Crying?

“Last Night in Soho” (2021) - Review

Rating: 4/5

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Summary: Eloise is obsessed with fashion. When she goes to London to study her dream subject, she starts to have visions from the 1960′s of a young girl named Sandy. Eloise’s dazzling visions soon turns out to be a nightmare.

My Opinion: I needed some time to process this film. It was that fantastic. The cinematography, the music, the plot, the acting... Everything was outstanding. Recently, I’m getting really interested in the psychological thriller genre. And this movie was just another hit for me. The plot twist was also (what can I say) TWISTING... And I loved the ending. I love Sandy’s characterization throughout the film. I don’t want to spoil anything. So, all I’m going to say is that the ending was one of the best endings in the film history. Everybody should check this film out. Especially who are into fashion and all.

Quote: “If I could live any place and any time, I’d live here, in London in the 60′s. It must have felt like the center of the universe.”

One Last Dance- Part 2

Requested by @queenofautumn​

I’m sorry this took me some time to write. I was very busy with my school lately.

Read part 1 here

We escaped to the nearest wood, hand in hand. I remembered how we used to dance in the dark wood casting all our fears aside. I felt the same kind of fearlessness took over me.

We sat down. I looked him in the eyes and asked, “how are we alive after all this years?”

“Can’t you tell?” he came closer and rested his hand in mine.

It felt like the force of our loves had diminished the inevitability of death and death couldn’t part us. I knew it. I felt sure about it.

“We’re reborn” he began in a whisper, slowly rising the voice by each syllable, “just to be together.”

“And this time,” said I, “no one can stop us.”

We Are Only Seven - Chapter 8

Fandom: BTS Characters: OT7 (Devil!Namjoon, Demigod!Seokjin, Wizard!Yoongi, Angel!Hoseok, Werewolf!Taehyung, Gumiho!Jimin, Vampire!Jungkook) For a visual representation check these >>> VMinKook & NamJinSope Warning: Imprisonment, mention of suicide, betrayal, heartbreak, angst, slight swearing, mild battle and violence. Word Count: 2k Words

Summary: In a world ruled by humans, the other worldly, non-humans are in hiding. But how long will it last this way?

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10  [Complete]

Yoongi knew the way to the cell where they kept their new prisoners. He disguised himself in the form of a guard and made his way to Hoseok. As he reached the dim lighted room, the first thing that caught his eyes were Hoseok’s huge white wings. He was curled up inside it and sleeping rather peacefully.

“Hoseok!” Yoongi whispered, not wanting to alarm the guards outside, “Hoseok, wake up!”

Hoseok opened his eyes and looked at Yoongi with confusion. Yoongi feared that he might start shouting at him again and give away their position. But instead, Hoseok jumped to his feet in excitement and came to hug him through the bars.

“Oh, Yoongi!” Hoseok said, “I’m so sorry to have flown away like that. I was being irrational. I should have listened to you.”

“Ssh!” Yoongi hushed him down, “We’ll talk later. I’m going to get you out of here.” Hoseok nodded.

Yoongi noticed that instead of regular lock in the bars, they had put a spell on it, which Yoongi knows pretty well how to undone. It would take some time but it could be done. Yoongi started to draw some letters in the air and they started to glow. The dark room was filled with colorful lights from them.

After almost half an hour, all the glowing letters merged into one and the door opened. Hoseok gasped at the sight of it. He was about to appreciate the skill when there was a clap in front of him behind Yoongi. Both of them yelped in fright.

Kim Joon-Hwi stood there along with his guards and wizards. “Welcome back, Min Yoongi.” He said.

They had been caught. There was only one way Yoongi could delay their inevitable fate. Delay, but not wholly diminish it. Yoongi got inside the cell with Hoseok and produced a purple aurora all around it by a wave of his hand.

Kim Joon-Hwi and his guards looked puzzled. One of the wizards came forward and whispered something on Kim Joon-Hwi’s ear. He let out a chuckle, “Are you trying to shield yourself inside that cell?”

Yoongi didn’t answer. Kim Joon-Hwi shook his head, “How long do you think you can continue this way? You are now my prisoners. And I will get to you soon.”

“If it weren’t for my stupidity, we wouldn’t have ended up in here.” Hoseok said.

“The fault is mine.” Yoongi said, “I shouldn’t have kept secrets from you.”

They sat on the floor of the cell that was currently glowing through the light of the aurora produced by Yoongi. Two guards and a wizard were keeping watch at them.

Hoseok sighed deeply, “I learned what had happened to my friend. But I don’t blame you. You did everything you could. It was his fate.”

Yoongi couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Hoseok continued, ‘’But I’m not as brave as he was. I can’t take my own life. They…They will take away my wings. And then…” Hoseok suddenly burst into tears.

Yoongi went to sit closer. He put his hand on Hoseok’s shoulder and said, “I promise, I won’t let that happen to you.”

“But how?” Hoseok asked while wiping a tear from his cheek.

Suddenly, a big black wolf jumped at the guarding wizard out of nowhere. Yoongi smirked at a shocked Hoseok, “They are here!” As planned, the ‘Bulletproof’ boys had come to their rescue and they had managed to knock out the guards and the wizard.

“Missed us?” Namjoon asked Hoseok sarcastically which made him laugh out in excitement.

They got out of the cell as quietly as possible without raising any alarm in the other OHA members outside. But it would be rather hard for seven people to sneak out of this huge place without being seen.

“I know a dark tunnel that can lead us outside.” Seokjin suggested, “I used that last time I was here to get out.”

So, Seokjin lead them through a door that said ‘Staff Only’ and once they got inside it, it was all dark. “Keep going straight.” Seokjin said and they followed.

They had been walking through it for some time, when Namjoon asked, “Are you sure, this is the right way?” But Seokjin didn’t reply.

They got hit by the wall in front of them announcing that it was a dead end. “What the…” Jimin was about to swear when the lights were turned on. As they looked back they found out that they were inside a huge cage, locked up. And Seokjin was standing outside of it.

One by one, the realization hit them; Seokjin had betrayed them. Now, they were all caught by the OHA. All of them at once.

Jungkook grabbed onto the bars of the cage, his eyes full of pain. He called, “Hyung!”

Seokjin looked away as tears started to prickle his eyes. He said before leaving, “I’m sorry, guys. I had to do it.”

The day they had come to abduct the ‘Master of Shadow’ and Seokjin had followed a guard inside the facility, something happened; which was beyond the other’s knowledge.

Seokjin ran after the guard and soon got hold of him. But he was an excellent fighter. When the guard injured one of Seokjin’s legs, Seokjin panicked and hit his head with a statue nearby. Immediately, the guard dropped dead.

It was the first time, Seokjin had killed. He kneeled down to inquire if the guard was really dead or not when he heard a voice from behind, “How did you get inside?”

Seokjin froze. The voice sounded familiar. It sent a shiver down his spine. What he saw before him as he looked back was something truly astonishing. Seokjin couldn’t believe his own eyes.

“Father?” he called, with uncertainty.

Kim Joon-Hwi looked at Seokjin for a moment. Then, recognition came to his eyes. He called back, “Seokjin!” He came forward and embraced him, “Oh, my son!” and patted his back.

“I’ve found you, father.” Seokjin said, fighting back tears.

“How are you?” Kim Joon-Hwi asked after releasing him from his arms, “What brings you to my lab?”

“Your lab?” Seokjin shook his head in disbelief, “So, you’re the one who’s been hunting those creatures?”

“Son!” Kim Joon-Hwi called. He looked like he was hurt by Seokjin’s question. He remained quiet for some time, thinking. Then he added, “Are you calling me a monster now? Did you even ask why I’ve been doing all these?”

“Why?” Seokjin asked flatly, “Tell me, father! Why are you doing this?”

“For you.”

“For me?”

“Yes, son!” Kim Joon-Hwi’s eyes started to get wet as he continued, “You remember how your mother had taken you away from me when you were just a child? I begged her not to. But she said that I was just a mere human and so that I wasn’t worthy of keeping you, a demigod, all to myself. So, I decided to prove to her that I am worthy of being your father. And this was the only way.”

“No!” Seokjin shook his head, “This is not the right way. You can’t kill the innocents to get your son back.”

Kim Joon-Hwi nodded his head and said, “I know, son, what you are thinking of me. But trust me, I did it all for you. For us.”

There was silence. Nobody said anything for a long time. Kim Joon-Hwi continued, “Don’t you want to have that happy family back again? You, me and your mother? All together with no inequity of power?”

“Family?” Seokjin whispered. He had wanted it more than anything in his life. “Yes!” He finally answered.

“Don’t worry, son,” Kim Joon-Hwi said, “We are closer than you think to finally achieve that. All we need now…” He paused for a moment. Then he wetted his lips with his tongue and said, “are your friends.”

“My friends?” Seokjin was bewildered, “Are you asking me to hurt them?”

“No, son.” He said, “Nobody needs to be hurt.”

But Seokjin shook his head in denial, “I can’t do this to them. They are my friends.”

Kim Joon-Hwi further said, “But if I promise not to hurt them, will you bring them here for me, son? For the sake of our broken family?”

Seokjin thought for a moment. His father had been hurting and killing other species all this time, for them. Then, he looked at the dead guard lying on the floor. Hadn’t he killed for his friends as well? Weren’t they going to kill many more to achieve their own goal?

“You promise you won’t hurt them?” Seokjin asked for confirmation.

Kim Joon-Hwi hugged him and said, “I promise.”

“I should have known it!” Yoongi was frustrated with himself, “It was one of us who helped the Master escape.”

“I can’t believe we had a spy among us.” Jimin sat down in disbelief.

At that time, Kim Joon-Hwi entered the room followed by his son. Seokjin kept his head down, avoiding eye contacts with his friends. Some guards and wizards entered the room after them.

“Min Yoongi,” Kim Joon-Hwi called, “Didn’t I say, you were my prisoner now? I hope you know very well how I punish the traitors.”

Seokjin reminded his father immediately, “Father, you’ve promised.” Him addressing the CEO of OHA as father momentarily shocked them all.

“My son!” He didn’t bother looking back at him, “I think there is a lot more you still need to learn. You won’t survive in this world with that naïve brain of yours.”

“I’m not sure I understand.” Seokjin said, his voice sharp.

Kim Joon-Hwi laughed. It sounded deafening to his ears. He said, “What you need to understand is that promises are made to broken. You can’t trust someone for his words only.”

“Father!” Seokjin called him in frustration.

But Kim Joon-HWi continued, “I need that angel’s wings and the blood of the Gumiho. Only then, I can be more powerful than the Gods and Goddesses above.”

“But it wasn’t about power, was it?” Seokjin asked, desperately wanting his father to say that he didn’t mean it, that his decision of betraying his friends wasn’t wrong.

“Huh!” Kim Joon-Hwi scoffed, “Everything’s about power. You think that I have no dignity in me? That I will want to get back with Aphrodite even after she had insulted me for being a mortal?” Then, he yelled, “No! I’ll make sure the last thing she’ll know before dying is that we, humans, are capable of anything.”

Kim Joon-Hwi ordered the guards and the wizards, “Bring the angel out and work on his wings. Be careful! Don’t make the same mistake again. I need the wings to be cut out while he’s still alive.”

“No!” Both Seokjin and Yoongi screamed at the same time. Two guards held Seokjin back as he came forward to attack his father causing him to fall on the ground.

“How dare you attack me, you little freak?” Kim Joon-Hwi yelled at his son. He told the guards holding onto Seokjin, “Lock him away. I will deal with him later.”

“Don’t you try hurting my friends!” Namjoon threatened Kim Joon-Hwi, “I will make you pay for every inch of it.”

“Think about saving yourself, you devil!” Kim Joon-Hwi said and turned back to go while the guards and wizards took away the struggling Seokjin and Hoseok.

There was nothing Yoongi could do to open up the lock from the inside. He kept muttering things and putting spells while everyone waited impatiently. Soon, it was clear that the spells were not working.

“The only way out will be us, fighting the guards once they come to take me.” Jimin finally said, “Didn’t you hear what the CEO said? He needed my blood along with Hoseok’s wings.”

Jimin was right. After some time, three guards came. One of them announced, “I’m going to bring the Gumiho out. Everyone step back or you’ll be shot to death.”

The gate to their cage was opened. Two guards entered while the other stood outside pointing his gun at them. Namjoon pointed at the guard outside. Taehyung nodded and turned himself into the huge wolf and attacked the guards those came inside. The one outside missed a shot at Taehyung as he was moving too fast.

Before they could figure out the situation properly, Jungkook and Yoongi were already on the move. Jungkook bit a guard down while Yoongi froze the one outside with his spell temporarily. But one of them managed to escape.

“Let’s get out of here before the...” Namjoon couldn’t finish the sentence when the emergency alarm went off.

“Oh shit!” Yoongi swore, “We’re fucked.”

My Masterlist

Tag List: @bts-ruu​,

‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald [Book Review]

Rating: 5/5

Summary: The story is set in 1920′s and it is fully narrated in the first person. Nick Carraway moved in to the Long Island in hope of starting a new life. What he didn’t notice was that the mysterious, wealthy and the host of the best parties, Gatsby, is his neighbor. And one day, he received an invitation, (which is very rare as people went there without invitations) to one of Gatsby’s exclusive parties. Little by little, Nick got to know Gatsby more and he was definitely not the kind of person one presumed he was.

My Opinion: This is one of the books I will never forget. Beautifully written, this book has both luxury and romance in its best form. The story is very simple but gripping. I think, everyone should read this book as it is one of the best classics of American literature. It is humorous as much as heartbreaking. The characters are very developed and relatable. I could find similarities of those characters with the people I know. The ending of the book broke my heart, as it will break anyone’s. Still I’ll never stop recommending this book because the heartbreak is worth it.

Favourite Character: Gatsby is definitely my favourite character among all. His determination and hard work is truly inspiring. His loyalty to a friend and the sacrifice he was ready to make for a love made me fall in love with him. He deserved a lot more than this.

Favourite Quotes: “He smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.”

Miss Lupin - 2

[Check out the previous episode of Miss Lupin on my profile.]

Summary: It’s been some time after the first visit of Remus Lupin to his daughter, Emma. Before the battle of hogwarts, Remus takes some time to say goodbye to his only daughter for the last time.

Characters: Remus Lupin and Emma.

*******************************************************************************************

I kept on thinking about the man I met at the beach that night. His name, as he had said, was Remus. I had a feeling that I know him. Maybe I have some kind of connection with him.

Days after days had passed. More and more questions kept on coming to me. I needed to see him again. I had to ask him the biggest question of all, was he my real father? I never thought about my real family until he had asked me. As I was growing older I felt it was necessary to know my true identity. I never asked my adoptive parents about it. I didn’t want to hurt them.

Then the day came. I saw the man at the backyard of my house. I was reading a book, when I heard a cough. I looked up from my book and found him.

“At last.” said I without any hesitation “Why did it take you so long to visit me?”

Remus pulled a chair closer to me and sat “Looks like you’ve been expecting me.”

I felt shy for saying what I said earlier. “Who are you, Remus?” I asked softly.

“You know it already, don’t you?”

“If this is true, then I have so much more questions in mind.” I said quickly. I was sure he was my real father. How I knew that I didn’t know.

“I know what you’re planning to ask.” said he “I’m here to answer everything.”

I became speechless. I couldn’t think how to start. I wanted to shout “Why? Why did you do that?” But I said nothing. 

“I never meant to give you away.” Remus said “But this was to keep you safe, my dear.”

“Keep me safe?” I asked finally “from what?”

“From the evil power that had killed your mother. Now, that power has risen again. I have to try to stop it. I can’t say if you will ever see me again.”

“Why did you say that?” I asked “Are you going to fight a war?”

“Yes, a war indeed.”

“But I barely know you.” I said being overwhelmed by emotion.

“You are so much like me, darling.” he put his hand upon my head “If you ever question any peculiarity in you, know that, it’s from me and your mother.”

“Do you have to go?”

“Yes, my child. But I promise you this, if I make it out right I will take you to the world you truly belong to.” By saying this he got up and looked down to me. He said with a smile “Call yourself Miss Lupin. That’s your true identity.”

He slowly walked away from me. I whispered “I’ll be waiting, father.”

Noona! Please! Help! - Part 4

Fandom: BTS Characters: Younger Brothers BTS and Elder Sister Narrator Genre: A Little Dramatic and A Little Comedic Word Count: 900+ Words Warning: Academic stress, despair etc. Note: It’s a siblings AU story of BTS with the narrator as their elder sister. I tried to write something different from what I usually write about. I had fun making this. Hope it makes you feel good too. Happy Reading Everyone :)

Summary: Her little brothers can’t attend to a single task without her help. Be it a dance competition or asking out a girl for a date, they always seem to be finding everything too hard to go through without her by their side. ‘Our lucky charm’; that’s what they like to call her. But what if she turns out to be a misfortune in different situations in one single day?

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - More to come

Goodbye, SNU...:

11:17 a.m. 1st September, 2015

Almost all the students seem to have gotten out of the exam hall already but there is no sign of Jimin. What can that mean?

"I don't think his exam went well, noona!" Yoongi quietly puts my thoughts into words.

I shake my head, "He must be talking to a friend. Jimin’s exam must go well. He prepared for it for months."

"Accidents happen, you know!" Yoongi shrugs.

Finally I see Jimin, slouching, coming out of that building all alone. My heart feels heavy. Jimin will not recover from this any time soon if something goes wrong.

Yoongi calls out, "Jiminah! Here!"

There is a moment of confusion in his face at first. Then it fades to recognition. He slowly walks towards us and gives a weak smile.

"Was it that bad?" I ask.

Jimin nods. His smile turns upside down. And the next thing we know is his eyes are wet. Jimin is crying.

I am sitting at a cafe table waiting for my two brothers to come from the washroom, wondering what life lesson the older one is teaching the younger one in his hour of despair. It does not take long. Finally, they make their way towards me.

“Everything okay, now?” I ask.

“Tolerable!” Yoongi sighs. There is a hint of annoyance in his voice.

As soon as they sit down, Jimin begins ranting about all the silly mistakes he had made. His brain was a mess during the exam time so he couldn’t concentrate properly and he had marked the number of bills and coins in South Korea to be five and four respectively whereas the answer is quite the opposite.

“C’mon, Jiminah, everyone knows that” Yoongi grunts mockingly and I glare at him to stop teasing.

I turn to Jimin and, noticing the dark circles and the sharp jawline, ask him, “Have you been properly eating and sleeping, Jiminie?”

“What?” His look was wearied. That answers my question.

I say, “Listen! What you really need is a proper meal and some sleep.” I check the watch on my wrist and calculate the amount of time still remaining before I meet up with Namjoon. “Alright! Let’s go to granma’s place and I’ll cook both of you some hearty meals.”

Driving all the way to granma’s place is tiring to some extent. It is all the more exhausting when you have a passenger talking non-stop about how terrible he’s feeling and how his life is all dark ahead of him as if not getting into SNU means that your life’s over. I understand that all the unnecessary amount of caffeine Jimin had consumed within the last few months had done little to no good to him. What surprises me more is the level of patience Yoongi has for Jimin. Because I am slowly losing my mind right now.

At last, here I am, trying to make some quick healthy lunch for me and my two little ones.

“You're home already?” The youngest enters the kitchen.

Alright. Three little ones now.

I hastily add more water and some spicy ingredients to the soup before turning to speak to Jungkook. “Yes! Just to prepare lunch. Go say hi to Yoongi and Jimin.”

“They're here?” He excitedly leaves without waiting for my answer.

The familiar sound of the boys’ laughter fills the living room. It is carried to my ears which in turns brings a smile to my lips. I prepare the dishes, pour the soup, take the kimchi out of the fridge and finally call Yoongi to help me carry them to the table.

I am surprised to not find Jimin in the dining room.

“Hyung fell asleep so I carried him to my room. He looked so tired. Didn't want to wake him up.” Jungkook informs.

“But the food will go cold when he wakes up.” I say.

Yoongi pulls the sleeve of my shirt and motions me to sit down, “it's alright. I'll just warm them up for him.”

I say, “You start eating. I’m gonna go check on him.”

Yoongi shrugs, “he’ll be alright, noona. We all do.”

I nod a little but my heart does not agree. Jimin is a perfectionist. I know how much it hurts him when he fails to meet his ambitions. And it pains me to even think how this is going to affect him. He is going to be so hard on himself from now on.

I step inside Jungkook’s almost-bare-except-for-a-bed bedroom and find Jimin snoring softly. He looks peaceful in his sleep. Almost angelic other than the fact that he has lost so much weight over the past few months so he looks kinda ill. His eyes have sunken into perfect brown circles and his jawlines look as if it can cut.

I slowly run my hand over his hair as my eyes start to prick. I wish he would stop worrying about being perfect. I wish he knew he was more than his mistakes. I wish he knew how much he is loved.

I quietly go back to eat. Luckily Yoongi and Jungkook are already immersed in a conversation about some comic books that I barely know about. After a few minutes of munching on my food in silence, my phone rings from the kitchen so I have to excuse myself. It is Namjoon.

“Noona! It's already 1:50. Are you sure you can make it in time?” I hear Namjoon's worried voice from the other side of the speaker.

“I'm leaving home right away. You wait for me a little longer. Can you do that?”

There is a moment of silence. Then Namjoon speaks, “of course, I'll wait. I ain't doing this without my lucky charm.”

< Previous || Next > Coming Soon

My Masterlist

Tag List:   @sophiatcha,   @lalavione1309,   @jwirecs,   @missmayaarmy,   @sarai-ibn-la-ahad,   @ayalies,   @karougirl123,   @juju-227592,   @coffeepurpleu,   @dreamerwasfound,   @wetfeline,   @phthao2406, @hoshi-is-ult-bbg, @bestloverstan,   @quixoticbittersweet,   @jwirecs-main,   @singukieee,   @l3aecon,   @bangtandoll20,   @gabcats5,   @latina-girl-18,   @kyuupidwrites  

This is your sign to stop hurting yourself. No more self harm, physically, emotionally, no more staying awake until 3am, no more starving yourself or crazy diets, no more going days without a shower, no more talking badly about yourself, no more villainizing yourself, no more punishment and cringing about every word you said, no more overexercising and toxic friends and abusing substances, this is your year of healing, this is your sign for change.

The Other Side - Part 2

Fandom: BTS Pairing: Park Jimin x OC (Amelia) Genre: Fluff/Angst Word Count: 1.7k Words Warning: Drinking, foul language, mention of kiss, this chapter doesn’t deal with any major triggering issues. Note: (18+) Additional chapters contain heavy angst and sensitive topics. If you can’t handle problematic issues, I advise you to not read any further.

Summary: When Amelia and her bestie have an encounter with the duo (JiKook), they seem to develop a love and hate kinda relationship...

Part 1 - Part 2 - More to Come

Are we doing business? Or do you hate me? - Danger by BTS

“Do you want a drink?” I asked.

“I would rather have another ice cream.” Tara replied.

I rolled my eyes, “Do you even eat anything other than that?”

Tara was my best friend since grade two. We had our ups and downs, but were never separated permanently until Tara decided to live in the city to attend college. But whenever she came back to town we would hangout like we were kids again. This time, she came to visit the seasonal festival and I was determined to have the best night of my life.

I paid for the snacks and added to the stall keeper, “We’ll have ice cream and Cheetos too.”

“Two bottles of beer, please.” I heard someone beside me. We both looked at each other at once and I wished I didn’t have.

“Hey! Crybaby! How are you? Oh, hi there, Tara! Didn’t know you were in town too. So, you girls were having a little get together or something?”

Yes! It was no other than Jeon Jungkook. Just looking at him made me want to punch his face. I put on a fake smile over my gritted teeth and spoke rather mockingly, “How are you, big teeth?”

Jungkook chuckled and replied, “The bunny’s doing great. Thank you.”

“And so are the Barbies.” Tara snapped before pulling me away.

“Hey! Wait for me.” Jungkook called. We saw him taking his beers and paying hurriedly before sprinting towards our direction.

“Is he serious, right now?” Tara whispered to me in annoyance.

Jungkook whined, “C’mon! We met after a long time. And you didn’t even talk to me at Tae’s party. ‘Cause you were too busy drooling over Jimin.”

“Excuse me!” I asked, offended. Jungkook was really testing my patience.

“Who the hell is Jimin?” Tara asked, unaware.

“I’m Jimin.” Suddenly someone spoke beside us.

I looked at him in disbelief. My immediate thought was that he was perhaps stalking me. But then, I remembered that Jimin was a really good friend of Jungkook. So, it wasn’t unusual that he came to his friend’s town to attend a festival.

“Amelia!” He turned to me with a faint smirk on his face, “We meet again.”

“So, you’ve been talking about me with Jungkook?” I inquired Jimin as soon as we were left alone. Tara went to the bathroom and Jungkook was taking an important phone call.

“To be honest,” Jimin chuckled, “you’re the only thing I’ve been talking about these past few days.”

Jimin really knew how to flatter because I could tell that my face went red. But it wasn't time to give in to his seduction, especially when I was supposed to be angry at him.

"So, you guys are really having some fun talking behind my back, huh?" I retorted.

"You are indeed fun to talk about, I won't lie, but…"

I didn’t let him continue whatever he was going to say next. "Listen, I'm not interested in wasting time with you. I don't know why you'd approached me that night. I don't know what Jungkook has been telling you and whatever you're telling him in return. All I know and want you to be clear about is that I’m done encountering you. If you still don't let go, you'll have to deal with Taehyung."

Jimin laughed at my speech which only added fuel to my anger. "Well, one thing is true, then.”

“And what’s that?”

“You complain a lot to your brother, like a cry-baby."

Had it been Jungkook, he would have earned a slap across his face by now. I breathed out through my mouth to avoid doing something stupid. But someone spoke loudly beside me, "who the hell do you think you are, speaking like that to my best friend in front of me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Jimin was yet again cut off.

This time, Tara angrily started to rant, "our night's already ruined. Thanks to your asshole friend. Now don't get me started on you. Don't even think you have any chance with my girl just because you're…"

"Tara," I immediately interrupted, "let's get going. It's no good fighting with them. We should know better since our previous arguments with the other asshole."

"Yeah, whatever!" Tara turned along with me.

"I'm staying in town for a few days." Jimin yelled behind us as we were walking away from him. "Don't hope to never see me again. 'Coz who knows! You might."

I grunted in frustration while  Tara asked, "want me to go back and kick him in the balls?"

"Why do all the good looking guys have to be assholes?" Tara sighed one day.

I raised my eyebrows, "which assholes are you referring to?"

"Whom do you think?"

"Umm…" I thought for a while, "I know for once, Jimin is attractive and also, turned out to be an asshole like his friend. Who else do you mean?"

"I mean," Tara replied, "his friend that you just mentioned."

If Tara had said that she was pregnant, I would have been less surprised.

"What the hell, dude!" I couldn't mask my disgust, "How can you find Jungkook attractive? I knew your taste in men was trash but him?"

"Oh, thank you very much." Tara argued, "Mind you, I didn't say he was attractive. I only said 'good-looking'. And I believe I added that he was an asshole. So, he doesn’t really fall under the men of my taste. By the way, aren't you the one attracted to assholes? As far as I know, it wasn't me who made out with one of them."

I was flustered by her reply. "Hey, that was… a mistake. I was… I was drunk." I stuttered.

Tara started to laugh. I couldn't believe she was bullying me for kissing Jimin. Maybe, I shouldn't have confided in her everything. Especially the part where I said I actually enjoyed making out with him.

"You're mean!"

I stood up and walked out of my room to the living room only to find that Taehyung was having a blast with his friends. And the friends in question are none other than my life long enemy, Jungkook and my most recent crush, Jimin.

Turns out Jimin was a sneaky bitch. Somehow he managed to manipulate Taehyung into thinking that it was his friendship that Jimin was after all along and he had nothing to do with me. He also added that there was a girl in his city that he was seeing. Taehyung didn’t seem to have any problem with being friends with him since he didn’t pose an immediate threat of becoming someone closer to me. Now, my brother was having the time of his life chatting with the two people I couldn’t even bear to talk with.

Both me and Tara listened to all the bullshit for a while and then decided it was time to leave. “We’re going out!” I said to my brother, “Want me to get you something?”

“Nope!” His reply was short.

“Well, enjoy, I guess!” I muttered under my breath and headed out with Tara.

“Wait!” Jimin ran out of the house behind us.

Tara moved in between and asked, “What do you want?”

“I wanna talk with Amelia!” Jimin replied casually.

“Why?” Tara pressed further, “Isn’t it Tae whom you’re after?”

Jimin looked irritated, “Can you please give us some space for a moment?”

“What do you need a space for? I thought you had a girlfriend. Why? Aren’t you loyal?” Tara kept on going.

“Are you just going to enjoy this?” Jimin looked at me helplessly.

I simply shrugged my shoulders in reply. Jungkook came to his rescue. “Hey, Tara! Wanna know what the whole college is talking about?”

Tara’s face went red, “Jeon Jungkook, I swear I’m going to kill you if you did anything funny!” And she stormed away inside the house along with a smirking Jungkook.

“Hey…” Jimin started but I cut him in between.

“Is there anything important that you wanna say? If not, please go bother someone else.”

“You didn’t even let me start!” he pouted.

I frowned at his words, “Your pretense of being a cutie ain’t gonna help you now.”

Jimin turned serious and asked, “What’s up with you? I can’t seem to read you right. One minute you’re so into me, the next minute you won’t even look at me? Is Tae the matter?”

“Nope!” I answered truthfully, “It’s you! You’re the matter.”

“Will you at least tell me what I did wrong since the last time we met?” Jimin asked gently.

I thought for a while before saying, “Why do you even care? I’m only an inside joke between the two of you.”

Jimin started nodding his head as if he just realized something very basic, “So, Jungkook’s the matter, huh?”

“No!” I denied.

“Oh, dear!” Jimin laughed, “Do you realize how long it had been since you were in school? Seriously? Are you still holding a grudge over those silly fights you had with him? Are you still that petty?”

I huffed in annoyance, “Go on. Tell me more about what else he had told you about me.”

“Nothing but all the good times that he had with you.” Jimin said with a smile.

“Huh?”

“Amelia!” Jimin shook me by the shoulders, “Jungkook always talked about you and Tara as if you were his only friends in high school. Yeah, he mentioned the fights and all. But at the end of the day, he still considers you his friends. The time when I confessed to him about you, the only thing he said was that I was diving in for some adventure. And it wasn’t even said in a bad way. He really ships us with all his might.”

I kept blinking at him in disbelief. Surely, Jungkook wouldn’t talk all nice about us let alone calling us his friends. What is Jimin trying to do here?

At that time, Tara came out yelling at Jungkook behind her, “Grow up, rabbit faced!” 

“After you, bitch!” A boiling red Jungkook yelled back at her.

Tara took my hand and pulled me away from the house. “Just ignore him. He’s a bit upset, you know!”

“What did you say for him to act like that?” I asked.

“Nothing much!” Tara shrugged, “Just reminded him how desperate he was.”

“Desperate for what?”

In reply, Tara just let out a laugh.

< Previous || Next > (Coming Soon)

My Masterlist

The amount of time I wanted to end it all...

But then, I said to myself, "Had Suga ended his life when he was in high school, he would not have been here."

"Have patience. Your time will come."

Death Before Water And Life After It

'The Avonlea Story Club'

Story no. #02 Inspired by prompt: “There was a legend about the well in the garden.” Time Duration: 1 May, 2023 - 31 May, 2023

Word Count: 2.6K Words Warning: horror elements, mention of illness, injuries, deaths etc.

Summary: Spending the summer vacation with an ill grandma in a remote village turns mysterious...

I attempted to write down a rare experience I got to have while I visited my late grandma’s village. The story I am about to tell is no ordinary tale. It is, in many ways, unbelievable too. So, I would rather let my readers decide upon believing it.

It was the summer of 2017. My grandma was diagnosed with a deadly disease and the doctors feared that she wouldn’t make it till the next year.  I had a long vacation of two months from school. I didn’t have any plans either. At that moment, my only desire was to visit my grandma for the last time on her deathbed, even though it was said that she couldn’t recognize anyone.

It was the very first time I sat foot in that remote village. I had expected a lot from it since it was located far away from the city. But in reality, nothing about the village appealed to me. It was just an ordinary village with ordinary people.

My grandma didn’t come to greet me. When I went to meet her, she didn’t even bother to look at me. I could tell by looking in her eyes that she was in pain. But as always, my sweet grandma didn’t want to burden anyone with it. I spent three days in the house without getting out for once. Within these three days, I had constantly sat beside grandma and talked to her in hope that she might recognize her youngest granddaughter at some point. But that didn’t happen.

Finally, it was the fourth day when I got bored of playing offline games on my phone. Since the network connection wasn’t the best at that place, I decided to take a look at my surrounding areas. Like I had mentioned before, the village had nothing interesting to enjoy. There was no place for sightseeing.

After some minutes of aimlessly walking around I came to a stop near what looked like a ruin of an old garden. I spent a minute or two looking at its broken gate. Then I finally went in. Once again, I was disappointed after finding nothing but a bunch of wild plants growing all around the place.

There was an old well at the far corner. I felt like I should go and check it before I left the place for good. As I walked towards it I felt uncomfortable and strange. I remembered I was all alone in an abandoned garden with no house that could be seen or people that could be heard.

Yet I couldn’t turn back without a close view of the well. It was as abandoned as the garden itself. Vines and roots grew all around it. The huge stones had cracks. When I peeked inside I was shocked to see water that hadn’t dried out yet. I could see my reflection perfectly in the black water inside.

I was about to go away when I heard someone behind me. There was a little boy sitting on the ground, his back leaning against the well. 

How come I didn't notice him in the first place?

He wasn’t wearing much clothes than necessary, I guessed it was because of the hot weather. He was dirty from his head to toe. I went closer to check on him. I found out that he was humming a tune while scratching his ankles.

“Hey!” I called him, “What are you doing here, all alone?”

He quitted humming at my intrusion and glanced at me for a moment. Then he looked down on his ankles and started to scratch them again. I felt an urge to stop him from doing that. His feet looked swollen and red.

Instead I asked, “Where are your parents?”

“They died… long ago,” he answered in a low voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that!” I went closer to sit in front of him, “Do you live nearby?” There were no houses in sight that could suggest his home. But I still looked around for any sign of life.

In reply, the boy looked at the well behind him for a moment. Then, he looked at me and asked, “Are you a foreigner?”

“No. I came from the city.” I replied.

“So, you are a foreigner!” he stated. This time with a thrill in his eyes. So, I nodded my head in defeat. Maybe he considered everyone apart from the villagers a foreigner.

“You shouldn’t do that.” I said, indicating his merciless scratching.

“It’s okay!” he smiled at me, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

I studied his face for a while. Even though it was dirty, I could tell that the boy was really beautiful. He had big doe eyes with long eyelashes. His small mouth looked really cute when he smiled. Also, he had the kind of smile that makes others do the same at its sight.

So, I automatically smiled back at him.

“C’mon!” I stood up, “I’m going now. You shouldn’t be here all alone. This place is giving me the creeps.”

“You’re going away already?” the boy asked. The smile on his face was gone. His big eyes were filling up with tears all of a sudden.

“Aww, don’t cry.” I said, giving him my hand, “I'm not leaving you. I’ll take you to your home.”

“I can’t go.” he shook his head.

“Why?” I asked, rather astonished at the bold reply coming from an otherwise soft spoken little boy.

The boy retreated to his previous position. He continued humming the tune and scratched his ankles as well. I tried convincing him to come with me for some time. He started to completely ignore me.

I checked my watch. It was past lunch time. I knew grandfather was probably really angry by now because he doesn’t like delaying meal times. So, I told the boy to go home early and not to come to the place again. I had to leave him alone by the well.

I had almost forgotten all about it. But another meeting reminded me of my encounter with the little boy by the well.

I laid awake in my bed. The little boy sat at the furthest corner from me. I stared at him for some time, watching him scratch his ankles and humming the familiar tune.

When our eyes met, he let himself smile. "You're awake!" He stated.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I came because you didn't come to see me again." He replied.

"Did you wait for me?" I asked.

The boy nodded.

"Where?"

"Why? By the well in the garden!"

"Didn't I tell you not to go there alone?"

The boy laughed at me, "But I live there, silly."

I didn't understand him. Suddenly I remembered I was sleeping and I hadn't really woken up.

How could I tell that I was dreaming?

"Oh no! You're gonna wake up now, aren't you?" The boy pouted his lips.

"How do you…" I couldn't finish my question. I was already awake. And as I checked, the boy was gone too.

I couldn't make myself go back to sleep again. It was already dawn. So, I walked around the house. I heard my grandma calling me from within her room as I walked past it. My eyes grew larger.

She remembered me!

"Oh, granny. My lovely, granny." I sprinted inside her room and hugged her.

"When did you come, my love?" She asked, a sweet smile on her lips.

"Almost a week ago."

We talked for some time. Grandma said that she felt a lot better and was so happy to see me. She wondered why mother didn't come. I said she was very busy with her work. I lied because I didn't want to worry her about mother's health. And I knew she wasn't the type to get hurt when someone couldn't manage their time. It is a cruel world, after all.

At some point, grandma was reminiscing about the old times. Long ago when she was young and not yet married. She used to live here, in this village, at that time. She talked as if her memory of her childhood was just a few days back. I felt like she had forgotten me at some stage and mistook me for her best friend of childhood instead as she talked.

At one point, I asked her about the old garden. I asked if it was in use at her times. She looked at me with dreadful eyes, "don't speak of it. Don't you know, it's a forbidden place to walk in?"

"Why is it forbidden, Grandma?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, dear!" She suddenly started to laugh, "I keep forgetting that it's you." and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Grandma," I called, "Please, tell me about the garden. I wanna know."

"It was a long time ago. Even before I was born. There was a legend about the well in the garden." grandma spoke dreamily.

"What legend?"

"At the time when the first gypsies came to settle down in the land, it was a barren one. No river. No rain. Nothing. Nobody knows why the river gypsies chose to live in such a land after years of floating in water. But they struggled against this land. It wasn't habitable for life at all. They decided they'll excavate a well. After months of labor they did it too. But it was only a matter of days  before the water dried out after the well was built."

"Why?" I asked as grandma stopped to take a breath.

Grandma nodded, "it was a cursed place. Everyone in the village had dreams about the well afterwards. An unknown entity would visit them in their dreams and ask them to negotiate with it. The negotiation was a human life in exchange for water.

"People were scared. They forbade everyone to go near the well. They decided to leave the place for good. Some of them even ran away from home in fear. But the nightmares didn't stop. The entity was hungry for human life. Finally, it got what it wanted.

"A little boy of a lonely mother wandered off to the well one day. When he returned home at sunset, both of his legs were found being chained. The mother walked along the long chains only to find that it led inside the very well her people had built. The more they pulled the chains, the more it grew in length, coming out of the dried well. No blacksmith could damage the chain, not even a little scratch could be made on it.

"The villagers started to see a different version of their same old nightmare. The entity now asked them the life of that little boy only. Then, started the gossip.

"The boy was an illegitimate child. His mother was not a very welcomed person in the community. They lived almost a separated life. Maybe the entity chose wisely. Maybe they should abide by its rule. Maybe the boy could be sacrificed for the sake of all.

"But the mother was a mad woman. She wouldn’t give up on her only gem. She would rather her son lived with the chains around his legs forever. The child cried. He cried all day and night. He said that his legs itched. And as he scratched them again and again, the skin had peeled off and left him wounded.

"'Mama, it hurts.' The boy pleaded with his mother to get rid of his shackles. But nothing could be done for his aid. The villagers, at one point, stopped even trying. The herbal remedy his mother gave him was useless.

"'Let me go, then.' The boy pleaded again. His mother denied.

"Finally, the boy decided for himself. When his mother would be asleep, he would go to the well again. He would ask the well what it wanted from him. And so he did. Nobody heard of the little boy anymore. Someone said that the boy had jumped off to the well himself. But nobody knew because there wasn't a body to be found.

"Since that day, there hasn't been any scarcity of water from the well. The well never dried off after. A beautiful garden grew around the land. No-one had any more nightmares. The gypsies finally overcame another adversary that was the most challenging in their community life. They lived happily ever after."

Grandma finished her story and looked at me with a smile.

"But Grandma," I spoke, "this isn't the type of story that ends with 'happily ever after'."

"Why not?" grandma asked, "the villagers, in fact, did live happily."

"What about the boy? And his mother?"

"Now," grandma stated, "they weren't the hero of my story, were they?"

"You've got a point," I said, "But don't you think that the boy could be the most tragic hero if it was said from his perspective?"

"He could be." Grandma thought for a moment, "Why don't you rewrite it in your own words then? Maybe you can do him some justice."

Before I left grandma for breakfast, I asked her one last question, "since everything is resolved, why did you say that it was a forbidden garden in the beginning?"

"Because, darling!" She looked at me as if it was so obvious, "the little boy can still be seen roaming around it."

I went to the garden that day. It was obvious what grandma told me was just a legend. And a legend can be a lie. Or at least partially. Maybe there was an incident of a boy's drowning. Maybe the nightmares originated from the collective superstitious belief of the gypsies. Or maybe, just maybe, there was an entity involved.

Whatever happened a long time ago, I could never know them for sure. I could only assume the story from my perspective and my beliefs in particular superstitions. But I didn't feel like I could rest till I saw that little boy again and demanded some kind of explanation. It might sound a little crazy to the readers but my mind couldn't make out any reasonable explanation of the boy's peculiar behavior at the moment.

I waited from morning till noon. But he didn't come. I didn’t know that some terrible news awaited me at home other than the fear that grandfather might be mad at me for missing another lunch.

Grandma was no more. My sweet, lovely grandma. The grandma who had talked with me just this dawn. I was told that the servant found her dead when he went to serve her breakfast. I almost didn’t believe it. But I accepted at last as we all do eventually.

I stayed till the funeral was over. Then I immediately packed everything to leave the place. I didn’t think I could stay at the house without feeling my grandma's presence.

But before I left, I had to solve something within myself. I had to see the boy again. I went to the garden for the last time. And as expected he was already waiting for me.

"Why didn't you tell me everything beforehand?" I questioned him, "Didn't you want me to know?"

"You know because I showed you." The same old smile on his face.

"But why me, of all people?"

He walked towards me and placed his cold hands on mine. It was the only time he had really touched me. He said hopefully, "You'll let them know, won't you? They'll finally know."

"Know what?" I asked, a little confused.

"The truth!"

I didn't understand him wholly that day. After years it somehow dawned on me. The little boy wanted the world to know. Not just the legend of the well in the garden. But the little life it took that made it possible.

Author's note: The story is inspired by a folktale my grandma had long ago told me that originated from her hometown. It was about how a pond was excavated and a child's life was offered for it to contain water. There are many versions of this story. The story is really memorable to me and honestly, I still get chills whenever I think about it. I made some changes to the plot to match the given prompt. I don't know if I could do it any justice. But I'm glad I made an effort to preserve one of the less known folktales of my country.

P.S. The country is Bangladesh…