Okay, I admit that I haven't been the most dedicated blogger. My last post was 8 months ago.
But from now onwards, I pinky promise you that I'll update my blog religiously, at least once a week! I just posted my first short story. To anyone that reads it, I hope that you enjoy it! Also, please feel free to leave any comments! Thanks! :)
xoxo
ILoveReadingnWriting
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Short Story
Alright guys, my first short story.
Perspiration trickled down Vera’s forehead, forming a pool of cold sweat on her dressing table. Anxiety overwhelmed her entire body, from the top of her head, to the tips of her toes. ‘Wasn’t John supposed to arrive ages ago?’ Questions flooded her mind as she looked at the time on the antique grandfathers clock-2.00 a.m. He was two hours late. ‘Did something happen to him?’ Vera hoped not.
Taking a look at her wrist, she could see traces of a six-digit number engraved on her skin. Squinting, she managed to decipher the code-180034. Vera bit her lip as a sudden wave of uneasiness swept over her. The code was becoming more apparent by the minute. A newcomer to the bar codes, she had no idea of what would happen once her code became completely visible.
Vera was new to the bar codes. The bar codes were an exclusive circle. All members had to undergo an operation to insert a code into them. Each of the codes would function as identification cards, similar to the usual identification card, only that it was imprinted in the person forever. Once a member, you wouldn’t be able to leave the group, because the other members would be able to easily locate you. As a newcomer, she needed to take a specific kind of drug to prevent the code from becoming completely visible.
According to Janet, her brother’s mentor, the consequences were terrifying, especially for newcomers. Most would die from the aftermath of the transformation, while the surviving handful would suffer serious injuries that would eventually paralyse them. Janet was one of them.
Somehow, deep within her, Vera had a premonition that something ominous was about to occur, once again. Tremors of fear ran through her as she recalled her brother’s daunting last words, “Don’t let them get to you. You must……hide…… “
Vera’s life had been in shambles since her brother’s death two years ago. Sadly, she shook her head as she reminisced about the days when her brother, Michael, was alive. Memories of her old live were vividly plastered in her mind. She could still remember the way her dresses hung in her walk-in closet, the softness of her bed and even the fragrant scent of lilies in her bedroom.
All of that was taken away on that tragic June 25th. As she watched her brother’s corpse, cold and stiff inside the coffin, being laid to rest, she knew that her life was never going to be the same. And she was right.
Since Michael’s death, Vera had undertaken the risky task of uncovering her brother’s shady past. A past, filled with secrets that she never knew her brother had possessed. Vera thought that she knew her brother inside out, but everything turned out to be a lie, a complete lie. She heaved a melancholic sigh. Two years later, her efforts were unsuccessful. She was still trying to find the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle of Michael’s past and his cold-blooded murder.
Vera glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her once flawless face was now embedded in deep, grumpy folds. Dark circles were evident under her deep-set eyes. Her cheeks, white as a ghost’s, were sunken. She looked an absolute fright.
“Who would have thought that this would be me in two years?” laughed Vera bitterly, a solitary tear trickling down the curve of her cheek.
“Vera Phillips. School captain. Top achiever. Homecoming queen,” she paused, eyes fixed on her reflection. Her eyes had a ferocity that was animal-like.
Suddenly, the telephone rang. ‘Was it John?’ As quick as lightning, Vera bolted to the telephone and answered.
“140002, is that you?” she asked urgently.
“Now, now, what’s the hurry, Vera? Looking for your dear friend? I’m afraid you can no longer see him,” the voice at the other end bellowed.
“Ex…excuse…mm…me?” squeaked Vera, clearly in shock. How had he known her name? In the bar code circle, she was known as “Tick”, for her love of watches. Her identity remained undisclosed all these years. Even her brother, who was the only person who knew her identity, called her Tick.
“ My dear Vera, I never expected to find you. After we parted, I thought that I had lost you forever, until now, when fate finally reunited us. Don’t you remember me?” boomed the voice.
Trembling, Vera summed up all of her courage and uttered, “Wh…who are you? Where is John?”
“John, my dear, is no longer living. He deserved to die. A scum to the earth!”
“Oh my goodness. What did you do to him?”
“Vera princess, what I did to him doesn’t matter, what matters is you. I have what you desperately need. Are you sure you don’t remember me? Listen again,” snickered the stranger.
Clearly bewildered, Vera listened intently. The voice at the other end sounded vaguely familiar. Frowning, she tried her best to recall. In the midst of pondering, it suddenly struck Vera. The voice belonged to Michael! Again she listened, this time more carefully. She stared at the telephone in disbelief. It was the distinctive voice of her brother!
How was it possible? Thoughts whirled in her mind. She had seen her brother being laid to rest, with her very own eyes. But that voice, it was the exact same one as her brother.
“Figured it out yet?” the interruption of the stranger’s voice snapped Vera out from her thoughts.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. Taking a look at her wrist, she saw the code clearly imprinted there. Vera took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew that she had not much time left.
Wasting no time, Vera rushed to the door and unlatched it, the floorboards creaking like mice under her weight. She swung the door open. Somehow, she sensed that her brother would be standing outside the door. And she was right. Standing right in front of her was the unmistakable figure of Michael.
“Michael. Is this really you?” she sniffed. Tears started pouring from Vera’s eyes.
“Vera, this is I. I’m here. Don’t be scared. I want to apologize for everything. I know that these two years have been extremely difficult for you. You tried so hard to find my murderer. But the truth is, I never died.” said Michael calmly.
“But, the body? I saw your corpse with my own eyes!”
“That was John you saw. I killed him.”
“Then……you were John?”
“Yes. I took his code and implanted it into me. Basically, we swapped codes.”
“And you never told me? All this while?”
“I’m really sorry. I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me? How, Michael? I sacrificed my bright future and became a bar code because of you. I had to involve myself in your seedy past, taking drugs to suppress the code. I destroyed my future with my own hands. All because I love you Michael. You were my only surviving kin. I was basically an orphan when you left. Do you understand me?”
Vera did not notice the code on her wrist that was glowing brighter as the seconds passed.
“Vera. I am really sorry. I don’t know what to say to make you forgive me.”
All of a sudden, Vera heard a sizzling sound. Panicked, she looked at her wrist. It was red in colour and radiating heat. She was dying. Closing her eyes, Vera said, “Michael, I am dying I don’t want to use the drugs anymore. I have endured so much for so long. Just let me go.”
With that, Vera took her last breath, leaving Michael to repent on his mistake. The one single mistake that killed her.
Tell me what you think after reading it. Thanks! :)
Perspiration trickled down Vera’s forehead, forming a pool of cold sweat on her dressing table. Anxiety overwhelmed her entire body, from the top of her head, to the tips of her toes. ‘Wasn’t John supposed to arrive ages ago?’ Questions flooded her mind as she looked at the time on the antique grandfathers clock-2.00 a.m. He was two hours late. ‘Did something happen to him?’ Vera hoped not.
Taking a look at her wrist, she could see traces of a six-digit number engraved on her skin. Squinting, she managed to decipher the code-180034. Vera bit her lip as a sudden wave of uneasiness swept over her. The code was becoming more apparent by the minute. A newcomer to the bar codes, she had no idea of what would happen once her code became completely visible.
Vera was new to the bar codes. The bar codes were an exclusive circle. All members had to undergo an operation to insert a code into them. Each of the codes would function as identification cards, similar to the usual identification card, only that it was imprinted in the person forever. Once a member, you wouldn’t be able to leave the group, because the other members would be able to easily locate you. As a newcomer, she needed to take a specific kind of drug to prevent the code from becoming completely visible.
According to Janet, her brother’s mentor, the consequences were terrifying, especially for newcomers. Most would die from the aftermath of the transformation, while the surviving handful would suffer serious injuries that would eventually paralyse them. Janet was one of them.
Somehow, deep within her, Vera had a premonition that something ominous was about to occur, once again. Tremors of fear ran through her as she recalled her brother’s daunting last words, “Don’t let them get to you. You must……hide…… “
Vera’s life had been in shambles since her brother’s death two years ago. Sadly, she shook her head as she reminisced about the days when her brother, Michael, was alive. Memories of her old live were vividly plastered in her mind. She could still remember the way her dresses hung in her walk-in closet, the softness of her bed and even the fragrant scent of lilies in her bedroom.
All of that was taken away on that tragic June 25th. As she watched her brother’s corpse, cold and stiff inside the coffin, being laid to rest, she knew that her life was never going to be the same. And she was right.
Since Michael’s death, Vera had undertaken the risky task of uncovering her brother’s shady past. A past, filled with secrets that she never knew her brother had possessed. Vera thought that she knew her brother inside out, but everything turned out to be a lie, a complete lie. She heaved a melancholic sigh. Two years later, her efforts were unsuccessful. She was still trying to find the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle of Michael’s past and his cold-blooded murder.
Vera glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her once flawless face was now embedded in deep, grumpy folds. Dark circles were evident under her deep-set eyes. Her cheeks, white as a ghost’s, were sunken. She looked an absolute fright.
“Who would have thought that this would be me in two years?” laughed Vera bitterly, a solitary tear trickling down the curve of her cheek.
“Vera Phillips. School captain. Top achiever. Homecoming queen,” she paused, eyes fixed on her reflection. Her eyes had a ferocity that was animal-like.
Suddenly, the telephone rang. ‘Was it John?’ As quick as lightning, Vera bolted to the telephone and answered.
“140002, is that you?” she asked urgently.
“Now, now, what’s the hurry, Vera? Looking for your dear friend? I’m afraid you can no longer see him,” the voice at the other end bellowed.
“Ex…excuse…mm…me?” squeaked Vera, clearly in shock. How had he known her name? In the bar code circle, she was known as “Tick”, for her love of watches. Her identity remained undisclosed all these years. Even her brother, who was the only person who knew her identity, called her Tick.
“ My dear Vera, I never expected to find you. After we parted, I thought that I had lost you forever, until now, when fate finally reunited us. Don’t you remember me?” boomed the voice.
Trembling, Vera summed up all of her courage and uttered, “Wh…who are you? Where is John?”
“John, my dear, is no longer living. He deserved to die. A scum to the earth!”
“Oh my goodness. What did you do to him?”
“Vera princess, what I did to him doesn’t matter, what matters is you. I have what you desperately need. Are you sure you don’t remember me? Listen again,” snickered the stranger.
Clearly bewildered, Vera listened intently. The voice at the other end sounded vaguely familiar. Frowning, she tried her best to recall. In the midst of pondering, it suddenly struck Vera. The voice belonged to Michael! Again she listened, this time more carefully. She stared at the telephone in disbelief. It was the distinctive voice of her brother!
How was it possible? Thoughts whirled in her mind. She had seen her brother being laid to rest, with her very own eyes. But that voice, it was the exact same one as her brother.
“Figured it out yet?” the interruption of the stranger’s voice snapped Vera out from her thoughts.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. Taking a look at her wrist, she saw the code clearly imprinted there. Vera took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew that she had not much time left.
Wasting no time, Vera rushed to the door and unlatched it, the floorboards creaking like mice under her weight. She swung the door open. Somehow, she sensed that her brother would be standing outside the door. And she was right. Standing right in front of her was the unmistakable figure of Michael.
“Michael. Is this really you?” she sniffed. Tears started pouring from Vera’s eyes.
“Vera, this is I. I’m here. Don’t be scared. I want to apologize for everything. I know that these two years have been extremely difficult for you. You tried so hard to find my murderer. But the truth is, I never died.” said Michael calmly.
“But, the body? I saw your corpse with my own eyes!”
“That was John you saw. I killed him.”
“Then……you were John?”
“Yes. I took his code and implanted it into me. Basically, we swapped codes.”
“And you never told me? All this while?”
“I’m really sorry. I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me? How, Michael? I sacrificed my bright future and became a bar code because of you. I had to involve myself in your seedy past, taking drugs to suppress the code. I destroyed my future with my own hands. All because I love you Michael. You were my only surviving kin. I was basically an orphan when you left. Do you understand me?”
Vera did not notice the code on her wrist that was glowing brighter as the seconds passed.
“Vera. I am really sorry. I don’t know what to say to make you forgive me.”
All of a sudden, Vera heard a sizzling sound. Panicked, she looked at her wrist. It was red in colour and radiating heat. She was dying. Closing her eyes, Vera said, “Michael, I am dying I don’t want to use the drugs anymore. I have endured so much for so long. Just let me go.”
With that, Vera took her last breath, leaving Michael to repent on his mistake. The one single mistake that killed her.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Hi :)
Dear people,
First of all, I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone reading this blog. My main reason for setting up this blog would definitely be to share my love for reading and writing with all of you. I will be posting short stories and book reviews every week, and probably a movie review occasionally. (that depends on how often my mum agrees to treat me to a night at the cinema) Anyways, to keep things short, watch out for more posts from me!
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