“Good,” Stan replied. “Let me go tell my friends where I’m off too, and I’ll be right back.”
“You don’t mind driving home alone, do you, Sandy?” Jina asked.
“No, I don’t. What I do mind is how much you are going to regret this tomorrow morning. You are too drunk to make a decision like this.”
“You can’t stop me.” Jina shook her head defiantly and chugged down the last of her drink.
“Is he sober enough to drive?”
“He says he hasn’t had anything to drink tonight at all.”
“That worries me, too. Jina, he’s sober and you’re drunk. He just wants to take advantage of you.”
“I don’t care. It’s been a while since I had some, Sandy, and it’s been driving me crazy this whole week. Especially with all of your roses, and all that…”
“Jina, I have half a mind to hold you down and not let you—”
“Hi, I’m back. Are you ready to go, my sweet?”
“Yes, my love. I’ve been ready all my life.” Jina bust out into a fit of laughter, and Stan half-carried her as she staggered out the door.
Sandy shook her head and ate another caviar-coated pretzel. One of these days, Jina was going to wake up. But until then…
She put the lid back on the jar, paid for the two drinks she promised to buy plus the one she drank, plus Jina’s drinks, gathered up her roses, and left.
The streetlight over her car had gone out in the short time she had been in the bar. A little nervous at the lack of illumination, she hastily unlocked her door and placed the roses in the back seat. Before getting in, she glanced at the brick wall to see if she could still see her drawing.
The wall was completely black. Even without the overhead lamp, light still shone from down the street. There should have been enough to see the chalk roses. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t even tell that the wall was made of brick.
And there was something else that wasn’t quite right. She squinted her eyes.
The wall was moving.
Her instinctive reaction was to dive into the car and squeal away. But logic told her that walls don’t move without a reason, and if she didn’t find out why, right now, it would haunt her for weeks to come.
So slowly, she stepped around her car door and towards the wall.
Inches away, the image came into focus. Light glimmered off millions of tiny black bodies.
Ants.
The entire surface was covered with shiny, black army ants. Several moved away at once to reveal part of an unharmed chalk rose. They converged again.
The jar of caviar fell from her hand to the pavement and shattered.
She stood in a petrified stare. Never had she seen anything like it before. They were only on the wall, nowhere else. Not the sidewalk, not the pavement. The mass stopped where the wall met concrete.
As she stared, an eerie feeling crept over her.
Something hit her head, and she screamed, flinging a clump of self-entangled ants out of her hair.
She didn’t feel safe until she got home.
The phone rang at 4:00am.
Jina’s tired voice crackled on the line. “Sandy? I’m so sorry to call you this late, but can you come pick me up?”
“Jina? Where are you?”
“At the Seven-Eleven on 12th Street. Stan and I—”
“Don’t worry Jina, I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone and threw on a pair of jeans. She knew that Jina would call her, but she hadn’t planned on it being this soon. She drove off to rescue her friend.
When Jina slid into the passenger’s side of Sandy’s car, her face shimmered with tears. “I-I’m sorry. I—”
“Don’t worry about it. We can talk when we get to my place.”
At Sandy’s, they curled up on her couch with blankets and two cups of hot chocolate.
“Ok, Jina. Tell all.”
“There’s not much to tell. We had sex, and that was enough for me. I fell asleep, but Stan got pushy and woke me up after about an hour. He wanted to go at it again, but I wanted him to take me home. He just started yelling at me. We fought for hours, and I told him that I wouldn’t let him back in the band. He seemed more hurt by that than by anything else. Before he could get mad again, I left. I didn’t want him to lose it and hit me.”
“I’m glad you left when you did, Jina.”
“I think I learned my lesson. Stan is a jerk, and always will be a jerk.”
“That’s what you said last time.”
“Yes, I know, but I was drunk. I should have let you hold me down and keep me from going with him.”
“You know I’m not going to do that.”
“I know. But sometimes I wish you would.”
Sandy reached over to give Jina a hug, and jumped back, startled.
“What’s the matter? Sandy?”
She shook it off. “Sorry. I’ve been a little jumpy lately. The blanket tickled my arm. I’m ok.”
Jina gave her a questioning look.
“There have been a few weird… things… happen the past few days. Actually, the past week. Ever since I started getting those flowers.”
“Oh?”
“Each note has a mention of a game, and something silly to do. Like burn a rose, and spin around, things like that. After I do the thing, something creepy happens. The first time, there was this hideous spider on my reading glasses. The second time, a lizard crawled out from under the empty box of chocolates, you know, the ones you wanted me to share with you? Then, tonight outside Neverland, the wall next to my car was covered with ants. It was the same wall that I had drawn some roses on as part of the game. I’ve been a little jumpy since the spider, but more-so now, since the ants. There were so many ants.”
“Sandy. I had no idea.”
“Well, I didn’t make the connection between S.A. and the creepy stuff until tonight. Before they were just coincidences.”
“Maybe S.A. is an occultist. Like, black magic?”
“You know I don’t believe in that stuff, Jina.”
“Ok, then. Something more logical. Didn’t you eat S.A.’s gifts just before seeing spiders or creepy-crawlies?”
“Hmm… Yes, now that you mention it.”
“And did anyone else see what you saw?”
“Not that I know of. I was alone each time.”
“There you have it. Drugs. Hallucinatory drugs.”
“That’s a possibility.”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t eat anything from that guy again. And, just in case it is black magic…” Sandy gave her a sharp look. “Well, it’s possible, even if you don’t believe in it. Anyhow, just stop playing the game. Don’t do the little things he asks you to do anymore.”
“You have a good point, I suppose.”
“One more thing. Does he know where you live?”
“I don’t think so. None of the roses have been delivered here. The first rose could have been from him, but it didn’t match his pattern. It wasn’t even delivered by the same flower shop.”
“Even so, I think you should call the police, and let them know you might have a stalker. He could always follow you home from school, and it wouldn’t hurt to have the extra look-out from the cops in case he decides to sneak in some night.”
Sandy shuddered. “That’s a horrible thought. I’ll think about calling the police. We’ll see.”
“And if you’d like, I can stay here for the next few nights. That will help me avoid Stan, too.”
“Yes, you can stay here.” They smiled and fell asleep on the couch.
Sandy spent a dreadful day at school. Each hour, she braced against the coming of the roses, but none came. To her relief, she was without a delivery when she met Jina that afternoon.
Jina wanted to be dropped off at her apartment to get a few things, and told Sandy she would hitch a ride to Sandy’s place within a few hours. Sandy drove home alone.
She arrived, and sat down to quietly grade mid-term tests.
&n
bsp; A knock came at the door.
She shook off any thoughts about the possibility it was S.A. What silliness. It was late afternoon, after all, and what kind of dramatic stalker would show up at any other hour other than midnight?
A safe feeling came over her as she convinced herself that there could be no danger. S.A. was more than likely a student with a little spare time, and would have no way of finding out where she lived.
“So this is where you live, huh?” It was the Gregorelli delivery boy. He handed her a vase full of red roses and a single small box.
Stunned, she accepted the delivery and closed the door.
So he does know where I live.
There were a smaller number of roses this time: it looked to be only dozen.
Maybe he’s running out of money, she thought as she began counting.
Thirteen roses. Unlucky.
“I’m not playing your game anymore,” she whispered at the flowers. She felt a sudden pang of fear, and realized that deep down, she really did believe in the supernatural. To dispel the fear, she said it again, louder, with more confidence, and she felt better.
“This time,” she said aloud as she opened gold foil box, “I am not going to eat any more of your goodies.”
But instead of chocolates, the box held an incredible gold necklace. The pendant held a large ruby that sparkled in the light. Forgetting the horror of the night before, Sandy almost melted. It was exquisite. It had to be worth more than she could imagine. She felt the smooth red stone, and couldn’t help but put the necklace around her neck.
As the clasp snapped shut, a small white card fell from the box to the soft white carpet. She could read the elegant script without picking it up.
My Lovely Sandy:
Isn’t this fun?
Want to play more?
There’s no backing out,
Await what’s in store!
S.A.
She jumped when another knock sounded. She breathed slowly to try to calm herself, and slowly approached the door. The knock came again. Sandy held her face close to the wood and whispered, “Who— who is it?”
“It’s me, Jina. Open up, Sand.”
Sandy sighed, and felt silly as she unlatched the door. “Jina, I’m sure glad to see you.”
“What’s with the costume jewelry?”
“It’s not costume jewelry. Get in here.” She pulled Jina in and quickly closed the door. “Read this.” She shoved the little card into Jina’s face. “There were thirteen roses this time. Thirteen.”
“Whoa, Sandy. Pretty freaky. Did anything happen?”
“No. There was no candy this time. No caviar. Nothing to eat at all.”
“I think it’s just a loser screwball who is running out of ideas. He doesn’t seem like the type that would actually do anything. I think you’re safe, especially with me here.”
“Yes, but he knows where I live.”
“Like I said, that’s why I’m here. We can wait it out for a few days, and if anything else happens, we can leave and call the police. Ok?”
“All right. I do feel a little better with you around.”
“Good. Now I can tell you about Stan.” Jina unzipped her purple gym bag. “I think he really wants back into the band, because when I got home, he had dropped this off.” Jina pulled out a bag of chocolate covered strawberries. “My roommate said she found it in front of the door. Stan wants me to think he’s sorry and that he really wants me back, but really, I think he’s just trying to bribe me. And that’s never going to happen, because Brandon is a much better guitarist than Stan is. Plus he isn’t such a jerk.”
“Are you going to eat the strawberries anyway?”
“Of course. I can enjoy this stuff and spite him all at the same time. And if he wants to bring me more stuff, all the better. He’s not going to win me back, nor will he convince me he’s sorry. Because he’s incapable of being sorry.”
The clear cellophane bag crinkled as she untwisted the tie. “Oooo… These look marvelous. Even if they are the cheap kind.”
The strawberries were half brown with chocolate and half juicy red. They still had the little green tops, crystallized with sugar.
“Can I have one?”
“No. Not after hoarding your chocolates.” Jina bit into a confection. “Oh my holy god, this is tragically delicious.”
“Come on, you are torturing me. Give me at least a little bite.”
“All right. Because, unlike you, I share with my friends.” Jina smiled. “Come on, let’s sit down and eat the whole bag together.”
“I’m sorry for not sharing,” she said as they sat down at the glass dining room table. “But there were only four chocolates, and besides, I told you what happened after I ate them.”
Sandy took a small bite out of a strawberry. It was luscious. She had had entirely too many sweets lately, but decided Jina’s idea of porking out was a fantastic idea.
Three strawberries later, Jina screamed.
“What’s wrong?” Sandy looked where Jina was staring and saw a cricket running across the table. It ran until it reached the side, and fell off. Sandy swallowed her mouthful of strawberry, and said, “It’s only a cricket, Jina. Though, I don’t know what it’s doing in here. You didn’t used to be so scared of bugs. What’s up?”
“You—You don’t understand.” Jina pointed to her partially eaten strawberry laying on the table where she had dropped it.
“Uh, no Jina, I don’t. What gives?” Sandy put the rest of her strawberry to her mouth, and felt a light pressure on her lip. She pulled away, but the something hooked her skin. She pulled back sharply, it unhooked, and she found herself staring at a cricket, crawling out of her half-eaten strawberry.
Her reaction was the same as Jina’s: scream and throw the strawberry.
She forced herself to be calm.
“Jina, hand me the bag.”
She took the bag and dumped the remaining strawberries onto the table. “No more crickets in here. But look.” There was a small gray card glued with chocolate to one of the strawberries. Sandy peeled it off the strawberry and read it aloud:
Jina, now you are part of this plot.
You’ll join the game, if you like it or not.
Sandy, who’s reading this note, I expect,
Will keep on playing, she cannot reject.
S.A.
Sandy read aloud slowly. She looked up from the card, and saw Jina, wide-eyed, with her feet pulled up onto the chair, still staring at the table.
A soft evening sound came from nearby, within the apartment. Chirping.
Sandy looked down. Through the glass, she saw dozens of crickets crawling all over the underside. Another rhythmic chirp joined the first, doubling the volume.
“Jina,” she said, grabbing the petrified girl’s arm, “We’ve got to get out of this house.”
“I thought they were from Stan, really, I did.” More crickets began in the chorus.
“I know, Jina. Come on.”
Jina gave in, and allowed herself to be dragged through the front door. As they left, the sound of a hundred crickets followed them into the hallway.
Once outside, they heard the comforting sound of silence. Sandy put Jina in the passenger seat, got in the driver’s seat, and started the car.
“Ok, let’s just drive, and figure out what to do.”
“How did the crickets get inside the strawberries?” Jina was starting to calm a little.
“Hallucination? We both ate.”
“But we both saw the exact same thing. And how did S.A. know you’d be reading the note with me? How did S.A. know about Stan, and where I live?”
“I don’t know. That brings up a good point, though. We can’t go back to my apartment, and we surely can’t go to yours. So we have to find someplace safe to crash for the night, while it’s still daylight.”
“Stan’s place?”
“No Jina. Most definitely not. We can rent a hotel room.”
Sandy p
ulled into the parking lot of Motel Sleepyhead. It was the only place on the street that didn’t have any letters missing from the neon sign.
“This ought to work. We can go rent a chick flick and stay up late. What do you think about that?”
“Sounds good.”
“And then we can decide what to do about this whole thing tomorrow.”
Jina smiled. “Hey, do you know what’s worse than finding a bug in your candy?”
“What?”
“Finding half a bug in your candy.”
Sandy pounced on the alarm clock at 5:30am. She turned her head and looked across the rust-colored paisley covers to see that Jina was already up.
She groggily pulled herself into the bathroom, and woke herself with a shower. It wasn’t until she was brushing her hair that she realized Jina wasn’t in the hotel room at all. Holding the white towel tightly around herself, she searched until she found a note stuck to the TV. Jina’s neat handwriting read:
Dear Sandy, got brave and have gone back to my apartment to pick up change of clothes. See you at school later. -Jina
What a stupid thing to do, Sandy thought. A knock interrupted her brooding. Jina must have forgotten the key.
Yelling, “Just a minute,” she quickly threw on her jeans and a shirt.
She opened the door and saw the all too familiar eyes of the Gregorelli delivery boy.
“Sorry to disturb you so early, Ma’am… Oh, it’s you, Ms. Windham. I didn’t expect to see you here. This is for you.” He handed her a single black rose. There was a card hanging from the stem. He turned to leave.
“Wait,” Sandy said. He turned back. “Who are these from?”
“I don’t know, Ms. Windham. I just deliver them.”
“Is there any way you can find out?”
“No. Not without getting into trouble.”
“What if I gave you a tip?”
The boy’s face lit up. “What kind of tip?”
Sandy stepped inside and grabbed her purse. She handed over a twenty. “That kind. Bring the answer by the history department at the University this afternoon. I would really appreciate it.”
Smiling, he said, “No problem, Ms. Windham.”
Sandy quietly closed the door, and opened the little tiny card.
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