Short Stories

Petals In The Sink

Tao has Hanahaki Disease

The images of auburn hair flashed in Tao’s mind, He wanted to forget but he couldn't. As much as he wanted the life he had with wukong before had pinned itself  to his mind, memories attached themself to his mind like a parasite. He wanted  to forget the vivid smile of the ginger siman, he wanted to forget his velvety laugh, he wanted to forget his blissful golden eyes and the pain that they caused. Tao had bumped into many walls on his way to the bathroom, a trail of blood and petals in his wake. His throat burned with the will of a thousand fires and his eyes were flooded with tears that streamed down his cheeks and cleared off the blood from his lips and dripped to the floor to join the petals. Tao coughed and fell to his knees at the bathroom door, he reached a bloody, tear-stained hand up to the gold knob and opened the door, albeit wavering as he choked up a small flower bulb. “Damn it!..” Tao had cursed himself, how could he let himself fall so low in the pit of despair that he was now cursed to hack up flowers until he died. Tao’s vision was blurred as he stared at the ground he was still on, blood, tears and small flowers littered the area underneath him. He was in so much pain, and to think, some pathetic crush started this painful path to death. Tao pulled himself up and stood on his own two feet as he wiped the blood from his lips, panting heavily and letting out choked sobs, he knew he needed to stop crying as the pain would only be intensified but he couldn't, raspy coughs and cries left him as blood and tears fell into the porcelain sink. Shuddered breaths left Tao’s mouth before he started to convulse with another coughing fit, three whole white Iris's left his mouth, he shook with fear, more flowers like this meant nothing good, he fell back to the floor and scooted his back against the bathtub, and sobbed harder. What could he do, he and Wukong were not even on speaking terms and there was no way in the world could go back to after he lashed out at the monkey king, so Tao sat deep in thought. He raised a hand to his mouth and hacked up two more flowers, he stared at them and crushed the delicate blooms in his hand, curling up in the bathroom and sobbing. He knew; just like a flower, he was withering away.