I'll Tell You a Story

Boy Parts

Cody is not a stalker, even he is staring at Sarah's latest posted selfie on the Facebook for half an hour already. But he is more of a terrible lover--dating different girls has been always part of his daily routine.

A notification pop-ups on his desktop's screen as a bolt from the blue. He grimaces quickly as it almost covers Sarah's eyes on the picture. He gives it a twitchy look and sluggishly opens it.

"I have a problem. Wanna talk to you right now,"

A message from a girl whose name is Cindy. His forehead wrinkles as his eyes squint--he is thinking who the hell is Cindy. He receives again another message from her asking if he is there.

It takes him several minutes before he remembers the girl. He met her while he was heading to his parent's house. She was drunk and crazy enough to sleep in the middle of that road.

He pretends to be his new roommate--though he is not around and hasn't shown himself still. But as if he cares? No, not in a lifetime. He types his message at incredible speed--he is not in the mood to talk to her.

Just as he thought he can now resume to his business, another two messages appear--from girls whose names are Jane and Hana. Jane is asking him about books, which he is obviously not interested. On the other hand, Hana is just checking him out because he is not replying since last night.

He just click the exits of the notifications. Again, he is doing more important than just flirting with them. It is a surprise that he gets another message this time. But this is different--something that brings him a kind of sensation he never felt before.

"Wanna come tonight? I have a surprise for you,"

It is a message from Sarah so he immediately feels a spark of lightning runs on my finger. He tells her he will come in just five minutes. He is shaky--a clear sign of much excitement.

The night air outside is sickly damp. Streets are dead quiet and the tunnels are echoing his heartbeats. After passing through a dense forest dotted with ruins of some old-stoned houses, the crunch of dry leaves signals his appearance on the doorway. In just a split-second, Sarah opens the door with her sidelong smile--her teeth shining white. Her eyes are the pure fire of welcome combating the blistering cold of the evening.

Just a few steps ahead of the door, he sees tall stuff covered with dreamy white fabric. It makes him lapse into a stiff silence; his curiosity purses his dry lips.

"Tonight, you are my star," she whispers to his ears. She pauses for a minute, an eye fixed into his which may mean she's telling him to wait for something. There she is again with a smile before she quickly runs upstairs, but now seems to be a lecherous one.

In her absence, he accidentally gives the large stuff a gaze. Something is pushing him to check what surprise is waiting inside. A moment after and he can no longer hold his suspense, he finds the edge of the fabric and slowly lifts it.

What his eyes witness surely turns his stomach. His skin feverish and pale, the undeniable sign of intolerable horror. The stuff is a Christmas tree, decorated by much disgust--bones and fresh human meat. The funk easily floats in the air.

Before he manages to call the police, she cuts his head with a huge hedge scissor. His head rolls and his blood spatter on her unclear reflection on the floor.

"I know your kind, you deserve to die," she spoke softly.

She picks up his head, smiles devilishly like it's a bar of gold. Instead of a star, she places his head on the top of the Christmas tree. Her eyes are sudden luminous stars as she turns on the lights around the tree--half-cheerful and half-grim.