Red Rose: Crimson Letters (1)
In the language of flowers, red roses represent passionate love and desire. And they say, deep red roses symbolize enduring love. The type of love where the soul remembers and could transcend multiple lifetimes. It just proves that fate truly does exist.
Elena stares at the faded, old sign of The Dusty Page with a handwritten Help Wanted sign, and ponders going inside or not. Nora had suggested this place since it was the only one with a job opening within a walking distance from the university. And she is in desperate need of a job to pay her day to day expenses. Her scholarship doesn’t exactly cover meal plans but she’s lucky enough that it does include housing.
How she came to know about this job opening still bewildered her. For some odd reason, she feels like it might be fate. Or luck. Either way, she would’ve welcomed it nonetheless.
She lets out a big breath and pushes the door open, the bell tinkles softly as she does. The bookshop is dimly lit, eerily silent and filled with an overwhelming amount of books. Some of them are piled up t the ceiling. Elena is amazed that it managed to stay upright and not topple over. The wood floor smells of rain-soaked oak and there was flurry of dust every surface.
The name of the shop is definitely literal, she thinks to herself.
“Hello?” Elena calls out, gently. No one responds.
She clears her throat. “Hello? Is anyone here?”
She hears some scraping and thudding of books, making her feel like she’s in a horror movie. Against all the alarms in her head, she waits. Suddenly, an old woman, with silver hair and specs hanging down her neck, appear.
“Oh, I apologize, my dear,” she says, balancing a few books in her trembling arms. “I was arranging some books and I didn’t manage to hear you come in.”
“That’s alright,” Elena replies, smiling. “May I help you?”
“Oh, please, thank you,” the woman says, carefully passing the books to Elena. “I fear my strength is slowly leaving me. That’s what happens with age.”
Elena grabs the books and arranges it into its own pile.
“Oh my days, you have such beautiful eyes,” the woman says. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with purple eyes before.”
Elena blushes, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Thank you. It is a rare trait.”
“Oh dearie me, I forgot to introduce myself and I made you work without knowing your name,” the woman says, shaking her head. “You can call me Marjorie, sweet. What’s your name?”
“It’s really no problem,” Elena says. “I’m Elena. Elena Davis. I was hoping to see if you still need some hired help around here.”
“Oh, do I ever,” Marjorie says, sighing in relief. “I was scared that no one would take my ad seriously. Although, the atmosphere of my bookshop may not have helped but that is exactly why I need an extra hand.”
“Well, I am a very willing to offer both of my hands to help you, Marjorie,” Elena says, making the old woman laugh.
“Well then, you are officially hired,” she says. “Why don’t I make some tea and we can discuss your pay and work hours. I suspect you are studying in the university, am I correct?”
“Yes, you are.”
Marjorie smiles. “Perfect then. Sugar for your tea?”
Elena smiles then nods. “Yes, please.”
It has been a full month since Elena started working at The Dusty Page and she loves it. Marjorie and her had become really good friends. They usually have afternoon teas together since the bookshop is mostly quiet for the day. A casual customer comes in from time to time but most people may seem to be intimidated to walk in to the bookshop. Elena can understand because the shop is literally bursting at the seams with books.
She had slowly started arranging the books and discovered a lot of intricate shelves hidden among the piles. One time, she had ran her fingers on the ornate shelves and felt a sense of familiarity, like she had been here before. After that, she became extremely comfortable in the bookshop and it had turned into her safe space away from her classes.
Elena had also asked Marjorie about the history of the building.
“I believe that it used to be part of an old family estate,” Marjorie said. “According to university legends, there was a tragedy that had happened and the family could never fully recover.”
Elena’s eyebrows furrowed. “Legends?”
“Oh, you know, there are several,” Marjorie said, brushing it off with her hand. “The university and surrounding buildings are very old and full of history. Some legends have been passed down since decades ago but I wouldn’t really believe any of it. So, don’t worry about it, my dear.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Elena asked.
“It’s all hogwash,” Marjorie replied. “Tales to scare of children. Or in this case, university students so they don’t wander off recklessly drunk in some indistinct corner.”
Elena laughed .
They haven’t talked about it much after that.
Since her efforts, the bookshop has started to show a little life and has attracted some passersby and students from time to time. Elena continues to arrange the books around the shop and serve the occasional customers coming in. She didn’t realize how big the bookshop is until the space had been slowly cleared of book piles.
“My dear, why don’t you take a break in the reading room?” Marjorie says. “You know the one at the back. I prepared some tea and biscuits for you there.”
“Oh, I’m alright, Marjorie,” Elena says, carrying some books and placing them into some small shelves Marjorie had ordered.
“Don’t you have an important exam tomorrow?” Marjorie asks.
Elena nods. “I do but I can study after work.”
Marjorie shakes her head the stands up to take the books from Elena’s arms. “There are a couple hours left from you shift and it’s a slow day. I can handle this much. Now go on before your tea turns cold.”
Elena laughs then leaves reluctantly, grabbing her bag and textbooks. “Fine, but call me if you need help, okay?”
“I won’t need it, my dear,” Marjorie says, tapping her nose. “Now go and be a student.”
Elena smiles and walks to the reading room. The first time she set foot into the reading room, it felt like flashes of pictures were appearing in front of her face. She couldn’t grasp the them fast enough so they became a blur in her head but the familiar feeling stayed.
She even surprised Marjorie because it was as if she had been in that room before. She knew the layout of the room and seemingly arranged it like it had been like that many years ago. Some of the furniture had survived the ravages of time, and the remaining spaces she supplemented with Marjorie’s things strewn around the store. It goes on to say that Marjorie was very happy. Her health has gotten better since there was no more dust flying around.
She even surprised Marjorie because it was as if she had been in that room before. She knew the layout of the room and seemingly arranged it like it had been like that many years ago. Some of the furniture had survived the ravages of time, and the remaining spaces she supplemented with Marjorie’s things strewn around the store. It goes on to say that Marjorie was very happy. Her health has gotten better since there was no more dust flying around.
Elena sits in the chair at the corner of the room, tucking in herself as she takes out her laptop and opens her books.
She has spent around half an hour studying when she hears faint voices in the room. Elena looks around and sees no one. Her heart beats faster but she decides to ignore it.
A soft voice, sounding like hers, whispers in her ear, “He’s coming.”
She turns to the sound but no one is there.
I feel like I’m going crazy, she thinks to herself.
Her feels like it’s beating out of her chest and the room grows smaller around her. A portion of the bookshelf in front of her seems to glow more than the others. It seems like its calling to her, to open something, to discover something.
Go to it.
She carefully sets down her textbook and laptop then walks towards the bookshelf. The bookshelf itself is more ornate and decorated than the others surrounding the room. It was like a statement piece for the whole room.
Elena stares at the bookshelf, admiring the small details carved into the wood. She runs her fingers on it then discovers a small crest on the middle shelf. It seems like a family crest. Elena traces the crest and then presses it down. The bookshelf slowly opens with a loud thud, surprising her.
Go inside.
Elena cautiously goes inside and she starts hearing a series of voices in her head, overwhelming her. With heavy breaths, she takes out her phone and turns on the torch.
It’s a small room filled with small antique furniture, decorations, covered-up paintings and large, old books. Surprisingly, it isn’t as dusty as she thought. In all honestly, the shop before was dustier. It felt like someone cleaned the room from time to time and had arranged everything neatly. She sees a pile of books and notices the book at the top, covered in thick, brown leather and brass clasps on the corners.
She walks to it and sees the front cover of the book. The cover features a large, gold-embossed cross and the world ‘bible’ at the bottom. Elena lifts it up and traces the covers with her hand, the voices getting louder in her head and a scene flashes in her head.
It’s woman with her back turned to her. She’s in this room, writing a letter with a burning candle beside her.
Open it.
Elena slowly opens it to the first page and sees a series of names and birth dates. Her eyebrows furrow when she feels that a good amount of pages may have been glued together. She opens it further and her eyes widen when she discovers that the inside had been hollowed out. The inside is filled with letters. She grabs one and opens it up.
My dearest Dove,
Forgive the audacity of my pen. In the candlelit haze of the ballroom, you appeared as if conjured from some dream of mine — delicate, luminous, and far beyond my grasp. Your lavender eyes have not failed to capture the last bit of my soul. If there was any left, I would willingly give it to you.
If I am mad to think you noticed me among the throng, let my madness serve as proof that the night itself conspires in our favor. My heart’s rest, should fortune allow, I long to see you again before the shadows yield to dawn.
Yours,
The Nightingale
The letters were written in red ink. Elena could have sworn she has never seen letters like this her whole life but it felt like she had held the letter in her hands before.
Ink fades, my love, but blood remembers, a deep voice whispers in her ear. The timbre of his voice sending shivers down her spine.
Elena felt her heartbeat stopped and a scene appeared before her very eyes. She is in a ballroom filled with people. Her eyes widen when she saw someone looking at her, and that someone looked eerily like her. Same brown hair, same rare purple eyes. No, it does not look like her, it is her. In a split second, she is in the place of her reflection. Elena stares at her glove-covered hands and notices a tall man slowly approaching her. Stalking her. Like how a predator stalked its prey. She could not see his face and when she tried to focus on it, her head started to hurt. A light flashes and darkness quickly followed.
