We all make mistakes. It just takes one, little mistake, and everything will be over. I won’t let that happen this time.
My girlfriend and I had a fight. It was a stupid fight, and I cannot remember how it started. We’re quiet now, the both of us. I brought us to a nearby lilac field to watch the sunset. The sun disappeared ten minutes ago, and she still hasn’t spoken. Pursing my lips, I reach forward and gently grab the tips of her blond hair to French braid it. I rest my knee against her lower back to keep us close, yearning for her to say something, anything. I know this was my fault.
“I’m sorry about yesterday, Liza. The fight, everything that I said, I didn’t mean it. You know that, right? I’ve been so stressed recently, and I shouldn’t have acted like that. I’m sorry. I truly am.”
I frown when she doesn’t respond. I’ve really messed up this time. “That’s why I brought you here. I know you’ve probably been here before, but the season is almost over. These lilacs won’t be here much longer. My mother used to say that lilacs symbolize the tenderness of love. I thought about picking some for you. The field is more beautiful though. Isn’t it? The sunset, the flowers, it’s perfect.”
Quietly I finish her French braids and stand up, brushing off my trousers. I offer her my hand and huff when she doesn’t take it. “I want this for us more than anything. Let me show you something.” Stepping forward, I carefully pick her up and carry her on my back. We cross into the lilac field, and I smile as I trek through the waist-high flowers.
Once we reach the center, I crouch down and ease her to the ground. I lay down beside her and point toward the stars. “This is the best place to look at the stars. There goes a shooting star now! Without the darkness, you wouldn’t be able to see them, any of them. We should make a wish.”
I wish for a new beginning, another chance to prove my undying love for her.
“I will always love you. Do you know that? We’ll be together forever.”
Two weeks have passed since that night, and I have fixed my mistake. Our love has never been stronger. We’ve returned to the lilac field even though the flowers have wilted and crumbled away. We stand before a wooden fence and watch the field curiously. When the lilacs died, a peculiar sight was revealed. There were several dirt mounds scattered across the field.
“Louis, what do you think those are? They weren’t there last year.”
I crane my head to the side and wrap an arm around my girlfriend’s waist. I kiss her forehead softly and brush a finger along one of her French braids. Nudging her back onto the path, we turn away from the barren field. “Avery, I haven’t the slightest idea.”
The Brooke Bulletin
Small Town Mystery Turns Sinister
By: Macy Barret
Local townsfolk were determined to discover the source of strange mounds after they appeared in a lilac field. When local, Casey Phillips began digging, he was not suspecting to find a corpse. The Brooke County Police Department was immediately called, and seven bodies belonging to young women were discovered throughout the field in blatant homicides. As of now, the identities of the victims have not been released, and the police department is reluctant to disclose any grisly details regarding the case at this time. The sheriff implores young women to not leave their home alone and for all residents to abide by the new curfew, effective immediately, especially if your appearance bears any resemblance to the victims. All of the victims were in their early to mid-twenties with blond hair, blue eyes, and French braids.