Not all stories have a happy ending. Sometimes, on rare occasions, you get that one story that doesn’t end with "And they lived happily ever after." This is one such story.
As a kid at the age of six, I became fascinated, almost addicted to horror and the macabre. I had seen, at an early age, things that a child of my age should not see. It ran so deep in my blood that I even skipped days of school or I didn't sleep. All so that I could watch some gruesome videos, or read the latest horror stories or novels.
This, of course, affected my growth and left its traces. By the time I turned 14, I had seen pretty much every single horror movie. Movies with a lot of suspense (some I even watched multiple times, like Silent Hill for example), played every horror game, read every grotesque story there is and the effects on my psyche became unfathomable, up to the point it became unimaginable.
My parents took me to a psychiatrist, fearing that all those gruesome images had affected my sanity. The psychiatrist took apart, piece by piece, my mental condition and looked at everything, just to check if everything in my head is still intact. After hours of painstaking questioning, he finally called my parents in. The conclusion: I cannot fear. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean that there is nothing I fear, it simply means that I no longer have the ability to experience this emotion.
As you can probably imagine, this did give me a lot of problems at school. I was the weirdo, the freak who always gets picked on. Most often, I got beat up. After a couple of years, the words didn't reach me anymore and the beating upon beating also made me hard. Although I won’t ever lower myself to start using violence. After they realize it didn’t faze me anymore, they started getting creative, but I’m digressing. My story starts when I am twenty. One day, after a prank, I found a small address of a Wicca shop.
Upon investigating, driven by sheer curiosity, I found some very fascinating materials. Books containing ancient spells, amulets with a vast amount of uses, statues and icons of religions long forgotten, etc.… my attention was drawn towards a book of a most peculiar cover, that stood out like a sore thumb.
The book itself, upon inspecting it, without taking it, was white devoid of any lettering or title. Just a white book. The reason it stood out was that, unlike the others books that were time worn, this one was in perfect condition, like it had just recently been published and printed. As soon as I touched the book, it changed. The cover became black with a red hue around it. crimson lettering, that is made to look like blood dripping appeared on the cover.
Book of Blood
No author, no publish date, nothing. Even when I leaf through it, all the pages are blank. Although the changing cover was very interesting, it disappointed me. I put it back and instead buy a vial of monkey blood and some incenses. As I am about to leave, the book catches my eyes again. It's white again. I leave the shop as I am already out way too late.
As I get home, I put my newly acquired materials next to my desk and head downstairs to play some final fantasy. After dinner and hours of gaming, I head to my room to call it a night. After locking my room, turning on the light and about to undress, I notice something in my room is out of place. Albeit my room tends to be messy, I know everything's place. Then I finally noticed it. I have a humble collection of books, mostly being Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe and Lovecraft. Between my books, in a space reserved for the book I am currently reading, is that white book. I know that it might just be a notebook my mother placed there. However, if you would have stood beside me, you would have known it too. It was calling out to me.
I took the book and leafed through it once again. Instantly, I noticed two things immediately. One thing is that the book changed again, although it took longer than the first time and I only noticed this when I closed it for the first time. The other thing being the blood I dripped on it. it was gone. It wasn’t like it had dried up or been cleaned, for that would leave a stain. It had just…disappeared. Otherwise the book was still blank.
Unsure what to do with it, I decided to try using it as a diary. I sit at my desk, but as soon as I started writing, something was off. The words didn’t appear on the page. Thinking that the ink might just be exhausted, I took a small piece of paper from a post it block note, however it wrote perfectly fine. As I was pondering on it a bit, a humorous thought appeared and formed in my head. The book was titled: Book of Blood. Perhaps the papers in the book simply rejected the ink, and I would have to write in blood. At a very first thought, it was completely ridiculous, but as the seconds slowly ticked by, the thought became more…prominent, for lack of a better way to say it.
I decided to put my theory to the test, to some people’s regret. If I turned away at that time, who knows. All I know is that I wouldn’t be here, telling you this story. Although I had a very skeptical vision on the paranormal, it still intrigued me. I didn’t believe much of it, so the next thing that happened seemed very funny to me at the time.
My father is a historian, so our house is sprawled with objects from throughout history. One of these things being a feather quill. I took it, along with the vial of blood I got from the store, and put it on my desk. unsure of how to begin, I decided to stick with the cliché of clichés when writing a diary. hello, my name is Skye. but I couldn’t continue writing. This time, the letters did appear on the page, so that wasn’t a problem. I really had to write with blood. However, as soon as I jotted down the full stop, the words disappeared from the page. It was like the page was soaking up the blood, like a napkin would do with water, but when the blood was gone, the paper wasn’t even wet. This naturally amazed me. It fazed me, but it didn’t scare me. At best, I find it rather…amusing. That which happened next amused me even more. The blood resurfaced, only this time, it spelled hello Skye. This piqued my interested, and thinking I could communicate with a book, thinking that it was some elaborated prank, I decided to start a conversation.
B (Book): Hello Skye.
M (Me): are you alive?
B: that would depend on your view of being alive.
M: what do you mean? I’m afraid I do not understand.
B:I am alive, however I am not according to your terms of being alive. I live outside of time and space, I am immortal, older than you will ever be. I am something more ancient and powerful.
I found the book’s last statement quite hilarious. According to the statement, it is all-powerful, yet it has to communicate through a book. However, there is something that… I found to be out of place that time. Let’s say that, if what this…entity in the book is speaking, is the truth, I should feel…worried at least. However, I felt a lot of things, but none of them actually bad. I didn’t feel that it was omni-present, I didn’t feel arrogance from it, not hatred nor pain. At best…I felt loneliness.
M: what is your name?
B: Jade.
M: jade…?
J (Jade): just Jade.
M: jade, why did you choose me to receive this book
J: as much as I would love to give credit to myself, I didn’t choose you, however the book did. I’m just along for the ride.
M: how did it do that? I mean, how could a mere book choose me?
J: it’s nothing to complicated. With the paper cut, some of your blood fell on the book. Much like the signing of the contract with a demon, the book is now bound to you.
M: what about you?
J: like I said before. I’m simply along for the ride.
M: I mean, how do you really feel about it?
J: what is it to you? (a little side note, when this appeared, it seemed aggressive, but it was void of anything violent. It seemed more like a plea for help to me. )
M: well, two reasons. The first reason being simple logic. You stated that the book is bound to me. This would mean that you, who said are along for the ride, are also bound to me. So we might as well get to know each other. Secondly, you seem like an interesting person. I just want to get to know you.
I waited for a moment for the next text to appear, but nothing appeared. The only two reasons I could think of this is that either It is writing a very long text, or that I somehow offended it, and thus it didn’t want to talk to me anymore. I decided to get something to drink from the refrigerator in the kitchen. When I finally returned, a text had appeared in the book.
J: I do not understand the complete process of human emotions. If you would have lived as long as I have, you would be just the same. You would…discard your emotions for the lack of better words. To constantly see your loved ones die, to always see people who are important to you fade away, from existence and, after a very long time, from your memory. (here, there seemed to be some spots on the page, and some words were smudged, like someone is writing this while crying.) you, too, would become apathetic.
M: are you crying?
J: maybe…
I tried to answer, tried to write something down, but the page refused the blood. Suddenly, another message appeared.
J: I guess I am.
At first, when I read the message, the feeling of despair, loneliness and sadness washed over me, overwhelmed me. At the very first moment, I thought the book simply conveyed this being’s emotions. But soon, I realized that I was completely off of the truth. These emotions, they didn’t come from the book. It was coming from somewhere else, somewhere in my room.
M: are you in this room, my room, together with me?
J: … how did you know?
At this, something compelled me to look sideways, and I trusted my gut feeling. For a moment I could have sworn that I saw someone standing behind me, with its hand on my shoulder (as I couldn’t determine the gender yet.) As soon as I look closely though, no one was there. I simply tribute it to a fragment of my imagination. I always remained skeptical. Besides, this was simply a form of amusement… right?
M: I can feel your emotions.
J: how?
M: I don’t know, it seems they are seeping from you, into me. Tell me, do you want a friend?
J: no, I can’t afford it anymore to lose someone again.
M: maybe a close friend then?
J: …
Then, it suddenly hit me, and I felt so stupid. Jade was, and is, obviously a female name. this, in combination with the loneliness she felt, a loneliness that isn’t there for the lack of friends, led me to a simple conclusion… she isn’t lacking friends, but love.
M: do you know of a method to make someone immortal?
J: Yes…why?
I quickly came up with a plan. If I want the full effect to reach my amusement, I had to take it up a notch.
M: do you want to be my girlfriend/wife?
J:…What?
M: you heard me. If you can make me immortal, then I can become your boyfriend/husband. That way, you won’t be lonely anymore.
J: ha, yea right. I warn you, don’t toy with my emotions.
M: I’m not toying with you.
J: are you…serious? Honest?
I had to think for a bit. After careful consideration, I realized that it was a win, win situation. Either this was a carefully and elaborate hoax, and I would have my laughs for this in the future, or I will become immortal, together with someone I know will truly love me, who wouldn’t cheat or leave me. I have nothing to lose.
M: my answer is yes.
J: Then I will see you tomorrow.
With that, the book closed itself and fades away. It doesn’t just disappear, it slowly becomes transparent, until it’s gone. At first, I stare at the empty place, that is now on my desk, only for a moment later, to burst out laughing. This is some elaborate prank, I thought to myself. Whoever set this up, that person is a genius. Upon checking the time, I see that it’s already far past twelve, I decided to turn in, disregarding this as just a joke, or a figment of my imagination, one from a desperate mind. Yet… I still feel something gnawing in my heart, but I decided to not pay attention to it.
This night my dreams were very different from the usual nightmares. Normally I drift in a world completely shrouded in darkness, void of all light. The only thing to break the monotonous surrounding being shards of broken mirror, that seem to glimmer in the endless darkness. They all float around me, each fragment torturing me more than the last one. Each fragment showing a part of my horrible, distorted, unspoken past. A past that I would rather forget, yet it always hunts me in my dreams, and whenever I close my eyes. however this time, something was different. At first, it seemed to be perfectly the same, however soon, from one of the fragments, a figure crawled out of it. It was my father. He pinned me down with the intent of doing what he has done so many times before. He slowly starts unbuckling his pants, with a foul smile of an obsessed man, much like a junkie would look at the syringe of heroine, when I felt something sharp and hard in my hands. I glanced sideways, and saw what was to be my salvation. I held a mirror fragment in each hand.
Out of the fear, the disgust, and the powerless feeling of what was going to happen, I made a gash on his chest. Not deep enough to kill him, but deep enough to make him roll of me in pain and anguish. I wanted to run away from this being that calls himself father, I wanted to get away, but my feet soon halted their action. I look at my hand and see the shards, one of them being covered in blood. The mirror reflects the part of the past where, what he was about to do in this dream, had really happened while I was awake.
The blood on the shard made me realize something though, something very much here, and something I liked. I was in control. I turn around and walk over to him, very slowly. I tower over him for a moment as he tries his best to stand up, but only managing to get on all four. He is trying his best to look though, but I know now, he is squirming in pain on the inside. I kick him, as hard as I can, in the stomach, so he falls down flat. With my foot, I push him over so he is laying on his back, staring into my eyes, his face distorted from fear.
Still towering over him, I step over him, so his body was between my legs. Although everything went in normal speed, it seemed to go so very slowly for me. First, I fall to my knees slowly, raising both my hands, and I let them fall, gouging his eyes out. I raise my hands again, and plant the shards in his throat, but he is still alive, though barely.
Than lastly, I raised them one more time, and stabbed him in his chest, piercing his heart. I start feeling that I am losing myself, my madness taking over me, and my arms fall limp beside me. I do the only thing I feel capable of doing, I scream out. Suddenly, I feel a warm presence behind me, and my madness retreated, everything became crystal clear. Two arms appear beside me, and wrap me in a warm embrace. After a moment a voice rings out. I love you. That’s when I woke up with a gruesome revelation… I reveled in the bloodshed.
Putting the dream behind me as a simple phantom of an overactive, and partly damaged mind. I refused to believe everything that happened, had its roots in the paranormal. At school however, everything changed. I heard the rumors that there was a new student in school. However, I didn’t see anyone till lunch break. One of the jocks had thrown a stink bomb in my locker. Being used to it, and being unfazed, I simply take some deodorant, sprayed my locker and took everything I needed from it. When I closed my locker door, that’s when I noticed everyone was looking in the same direction.
When I looked in the same direction, my eyes spared open at the vision that I saw. It was the most beautiful girl anyone has ever laid eyes on. She had long, fiery crimson hair that waved in the air as she steps. Skin pale, it was almost white. She adorned a black lipstick, black eyeliner and eye shadow. Next to her left eye, there was either a tattoo, or made of makeup, it was a black rose, surrounded by a small blood red hue. Her eyes were deep-blue, it was like staring at a pair of sapphires. She was wearing a one piece dress, completely black. Her sleeves widened around the wrist, and the design was the same as a basic Victorian style dress. The skirt was reaching up to her knees, but the backside was longer, showing her beautifully pale legs. She also wears black nail polish.
At first, I would have thought that she would simply keep walking, until I noticed she was heading straight for me. She walked up to me, and before I realized what was happening, she was kissing me, her tongue already in my mouth. I don’t know why, nor will I ever know why I did what I did next, but I joined in, and kissed her back as fully as I could. The world froze… No, time itself froze as we were wrapped in each other’s embrace. I didn’t know who she was, I didn’t care.
All that mattered at the moment was that I was with her. I know you might be thinking that I simply said that because she kissed me, but it’s not because of that I fell in love with her, it’s because the love she showed me was true, and the kind of love you only once feel in your life. During that kiss, I knew I wanted to be by her side always, protect her from those seeking harm, love her with all my heart… I would kill for her.
I don’t know how long we were kissing, it might have been a few seconds, it might have been fifteen minutes. I also don’t care how many people where watching. They could drop dead for all I care. The most important factor is the girl I am holding in my arms. After some time, we finally broke away, but as I looked around, I saw people avoiding my stare, and walking on like nothing had happened, like they weren’t watching, and once again, I had to suppress the urge of badmouthing them, even if it was in my head. She smiled as she held my hand. I wanted to say a million things to her, I wanted to compliment her, but no compliment would have done her right. The right word to describe her…it doesn’t exist.
She looks at me worried, and when she talks, it feels like it’s a voice I heard many times before. Her touch also seemed very familiar, and her appearance, it seemed I had seen it before, lingering in the back of my head. Skye, not everything is explainable. That’s when it hit me, I was dumbfounded. She wasn’t just a random girl, it was her…it was Jade. The book, the dream, the conversing in blood, everything was real, and now here she is, standing before me just like she said. Jade?
She simply smiles as she walked away. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The girl I had asked to marry through a book, just appeared out of nowhere and kissed me… But what was even more unbelievable was that I loved her, I hardly knew her, but I have fallen in love with her…
There were the only thoughts that occupied my mind for the duration of the school day. All I could think about was her, and how I felt for her. I tossed all of my books in the locker. I had homework, but after everything that happened today, I didn’t feel like doing much at all.
I just wanted to go home, and let everything sink in, but as I exited the school, I realized my plans had already changed. She was waiting for me outside, but she looked sad. I approached her, but when I tried speaking, she shushed me with her finger. She said that she realized she shouldn’t have come here, that she would only cause trouble, and that I could never truly love her, as much as she could love me.
She turned around, trying to leave, but I quickly grabbed her arm, with not too much force. I know that if she had wanted to leave, she could have easily broken lose, but she just stayed there, standing still along with me. I slowly walked in front of her as she started crying again. Through her sobs she tried speaking, but the tears wouldn’t let her…and it killed me to see her like this.
She was about to say something again, when this time I shushed her. Although I didn’t do it with my finger but with my lips. I kissed her again, this time with more truth and honesty and love then the previous time, because then I was confused. Now, everything is crystal clear, she was my true love, no matter what she was. I took her to a quiet place in the park, where I know we could talk without being disturbed. The following conversation took place.
M: you are Jade right?
This comment seemed to make her giggle a bit. She might be ancient and powerful, but it seems that she is still a girl nonetheless.
J: actually, it’s I-Ade, but no one can pronounce it right, so I just go by Jade.
M: it’s all just so…very hard to believe.
I was staring at the ground when she said that, but she simply put her hand on my cheek and made me look at her. she was so beautiful, and her skin was so soft.
J: you told me you would end my loneliness, and I believe you, but let me do the same for you.
M: will you really stay with me?
She was giggling again.
J: of course, silly. But I will have to make you immortal. You will know when the time is right.
After the conversation in the park, a few weeks went by. Since she had no place to go, she moved in with me. Although nothing physical happened, we slept in the same bed, kissed a lot, and each night, we would fall asleep in each other’s arms. Those day’s where blissful and full of happiness for the both of us. Of course, my luck had to change for the worse.
I got home a bit later one day, and I didn’t find her anywhere. I looked throughout the entire house, but she was nowhere to be found. The only room I hadn’t checked were my parent’s bedroom. I went up the stairs and stood in front of the door, when I heard my parents mumbling, and something beings dragged around the room. When I knocked on the door, they told me to go away, but I had to see them if they knew where she was. Soon, I realized where she was…for my parent’s bedroom were locked, and there is only one reason why it would be locked. My father was at it again…only this time, I wasn’t his victim, and my mother would probably film it again. This…is when I changed.
Something inside me just…snapped. The years of torment from my father’s physical and sexual abuse, the years of laughter I had to endure from my mom, all the things I had to go through at school…they reached a boiling point, and I snapped. I saw myself moving, going to the kitchen to take a meat cleaver, and a large kitchen knife. I went back up the stairs and knocked once more, getting the same reply I always get.
This time however, I kicked the door in. At that moment I didn’t realize how much strength I actually possessed, I guess that’s what happens when you fly in a blind rage. what I saw inside made me snap even more. Although my father wasn’t “at work” yet, he had already removed all his clothes, mother was already filming the whole ordeal…but what hurt me the most was Jade. She was bound to the bed, naked and crying. Her mouth had ban shut with a gag-ball. My father flew in a rage for what I did, and took his belt. He came charging at me, probably to whip me, but he never expected what I did next.
I raised the cleaver, and smashed it in his head. It had gone in so deep, that I couldn’t get it out anymore. The only thing that happened as I tried to pull the cleaver out, was that more blood came from it, so I simply let go of the cleaver, and my pathetic excuse for a father falls to the ground, no more than a corpse. When I looked at mother, she had simply crawled into a corner, unable to utter a single word.
I slowly walked closer too, until I was standing over her. I just raise my knife and stab…and I stab her again…and again…and again. I was mutilating her body until you couldn’t recognize her anymore. She had more holes in her body then Swiss cheese, and even then I didn’t stop. By the time I could finally stop, her arms legs and head had been separated from her body, and almost nothing remained.
I stood up and wanted to walk towards Jade, when my eyes caught something. It seemed there was someone else in the room. Someone I didn’t recognize, so I stepped up to meet that person. He seemed to have accepted my challenge as he also came closer, only realizing as I stood in front of it, that I was watching myself in the mirror. I was completely covered in my parent’s blood. I had so much blood on me, that even my hair had turned into that color.
All I could do, as I saw myself, bloodied and a broken mind, was smiling. I was smiling, because I loved how I looked, this was the real me, and I would never again let people walk over me. I now turned my attention to the more important matters at hand, and by thinking about this, I became calm again, but something was different. I wasn’t as calm as I was before I went insane…I was even calmer.
I seems that, by snapping, I lost more than just fear. I lost everything…everything but hate, anger and love. When I turned calm, the distorted face and the smile so foul, it would scare the devils, my face became neutral again, although this time, neutral meant that my lips where curling downwards, like I was in a bad mood.
I walked over to Jade, who had fainted because of what my father was doing. I cut the ropes binding her, and removed the gag-ball. Then I simply seated myself next to her on the floor, and I drifted off again. My dreams this time, where gone. All I dreamed about was a world of darkness. In the central part of that world was me, and Jade, together embraced in an eternal hug. I only broke the hug when I felt something on my head. I looked up, but there was nothing there; yet I felt it again. That’s when I finally opened my eyes. It was Jade. She had seated herself next to me and let me lie down on her lap.
She was gently rubbing over my head, and when I finally completely opened my eyes, she was swung myself around her neck, and she gently hugged me back. After finally breaking away, she asked for a bathroom to refresh herself, and said that she needed to get something done. I too went to another bathroom to clean myself up a bit, and remove all the blood.
As we both left the room, I took one last look over my shoulders at the carcasses of my parents. And I simply utter. “I hope you are proud of me now.” And I closed the door. Jade had already occupied the upper bathroom floor, so I went downstairs.
After taking a shower, I noticed a few things immediately off. One, my hair changed color. I used to have black hair, but it turned a brighter white then silver… it was almost like snow. My skin changed color as well, being nearly as pale as Jade’s. I used to have green eyes, but now they turned silver. Although this would have shocked most people, I was glad. I looked more like I imagined I would look. After I left the bathroom, I found Jade waiting for me at the kitchen table, so I went to join her.
M: what now?
J: it’s time to make you immortal, my love.
M: how?
J: you need to collect a lot of souls in one go. Meaning you have to kill a lot of people at once.
M: if I do this, we are going to stay together forever right?
She places her hand on mine.
J: we already are together forever, only my forever lasts longer than yours.
I take a deep breath, but finally decided to do it. I didn’t have school tomorrow so I had the perfect opportunity to slowly set my plan in motion. I was finally going to have my revenge for the years of laughter I had to endure, and the painful experiences they put me through. It was finally payback time, and at least they served a greater cause…true love.
The day off from school, I started working on making a bomb. I had gotten myself a manual from the library, and was following it up on miniscule detail. I took the bomb that both had the biggest range, and the biggest explosive rate. After making it perfect, I took it with me next day to school. When I knew most of the people where in class, I excused myself, telling the teacher I wasn’t feeling all that well, and I went to the basement. I set up the bomb and put the device ready.
I then headed outside to be greeted by the best sight that could ever greet me. Jade was waiting for me in front of the school, as I had promised to take her to a firework show. As soon as we got out of range, I took my cellphone, and called the cellphone I had attached to the bomb. As soon as it went over once, the bomb exploded. It had killed everyone inside.
Later I learned that two had survived it as they were home sick, all the others, the thousands of students that went there, all got killed in either the explosion, the fire, the flying rubble or simply killed themselves. For the first time, I could see the beauty of death. All the lost souls of the people who died in the explosion, they were floating around until Jade collected them in a vial.
I hadn’t heard from her since then, as she said she needed the time to make the potion. Five days after the bombing, she appeared again. The vial, which first had been white, was now filled with a green liquid. I asked her what it was for, but she said that it still wasn’t ready. It had to remain in the air for a few days, so we put it somewhere where it wouldn’t have fallen off. That night, is the night I also realized just how much I loved Jade, and it was the night that we swore never to leave each other’s side again.
I was up in my room, when suddenly Jade knocked on the door. She had a bit of a formality over her, so whenever I was in a room, and she had to walk in, she always knocked and asked permission. After she entered, she closed the door behind her. She seated herself on the bed and told me that the potion will be ready in the morning. I told her I was looking forward to spending eternity with her. She suddenly moved a bit sideways on the bed, and patted the bed beside her for me to sit next to her.
I did so, and we started kissing when she suddenly, though gently made me lay on my back on the bed. She laid herself on me, and she started undressing me. I did the same to her and that night…we didn’t make love, but something on a far deeper and more emotional scale…that one, the both of us became one.
The next day she was up earlier than me, and prepared everything. When I awoke, I found her, half asleep on the kitchen table. I gently woke her up with a kiss, and told her I was ready. She offered me the vial, from which I drank. That’s the moment when I died, when Skye died.
That was the moment Snow was born. I named myself Snow because of my hair. Shortly thereafter, we set the place I once called home on fire, and disappeared of the face of the earth. we started living in her realm, where we were happy in our own way. Because we found a power stronger then magic, we no longer needed any help switching between our world and the world of the humans. The only thing that still remained is the book, that is, to this day, still used to communicate with us.
You’re asking me why this story doesn’t have a happy end, like I said in the beginning? That’s simple. I never said it was My story that has a happy ending.
How does it feel, having a blade in your gut, your life, slowly fading from your eyes. how does the blood taste in your mouth, and what kind of feeling does it have streaming over you own hands? Look sweetheart, we have another fool for our collection. I will tell you again, not all stories have a happy ending. As for my story? It has an ending.
And they killed happily ever after.