We Are Only Seven - Chapter 5

My Mysterious Neighbour

Fandom: The Tale of the Nine Tailed

Characters: Lee Rang, reader, some bullies.

TW: Bullies (nothing too violent)

I couldn’t believe that my friend left for home without me just because I was in a detention. I waited for her when she was there. Now I had to walk home all alone through this seemingly vacant road.

I was in a really bad mood as I walked home thinking how terrible the day had been. As if the day could have been worse, I heard footsteps behind me. “y/n”, I stopped to turn back when I heard someone calling me, “where is your little girlfriend who’s always stuck to you with a glue?”

It was Henry, the biggest bully in our school. I noticed that his three sidekicks were also behind him chuckling like idiots in his not-really-funny joke. Then I saw something which sent a chill down my spine. Henry had a pocket knife in his hand.

“What are they gonna do to me?” I thought to myself as they approached me taking some slow steps. I knew Henry was not right in his head. Juniors from school feared him. But fortunately I never had to encounter him and his group. But I guess, my unfortunate day had arrived.

I knew there was nothing I could do since they were more in numbers. But I still needed to try. So I turned back and ran as fast as I could. I was never a good runner. In fact, I always came last in school races. They eventually caught up with me and one of them grabbed me by the hair. Tears came through my eyes as a sudden pain shot through my head.

“Stop!” I shouted at Henry and struggled to get free. They were all giggling like some crazy people. I doubt if any of them had any sanity left in them.

Then I saw a car came and parked beside us. They let go of my hair and I ran toward the car. I was relieved to see Lee Rang stepping out of it.

Lee Rang was my neighbour. We had crossed path once in a while but never really talked. I found him uniquely attractive and wanted to get acquainted.  But he always seemed like he had some urgent works and also there was always a girl with him.

He was surprisingly alone today and it seemed like he wasn’t busy either. “Need a hand?” I wondered whom he asked that question. “Of course not the bullies!” I thought to myself. Then he gave me reassuring smile and my temporary fear melt right away.

“Why don’t you come one at a time at her?”

“Who the fuck are you?” Henry shouted back at him.

Rang gave a sly smile and said, “Trust me, you don’t wanna find out.”

This made Henry mad somehow and he came at him with his knife. Rang grabbed his hand and twisted it, making the knife fall on the ground. Henry screamed in pain. The others didn’t dare to move.

“I’ll let you off today, little ones.” Rang told them, “Only don’t let me catch you again.”

Then he came back and lead me inside his car. We got in. He looked at me and asked in a rather gentler voice than before, “Are they angry tears on your face?”

“Yes!” I burst out, “I hate it came this way. If only I could punch him in his face!”

I didn’t expect Rang to laugh at this. He gave me twisted smile and asked, “then why don’t we go back and make your wish come true?”

TV series I've watched in March 2022

The End of the F***ing World - Season 1 & 2 (2017-19)

- Check my previous review of season 1 here

- The season 2 will always be memorable to me because I've binge watched it with my cousin. We talked about it the whole day. I know, whenever I'll watch it again, I'll miss those moments.

- Season 2 also had some serious issues dealt with just like season 1. Bonnie's character hit close to home. I want to hug her. I also want to hug Alyssa and James. They've been through a lot.

Sweet Tooth (2021)

- A world slipped into chaos as a contagious virus breaks through and babies are born as part animals.

- This is the perfect time to watch this show with your family. It is quite emotional.

Our Planet (2019)

- From the grassland to the forest, from the ice covered world to the hot desert, from the fresh water to the high sea, this series shows varieties of habitats of the living beings of our beloved earth.

- This nature documentary is quite different than any other I've ever seen. It discusses the climate change in a way to make people actually worry about the situation. I highly recommend it to all of my followers.

- You may feel like to cry if you're an animal lover.

Strangers From Hell (2018)

- A small town boy moves to a residence of the city where he encounters many creepy strangers.

- I've never imagined this series would be that much deep. It is very detailed and the work is a piece of art. One of the best kdramas out there.

- It's very gruesome and violent. Definitely not going to recommend it to the faint hearted people.

- To be honest it gave me nightmares. I couldn't sleep properly at night for a whole week and only slept at daytime. My mind was totally wrecked.

The Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020)

- A nine tailed fox leaves his position as a forest deity to search for his reincarnated love.

- Though it is a fantasy and romance series, I mostly enjoyed the interaction between the gumiho brothers. And to be honest, I love Lee Rang <3

- Another best part of the series is the mentions of all the different sorts of mythical creatures. I love to know about mythologies of different countries.

Persona (2019)

- An anthology of short films with metaphorical meanings.

- Apart from the fact that each episode was directed by different directors with the same lead actress I don't want to say much about it. Watch it to find out. It's great BTW.

We Are Only Seven - Chapter 2

Fandom: BTS Characters: OT7 (Devil!Namjoon, Demigod!Seokjin, Wizard!Yoongi, Angel!Hoseok, Werewolf!Taehyung, Gumiho!Jimin, Vampire!Jungkook) For a visual representation check these >>> VMinKook & NamJinSope Warning: Fighting, killing, spilling blood, mention of suicide, slight swearing. Word Count: 2k Words

Summary: In a world ruled by humans, the other worldly, non-humans are in hiding. But how long will it last this way?

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 [Complete]

Jungkook couldn’t recall when the last time he got out of his huge mansion was. It would get really lonely sometimes, living all alone. It wasn’t like this all the time. He was used to travelling around the world a lot. But now, even roaming around his neighboring woods seemed dangerous.

Today, Jungkook had built up his courage and stepped out in to the woods. He could sense that his body was growing weaker. He needed blood. So, he searched for a suitable prey.

He could smell blood ahead of him. “What is it again?” he thought. The smell wasn’t foreign but it was a distant memory to him. He stood there, puzzling over the smell.

“Humans!” as soon as the thought occurred to him a bullet went straight through his side.

“Not bullets!” someone shouted, “use those wooden arrows, idiots. He’s a vampire.”

Jungkook turned back and wanted to run. But someone had already shoot an arrow through one of his legs. He fell on his knees in pain.

“So, this is the end of me.” He thought, “They are going to lock me up in their lab and God knew whatever they are going to do to me.”

They started to come closer, pointing their weapons at him. There were too many of them for Jungkook to fight alone with his weak body. He started wondering whether he should lay still and let them take him or fight back and risk being killed on the process.

“Not today, fellas!” Someone shouted from behind them. All the humans’ attention went straight to the direction at once. In that brief moment of confusion, Jungkook hid himself behind a large tree nearby.

He could sense there was a fight; the bullets were fired and the arrows were thrown in every direction. The humans’ were panicking. Whatever their secret attacker was, it was really swift at its job.

Jungkook was trying to understand what it was. But with all the fuss, and too many humans around, he couldn’t make out the smell. The fight continued for some time. Some of the humans were killed. Jungkook could tell by the smell of their fresh blood in the air. The remaining accepted their defeat and fled.

It was quiet for some time. A sweet voice spoke, “You can come out, now. They are gone.”

Jungkook couldn’t trust the stranger immediately. He was still traumatized because of the sudden attack. Then, a face appeared in front of him. He was startled and moved back in fear.

The face smiled, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid.”

Jungkook was looking at the stranger with wide eyes, trying to make up his mind whether to trust him or not. The stranger gasped at the sight of his injury, “Oh dear, you’re hurt. Come out. Let me help you.”

He held up his hand. Jungkook hesitantly took it and came out in to the open. A huge black wolf suddenly jumped at him and started to lick his face.

“Taehyung!” The gentle stranger spoke, “Stop it. You’re scaring him.”

The wolf got down and whined at him. He laughed, “I know he’s cute. But let him get used to us first.” He turned to Jungkook and said, “He’s just very excited to meet you.”

The wolf nudged its head softly on Jungkook’s arm. For the first time in many years, a smile grew on his face.

“No, no, no!” Yoongi kept muttering for the millionth time as he went through his papers again and again, “This can’t go wrong.”

“Apparently, it has.” Said Seokjin while filing his nails.

“What went wrong?” Yoongi was too frustrated to hear him, “I did it all right. Everything’s to the point; the potions, the signs, the spells.”

“Maybe you somehow pronounced it wrong?” Seokjin further suggested, “With that forever pout on your mouth, it is not surprising.”

Namjoon was looking at those men in front of him. He was not scared even though he was locked up inside a cell. Instead, he was amused by the never ending bickering of the two.

“As I made it pretty clear,” Namjoon cleared his throat to gain their attentions, “I think you are wasting my time and yours, locking me up like this.”

“Then, what do you suggest?” Yoongi asked, his voice dead serious, “Let you go? Just like that? After months of spending sleepless nights to work for this, you think I will let you go that easily?”

Namjoon sighed, “I can’t come to your aid, either. You said it yourself, what you need specifically is an angel. And I’m not one. At least, not anymore.”

The last words he spoke was almost in a whisper. But it was loud enough for Seokjin to catch. “What do you mean by that?” He rose up from his seat and gasped, “Are you a fallen angel, then? Oh my Gods! He is the devil. The devil!”

Yoongi let out a frustrated cry, “Will you please shut up making a fuss about everything?"

“I’m sorry,” Seokjin continued, “but I think, you were the one making a fuss around all this time. Why can’t you just do all these weird rituals again and call up an angel. This time, it might actually show up. After all, there are more angels than devils.”

“Because,” Yoongi slammed his hand on the table, “It can only be done once.”

“Maybe,” Namjoon interrupted their silly arguments again, “if you tell me the true motive behind your doings, I can help you find a real angel.”

“Well, no thanks.” Yoongi dismissed his proposal, “I don’t think my motive is evil enough for a devil’s fancy.”

Namjoon’s voice turned really serious this time, “Why don’t you give it a try?”

The boy named Jimin, who had saved Jungkook earlier, had bound a handkerchief on his injured leg. He said, “The wound should not last long. But since you’re too weak and who knows when the last time you had taken blood, I think it might take some time to heal.”

“Umm… four months.” Jungkook mumbled.

“Pardon?” Jimin asked.

Jungkook said hesitantly, “It’s been four months since I last fed on blood.”

“No way!” he gasped, “How did you manage to survive all alone like that?”

Taehyung came back in his human form with a box smile on his face. Jungkook couldn’t help noticing how incredibly young and handsome he looked.

“I’ve hunted a stag.” He announced, “You can have the blood while we feast on its meat.”

“That’s settle then.” Jimin stood up and urged Jungkook to follow them.

After they were done with their dinner, Jimin and Taehyung introduced themselves. Jungkook found out that Jimin was a Gumiho, a nine tailed fox and Taehyung was a werewolf.

“My name is Jeon Jungkook. I’m a vampire.”

Jimin laughed out at his introduction, “Of course, we know that, silly. We also know a lot more about you.”

Jungkook looked puzzled, “How?”

“For instants, we know that you’ve been living in that mansion for quite a long time and there is a legend about you in town. Since the formation of OHA, when all the supernatural beings were forced into hiding, you had faked your death to the OHA people to escape being captured. But nobody from town dared to come to your mansion yet. So far, you had hidden well, my friend.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jungkook said, “But since you brought up this matter…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

“What about it?” Jimin asked.

“I don’t think I can go back to the mansion again. They might come back looking for me. The Humans!”

Jimin and Taehyung exchanged worried looks which made Jungkook very nervous. He was afraid they would refuse him to join their group.

Finally, Taehyung said with the same old box smile, “Don’t you worry about it, little friend. You, me, Jimin, we are a set now.”

Kim Joon-Hwi, the founder and CEO of the ‘Organization for Human Aids’, in short OHA, had been very upset lately. Because the progress on his works were getting slower by the day.

Once, there used to be a lot of super natural beings around. They could be easily caught and locked up. The research was blooming at the time. But slowly their numbers declined. Whatever left were now more careful than ever before.

The lab rats they had caught since the last 5 years were dying away fast. Some of them wouldn’t cooperate and even attempted suicide to escape being tested by the scientists and wizards. There were even a small numbers to have escaped the facility.

“We have found out that the ancient vampire called Jeon Jungkook is still alive and thriving in the woods, sir.” One of the guards came to inform him.

Kim Joon-Hwi turned to him, “So, what now? Have you been able to catch him?”

“Unfortunately not, sir!” the guard said, “But we have found out that there are other beings in that woods as well.”

“Other beings?” He was curious now, “What do you mean?”

“A werewolf and perhaps a Gumiho, sir, though we are not absolutely sure about it. He was in human form.”

“A Gumiho!” Kim Joon-Hwi exclaimed, “Come on, prepare all the guards immediately. Their location cannot be lost. Send the wizards too, if necessary.”

The guard bowed and left. Kim Joon-Hwi was really excited. The one and only Gumiho they had caught in 5 years died last year. It was the rarest of species to exist on earth that most people believed it had gone extinct.

“Finally some good news!” he thought.

“Alright,” Yoongi said, “I’ve decided to trust you with my secret.”

“Ah…” Seokjin interrupted, “So, you’re trusting a devil, now. Didn’t I ask you first about that motive of yours?”

“The thing is,” Yoongi continued as if no one had interrupted him, “I’m planning to take down OHA.”

Namjoon and Seokjin looked at each other. They stared intensely for quite a long time.

“They are definitely judging me right now.” Yoongi thought. The next moment, they both burst into laughter.

“I thought you were serious.” Namjoon said, “Which I still think you are. But your plan is an impossible dream. Can’t you tell that? I mean, what gave you the notion that it could actually be done?”

Seokjin was still laughing, “Oh God! Look at this kid. Who does he think he is?”

“Look!” Yoongi said, “I’m not in the mood to explain it all to you, guys. You’ve asked me to tell you my true motive and I did. Whether you believe it or not, that’s up to you.”

After hours of mocking and shouting at each other, Yoongi was finally able to make them see his true vision. Half-heartedly they all agreed upon to pursue the goal of Yoongi.

Namjoon took them with him to meet the angel he had promised. Before he went inside, he turned to them one last time and said, “I want you both to remember that, in my thousand and one years on earth, this is the very first angel I had met a few days ago. If I had any other options, I would have probably taken you to the other ones. So, keep it in mind. He is our only Hope.”

As soon as Namjoon opened the door to the Arcade zone, someone came running to hug him.

“Namjoon-ah…” he called in excitement, “You’ve finally come to meet me.” He was jumping like a five year old while still hugging Namjoon awkwardly.

He was covered with garments and fancy accessories from his head to toe. Colors of all kinds seemed to have been splashed all over him. Starting from bucket hats, chains, bracelets, sunglass, there was also a very weird looking pouch hanging by his pants. Overall he looked like a homeless picking up clothes from wherever he can to make up a messy outfit.

“Guys,” Namjoon gave them an apologetic look, “This is Hoseok, the brightest angel to ever exist.”

“What the actual fuck?” Yoongi said.

My Masterlist

The Other Side - Part 1

Fandom: BTS Pairing: Park Jimin x OC (Amelia) Genre: Fluff/Angst Word Count: 1.6k Words Warning: Slight drinking, making out, nothing much explicit in this chapter. Note: (18+) Additional chapters contain heavy angst and sensitive topics. If you can’t handle problematic issues, I advise you to not read any further.

Summary: Despite her brother Taehyung’s disapproval of dating one of his friends, Amelia can’t keep herself away from the charming guy she met at his birthday...

Part 1 - Part 2 - More to come

“For you, I will be new every day ‘Cause it’s boring to have the same thing, right?” - Filter by Jimin

My brother Taehyung’s birthday was the worst day of the year for me. Don’t get me wrong. I loved Taehyung more than anybody in this world. For that exact reason, I could never refuse his request for a birthday party in our house.

I was the kind who hated parties and Taehyung, on the other hand, liked them very much. Furthermore, my presence in that party was a must for Taehyung to actually enjoy it. So, I would always end up being a weirdo trying to communicate with his friends whom I met once a year. Since Taehyung loved making a lot of friends, every year, I would meet some new people too.

Today the party seemed to be going for an eternity. The loud music was unbearable after a few hours. I was done making small talks with most of his friends. I needed some break as I felt my social battery was running out. I needed to find Taehyung.

I groaned in frustration searching for my brother in the crowd. I decided I was old enough to leave his annoying party any time I wanted to. After all, it was my house too. I could go anywhere I wanted. So, I headed for the rooftop.

Surprisingly, there was another person present whom I didn’t notice at first. I yelped in surprise when he cleared his throat to gain my attention.

“I’m sorry.” He said, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

A blonde guy wearing sunglasses, even though it was night, approached me. I realized that I had never met this person before. Thinking he was a new friend of Taehyung, I tried to talk nicely. But, to be honest, I could do with some alone time instead.

“It’s okay!” I said, “I don’t think I know you.”

“I’m Park Jimin.” He said, “I’m Jungkook’s friend from college. I believe you’re Taehyung’s sister, Amelia, right?” I nodded. But my mind was occupied with the thought that he was Jungkook’s friend.

If I had an enemy, it would be Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook and I went to school together. But we never got along. There was a history of endless fights and arguments between us. Some of them ended up with me crying out in frustration and Jungkook getting some serious talk from my overprotective brother. Nonetheless, they were still close friends.

Jimin suddenly chuckled, “I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

I tried to smile. If he had known me through Jungkook, chances are, he didn’t know anything good.

A few cups of drinks were making my mind blurry. I started to find the stranger really attractive. I wasn’t even listening to what he had been saying. But his voice was pleasant to my ears. My mind was full of thoughts that seemed too wrong.

“Hello!” Jimin snapped his fingers in front of my eyes and I came back to reality. He wetted his lips before saying, “You haven’t been listening, have you?”

I shook my head honestly. He laughed as if he found it adorable. He took off the glasses and stared directly into my eyes.

Oh God! If looks could kill...

“I think you’re a little too intoxicated to ignore my charm.” he said. Without realizing I nodded in affirmation, making him laugh even more.

Oh God! His eye smile...

Then, he suddenly stopped. His stare was quite serious this time. He wasn’t fooling around anymore. I could feel the tension rising in the air. It seemed like there was an invisible string pulling me closer to this guy. I leaned a bit closer to him. But he didn’t move.

He half whispered, “Are you sure about this?” I nodded again.

Then, he leaned in to kiss me. It was a soft one at first, but gained momentum as soon as he got my approval. During our heated making out session, my mind had gone off to a completely different world. There was nothing I could think of other than him.

But soon Jimin let go of my lips and pulled back. A soft whimper left my mouth. Jimin just chuckled in return and shook his head.

“I don’t want you to regret anything once you’re sober.” He said.

I opened my mouth to say something but decided against it. It was already awkward enough. I didn’t want to embarrass myself further by saying something which would prove how desperate I was to have him.

Taehyung and I were only a year apart and he was the oldest. Our father was never in the picture and our mother died the year I graduated high school. Both of us ended up not going to college. Money was not a problem. We were pretty well off as mother had left us with a big house and a huge backyard of a flower garden. I worked on them and sold them in our personal flower shop which was quite famous in town. Taehyung, on the other hand, did whatever he was comfortable with at the moment.

Taehyung had lots of friends. But I only had him. And he was aware of it. But he didn’t mind. Even though he had many friends, both male and female, he would always forbid me to get a little too close to any of his male friends. I never complained either. Because, most of them were like Jungkook, whom I absolutely despised.

But I felt different this time. This Jimin guy was really messing with my mind. Ever since the night, I couldn’t shake his thoughts away. I felt a little guilty for keeping such a secret from my brother, to whom I had always confided everything.

“This is never going to happen again.” I would tell myself. But little did I know how wrong I had been.

Apparently, Jimin shared a mutual feeling and there was nothing that could stop him from coming back to me. So, coming back to me he did. But at the worst moment possible.

Ding Dong

Taehyung forbade me to get up from the dining table as we were having supper at the time. It was unusual for us to have a visitor so late. So, Taehyung went to check it himself.

“Is Amelia home?” I heard a not so unknown voice spoke and my heart skipped a bit. I knew that Taehyung was as shocked as me because he didn’t say a word in reply.

The stranger continued, “I’m Jimin. I hope you remembered me from the party. I came here with Jungkook.”

It turned out that Jimin had some important business in town. But unfortunately he was too late to catch the evening train. He hadn’t brought his car. Furthermore, he was not in the habit of riding a cab late at night. He tried calling Jungkook but he was out of town. He also informed Taehyung that he had an opportunity to become my friend during his birthday party. So, it seemed like he had no other choice but to ask us to let him stay at our place.

Taehyung didn’t seem to be believing any of his words. But he agreed to let him stay for the night. Only at one condition; Jimin was to share the bed with him. It is necessary to include that we had two spare bedrooms for guests.

I had never felt so uncomfortable while having dinner at my own house before. Jimin looked like he was having the best moment of his life; enjoying the food and appreciating it often. I nodded in between but tried not to say anything and let Taehyung join the conversation. Jimin was acting differently, almost in a child-like manner. I tried to avoid eye contact with either of them as Taehyung kept eyeing us suspiciously throughout the whole dinner.

After a while of chatting about nothing, we were all off to bed. But my brain had no intention of letting me sleep. Instead, it was replaying the night of my brother’s birthday. I wondered if this was the same flirty Jimin I had encountered some weeks ago.

Hours later, I walked out of my bedroom in frustration. Instantly, I was grabbed by my shoulders and I yelped in surprise.

“Ssh!” Jimin let go and whispered, “It’s only me!” I nodded in recognition. He looked at me carefully and a wide grin spread on his face.

“What?” I asked, surprised at his unusual behavior.

“Thank God!” He said with relief, “You didn’t forget about me.”

I laughed at him, “What made you think I might forget you?”

Jimin frowned at my taunting, “Why? You were hella drunk that night. I bet you can’t recall what we did.”

I blushed really hard this time. Of course, I remembered what we did. But I was in no mood to discuss that embarrassing event. Jimin had definitely seen me blushing. His cute face suddenly turned mischievous.

“Can you recall it or should I help?” he smirked. Now, this was the Jimin I was talking about.

Before I could shut him up with a slap on the head, I heard movements ahead of me. Both of us froze. Our eyes grew larger at once.

“Fuck!” Jimin whispered, “Your spy brother is awake.”

I ran straight to my bedroom and shut the door quickly. My heart was beating up to my throat. I could hear a conversation outside which made me smile like an idiot.

A deep voice asked, “Oy! What are you doing there?”

A cute one replied, “I think I might have forgotten the way to the bathroom.”

A moment of silence before a really angry tone spoke, “If you’re trying to make an excuse, Park Jimin, go for a better one next time.”

Next >

My Masterlist

"Think of you when I'm going to bed

When I wake up, think of you again."

Death Before Water And Life After It

'The Avonlea Story Club'

Story no. #02 Inspired by prompt: “There was a legend about the well in the garden.” Time Duration: 1 May, 2023 - 31 May, 2023

Word Count: 2.6K Words Warning: horror elements, mention of illness, injuries, deaths etc.

Summary: Spending the summer vacation with an ill grandma in a remote village turns mysterious...

I attempted to write down a rare experience I got to have while I visited my late grandma’s village. The story I am about to tell is no ordinary tale. It is, in many ways, unbelievable too. So, I would rather let my readers decide upon believing it.

It was the summer of 2017. My grandma was diagnosed with a deadly disease and the doctors feared that she wouldn’t make it till the next year.  I had a long vacation of two months from school. I didn’t have any plans either. At that moment, my only desire was to visit my grandma for the last time on her deathbed, even though it was said that she couldn’t recognize anyone.

It was the very first time I sat foot in that remote village. I had expected a lot from it since it was located far away from the city. But in reality, nothing about the village appealed to me. It was just an ordinary village with ordinary people.

My grandma didn’t come to greet me. When I went to meet her, she didn’t even bother to look at me. I could tell by looking in her eyes that she was in pain. But as always, my sweet grandma didn’t want to burden anyone with it. I spent three days in the house without getting out for once. Within these three days, I had constantly sat beside grandma and talked to her in hope that she might recognize her youngest granddaughter at some point. But that didn’t happen.

Finally, it was the fourth day when I got bored of playing offline games on my phone. Since the network connection wasn’t the best at that place, I decided to take a look at my surrounding areas. Like I had mentioned before, the village had nothing interesting to enjoy. There was no place for sightseeing.

After some minutes of aimlessly walking around I came to a stop near what looked like a ruin of an old garden. I spent a minute or two looking at its broken gate. Then I finally went in. Once again, I was disappointed after finding nothing but a bunch of wild plants growing all around the place.

There was an old well at the far corner. I felt like I should go and check it before I left the place for good. As I walked towards it I felt uncomfortable and strange. I remembered I was all alone in an abandoned garden with no house that could be seen or people that could be heard.

Yet I couldn’t turn back without a close view of the well. It was as abandoned as the garden itself. Vines and roots grew all around it. The huge stones had cracks. When I peeked inside I was shocked to see water that hadn’t dried out yet. I could see my reflection perfectly in the black water inside.

I was about to go away when I heard someone behind me. There was a little boy sitting on the ground, his back leaning against the well. 

How come I didn't notice him in the first place?

He wasn’t wearing much clothes than necessary, I guessed it was because of the hot weather. He was dirty from his head to toe. I went closer to check on him. I found out that he was humming a tune while scratching his ankles.

“Hey!” I called him, “What are you doing here, all alone?”

He quitted humming at my intrusion and glanced at me for a moment. Then he looked down on his ankles and started to scratch them again. I felt an urge to stop him from doing that. His feet looked swollen and red.

Instead I asked, “Where are your parents?”

“They died… long ago,” he answered in a low voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that!” I went closer to sit in front of him, “Do you live nearby?” There were no houses in sight that could suggest his home. But I still looked around for any sign of life.

In reply, the boy looked at the well behind him for a moment. Then, he looked at me and asked, “Are you a foreigner?”

“No. I came from the city.” I replied.

“So, you are a foreigner!” he stated. This time with a thrill in his eyes. So, I nodded my head in defeat. Maybe he considered everyone apart from the villagers a foreigner.

“You shouldn’t do that.” I said, indicating his merciless scratching.

“It’s okay!” he smiled at me, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

I studied his face for a while. Even though it was dirty, I could tell that the boy was really beautiful. He had big doe eyes with long eyelashes. His small mouth looked really cute when he smiled. Also, he had the kind of smile that makes others do the same at its sight.

So, I automatically smiled back at him.

“C’mon!” I stood up, “I’m going now. You shouldn’t be here all alone. This place is giving me the creeps.”

“You’re going away already?” the boy asked. The smile on his face was gone. His big eyes were filling up with tears all of a sudden.

“Aww, don’t cry.” I said, giving him my hand, “I'm not leaving you. I’ll take you to your home.”

“I can’t go.” he shook his head.

“Why?” I asked, rather astonished at the bold reply coming from an otherwise soft spoken little boy.

The boy retreated to his previous position. He continued humming the tune and scratched his ankles as well. I tried convincing him to come with me for some time. He started to completely ignore me.

I checked my watch. It was past lunch time. I knew grandfather was probably really angry by now because he doesn’t like delaying meal times. So, I told the boy to go home early and not to come to the place again. I had to leave him alone by the well.

I had almost forgotten all about it. But another meeting reminded me of my encounter with the little boy by the well.

I laid awake in my bed. The little boy sat at the furthest corner from me. I stared at him for some time, watching him scratch his ankles and humming the familiar tune.

When our eyes met, he let himself smile. "You're awake!" He stated.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I came because you didn't come to see me again." He replied.

"Did you wait for me?" I asked.

The boy nodded.

"Where?"

"Why? By the well in the garden!"

"Didn't I tell you not to go there alone?"

The boy laughed at me, "But I live there, silly."

I didn't understand him. Suddenly I remembered I was sleeping and I hadn't really woken up.

How could I tell that I was dreaming?

"Oh no! You're gonna wake up now, aren't you?" The boy pouted his lips.

"How do you…" I couldn't finish my question. I was already awake. And as I checked, the boy was gone too.

I couldn't make myself go back to sleep again. It was already dawn. So, I walked around the house. I heard my grandma calling me from within her room as I walked past it. My eyes grew larger.

She remembered me!

"Oh, granny. My lovely, granny." I sprinted inside her room and hugged her.

"When did you come, my love?" She asked, a sweet smile on her lips.

"Almost a week ago."

We talked for some time. Grandma said that she felt a lot better and was so happy to see me. She wondered why mother didn't come. I said she was very busy with her work. I lied because I didn't want to worry her about mother's health. And I knew she wasn't the type to get hurt when someone couldn't manage their time. It is a cruel world, after all.

At some point, grandma was reminiscing about the old times. Long ago when she was young and not yet married. She used to live here, in this village, at that time. She talked as if her memory of her childhood was just a few days back. I felt like she had forgotten me at some stage and mistook me for her best friend of childhood instead as she talked.

At one point, I asked her about the old garden. I asked if it was in use at her times. She looked at me with dreadful eyes, "don't speak of it. Don't you know, it's a forbidden place to walk in?"

"Why is it forbidden, Grandma?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, dear!" She suddenly started to laugh, "I keep forgetting that it's you." and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Grandma," I called, "Please, tell me about the garden. I wanna know."

"It was a long time ago. Even before I was born. There was a legend about the well in the garden." grandma spoke dreamily.

"What legend?"

"At the time when the first gypsies came to settle down in the land, it was a barren one. No river. No rain. Nothing. Nobody knows why the river gypsies chose to live in such a land after years of floating in water. But they struggled against this land. It wasn't habitable for life at all. They decided they'll excavate a well. After months of labor they did it too. But it was only a matter of days  before the water dried out after the well was built."

"Why?" I asked as grandma stopped to take a breath.

Grandma nodded, "it was a cursed place. Everyone in the village had dreams about the well afterwards. An unknown entity would visit them in their dreams and ask them to negotiate with it. The negotiation was a human life in exchange for water.

"People were scared. They forbade everyone to go near the well. They decided to leave the place for good. Some of them even ran away from home in fear. But the nightmares didn't stop. The entity was hungry for human life. Finally, it got what it wanted.

"A little boy of a lonely mother wandered off to the well one day. When he returned home at sunset, both of his legs were found being chained. The mother walked along the long chains only to find that it led inside the very well her people had built. The more they pulled the chains, the more it grew in length, coming out of the dried well. No blacksmith could damage the chain, not even a little scratch could be made on it.

"The villagers started to see a different version of their same old nightmare. The entity now asked them the life of that little boy only. Then, started the gossip.

"The boy was an illegitimate child. His mother was not a very welcomed person in the community. They lived almost a separated life. Maybe the entity chose wisely. Maybe they should abide by its rule. Maybe the boy could be sacrificed for the sake of all.

"But the mother was a mad woman. She wouldn’t give up on her only gem. She would rather her son lived with the chains around his legs forever. The child cried. He cried all day and night. He said that his legs itched. And as he scratched them again and again, the skin had peeled off and left him wounded.

"'Mama, it hurts.' The boy pleaded with his mother to get rid of his shackles. But nothing could be done for his aid. The villagers, at one point, stopped even trying. The herbal remedy his mother gave him was useless.

"'Let me go, then.' The boy pleaded again. His mother denied.

"Finally, the boy decided for himself. When his mother would be asleep, he would go to the well again. He would ask the well what it wanted from him. And so he did. Nobody heard of the little boy anymore. Someone said that the boy had jumped off to the well himself. But nobody knew because there wasn't a body to be found.

"Since that day, there hasn't been any scarcity of water from the well. The well never dried off after. A beautiful garden grew around the land. No-one had any more nightmares. The gypsies finally overcame another adversary that was the most challenging in their community life. They lived happily ever after."

Grandma finished her story and looked at me with a smile.

"But Grandma," I spoke, "this isn't the type of story that ends with 'happily ever after'."

"Why not?" grandma asked, "the villagers, in fact, did live happily."

"What about the boy? And his mother?"

"Now," grandma stated, "they weren't the hero of my story, were they?"

"You've got a point," I said, "But don't you think that the boy could be the most tragic hero if it was said from his perspective?"

"He could be." Grandma thought for a moment, "Why don't you rewrite it in your own words then? Maybe you can do him some justice."

Before I left grandma for breakfast, I asked her one last question, "since everything is resolved, why did you say that it was a forbidden garden in the beginning?"

"Because, darling!" She looked at me as if it was so obvious, "the little boy can still be seen roaming around it."

I went to the garden that day. It was obvious what grandma told me was just a legend. And a legend can be a lie. Or at least partially. Maybe there was an incident of a boy's drowning. Maybe the nightmares originated from the collective superstitious belief of the gypsies. Or maybe, just maybe, there was an entity involved.

Whatever happened a long time ago, I could never know them for sure. I could only assume the story from my perspective and my beliefs in particular superstitions. But I didn't feel like I could rest till I saw that little boy again and demanded some kind of explanation. It might sound a little crazy to the readers but my mind couldn't make out any reasonable explanation of the boy's peculiar behavior at the moment.

I waited from morning till noon. But he didn't come. I didn’t know that some terrible news awaited me at home other than the fear that grandfather might be mad at me for missing another lunch.

Grandma was no more. My sweet, lovely grandma. The grandma who had talked with me just this dawn. I was told that the servant found her dead when he went to serve her breakfast. I almost didn’t believe it. But I accepted at last as we all do eventually.

I stayed till the funeral was over. Then I immediately packed everything to leave the place. I didn’t think I could stay at the house without feeling my grandma's presence.

But before I left, I had to solve something within myself. I had to see the boy again. I went to the garden for the last time. And as expected he was already waiting for me.

"Why didn't you tell me everything beforehand?" I questioned him, "Didn't you want me to know?"

"You know because I showed you." The same old smile on his face.

"But why me, of all people?"

He walked towards me and placed his cold hands on mine. It was the only time he had really touched me. He said hopefully, "You'll let them know, won't you? They'll finally know."

"Know what?" I asked, a little confused.

"The truth!"

I didn't understand him wholly that day. After years it somehow dawned on me. The little boy wanted the world to know. Not just the legend of the well in the garden. But the little life it took that made it possible.

Author's note: The story is inspired by a folktale my grandma had long ago told me that originated from her hometown. It was about how a pond was excavated and a child's life was offered for it to contain water. There are many versions of this story. The story is really memorable to me and honestly, I still get chills whenever I think about it. I made some changes to the plot to match the given prompt. I don't know if I could do it any justice. But I'm glad I made an effort to preserve one of the less known folktales of my country.

P.S. The country is Bangladesh…

Flowers x BTS

Singularity

Fandom: BTS

Pairing: Namjoon × Reader

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“Shit!” I huffed out as I had to climb the stairs up to the third floor and my poor lungs wouldn’t want to cooperate as always, “I forgot my water bottle at home again.”

“You can have mine, no problem!” a boy handed me his half filled plastic bottle.

I usually follow one rule while drinking water from other people’s bottles. I ask them if they touch their lips to the bottles opening while drinking and usually refuse to drink from the same bottle if they do.

That day, however, I didn’t have the mind to do that as I straight up uncapped the bottle to finish the whole thing in one go. When I looked up to say ‘thanks’ and ‘sorry’, he was already gone. As it was almost time for the next class, I supposed he hurried to get to his. I remembered the boy’s name to be Namjoon.

Namjoon was a boy I would often see in between classes. Sometimes we would nod, ask when the next class was or simply smile at each other. And then, we’d go our separate ways. I knew him just like that. I didn’t remember ever having a full conversation with him.

I didn’t see him again after that day. But I heard some rumors about him around the campus not long after. He was accused of saying something that sparked controversy. Since I didn’t know him in person I never expressed my opinion on the matter. But I had a lingering wish to meet him again, to return his empty plastic bottle that I still carry in my bag.

That wish came true when I finally saw him again.

He was having lunch at an empty table at the corner of the cafeteria. There was no one around so I walked up to him right away.

“I’m so sorry I could not return your bottle that day!” I had told him.

“What bottle?” He looked at me with genuine confusion.

I took out the said bottle from my bag to put on the table. Namjoon let out a chuckle at its sight. “You wanted to return this?”

“I know, it might not be a huge deal to you. But I literally can’t sleep in peace until I return what I borrow from someone else. Be it a pen or book or whatever.” I explained myself clearly to which Namjoon nodded and took the empty bottle off the table.

“I’ll take it back then.” He said, “Hope it gives you some peace.”

He shook his head slightly and laughed. For some reason, I felt overwhelmed seeing him laugh like that. His eyes completely vanished behind the wrinkles as he laughed. He looked so unreal. I couldn’t make up my mind why I was feeling that way at such a small act of someone I barely knew. But I had a feeling that it was a moment I would never witness again. I felt the need to capture it in a picture so that I could look at it whenever I wanted to.

However, I didn't take his picture that day. Instead I stood there for a while, enjoying the moment as it was. He didn’t invite me to sit next to him. I wished he did.

The next time I heard about Namjoon was from a group of friends talking about college in general. I wasn't minding their gossip until I heard them speak about him.

"Good grades aren't everything, you see!" One of them said, "you need to have a better character to not be kicked out of school like that."

I was shocked to find what happened to Namjoon regarding those rumors. As much as I wanted to interrupt their conversation, I couldn't bring myself to do so. Yet my heart couldn't believe a word of the dirty talks I heard around. Even though I wasn't a friend of his, neither was I an acquaintance, in my heart, I still pictured him as the smiling boy who had helped me at the time I needed it.

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Note: Inspired by a dream...

My Masterlist

How Do You Recover After “Squid Game”?

Because I can’t... Ever since I’ve watched the series I kept thinking about it literally ALL THE FRICKING TIME... I have an upcoming exam and here I am... I’ve tried watching other things to get my mind off this series but nah... Not working... The only way out is to write it out now.

Where can I start, the characters... GOD!!! The characters were so realistic and relatable. Their heartbreaking backstories just broke me. I knew I would love the series since episode 2.

Sae-byeok and her brother; what they were going through was so tough. I also have a little sister and her being apart from the whole family is unimaginable.

Sang-Woo’s situation was the most relatable. He felt worthless and was burdened with his mother’s hope. He was stressed to the point of being suicidal. It was just too much. And I’m not ashamed to say that his character was the most realistic one and I love him.

And Ali, he was so innocent and grateful. His was probably the softest heart in the whole series. I wish I could just gave him a hug. He was just so lovely. HE DESERVED BETTER!!!

I need to talk to someone about ALL THIS THINGS or I’ll go crazy...

Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) - Movie Review

I just finished watching "Gangubai Kathiawadi" and it was phenomenal. It deserves all the praises it gets. If you want to feel something from a movie, go watch it. (And also it's on Netflix)

How a woman was sold to prostitution and slowly raised to gain power? Though lengthy, the plot was paced perfectly. It didn't rush to complete the story.

The dialogues hit hard as they are so powerful. For example, in a scene where Gangu was trying to get the children of the prostitutes admitted into a school, she was asked the identity of their father mockingly. And she replied with, "Isn't mother's name enough?" She even put humour to it and asked to add the name of a famous actor as the father of all the children. If you've already watched it, you know what I'm talking about...

And about Alia Bhatt, I think she did a great job and deserves all the praises.

But I think the character of Raziabai should be played by a real life eunuch. Apart from this, I overall enjoyed the film.