"An Unnatural Smile"

You open the door to find a man. He smiles. It is not a normal smile. It is too long, and far too wide, stretching across the man’s face. It makes you feel sick. It makes you want to scream. You try to look away, but you can't. That smile is eternal. That smile is forever. You look towards his hands, which he holds out in a gesture of offering. He has a single, red rose, just for you. It is an offering of death. You blink. You see that the flower has changed, and the man now holds bouquet of chrysanthemums in full bloom. Again you blink, and he now holds hyacinths of different shades. Then you close your eyes, as if trying to will this monster away.

When you open them, you find yourself standing in a field of flowers. It seems to stretch forever, a vast sight of colours and smells. Cherry blossoms float in the breeze, as the flowers around you sway. Then you see the man again, except he is different. His face is different. But his smile is the same. You realise that you recognise the face. It is the face of someone you once knew, a boy who had a crush on you; who followed you all the time; who wouldn't leave you alone. He loved you, yet you hated him. You hated the way he acted, the way he talked, and the way he made you feel. The smile grows wider, on the face that doesn’t belong. You remember his name, Jason, as clear as day. He followed you all summer, until you got a restraining order. You removed him from your life. Then he killed himself, blaming you, and leaving only guilt.

When this sinks in, you try to scream. Except, you find you can't. As you mouth opens, cherry blossoms pour out. You can feel them in your throat, as you slowly begin to choke. The breeze picks up, and the petals in the air begin to thrash about. The flowers on the ground remain perfectly still. As the petals whip about, they cut at you, drawing blood. The cuts grow and grow, staining everything red. You look at the man, through the haze of petals and the blood that covers you face. He has changed again. His tussled shock of hair is red, and his dark, cold eyes shine with intense madness. But all that pales to his smile. It stretches and bends, and doesn't belong. It fills his face. It goes beyond his face. As you choke on the petals, and feed the flowers with your blood, you are enrapt by that smile. And you still try to scream as it swallows you whole.