Roses

Daisies filled the long green grass, their delicate petals smiling up at the sky. Sunflowers surrounded them, facing the bright sun. The enchanting laugh of a young girl as she lay in the grass watching the fluffy clouds change shape filled the air with an almost tangible sense of joy. Purple crocuses sprung from the ground, anemones soon following.

Beez buzzed, joining butterflies in an intricate dance the girl could barely take her eyes away from. Delicate, beautiful, innocent. Her long, thick hair shone in the sunlight and her radiant skin glowed like an angel's, as though she had been blessed by God himself; perhaps even was a goddess. Her eyelids gently shut as she revelled in the peace around her.

She hadn't felt like this in a long time. The sunlight seemed to wash her worries away, the stress on her features melting. Streams of red and white tulips spread in mesmerising patterns from her fingertips.

If the girl had ever known paradise, this was it.

Painful memories and fears faded away, as her breathing slowed and she drifted to sleep, the hypnotic surroundings controlling her.

Bright red roses danced towards her while she slept. Their vibrant colours barely stood out, complimenting their surroundings perfectly. They embraced the girl, covering her from head to toe, whilst she barely moved, crawling over her until she was completely sealed in.

And then her eyes shot open. A flash of horror crossed her face as she lifted her arms in a futile attempt to fight back. The rose thorns dug into her arms, their stems tying her down and covering her mouth as she struggled to be free. Tears poured from her eyes, only serving to water the flowers that suffocated her. Desperate cries formed at the tip of her tongue, but the grip of the roses left her voiceless. Blood poured from the cuts the thorns left in her arms, staining her pure, white dress.

All of a sudden, she stopped.

Her skin was pale but clear. Beautiful and pure, as it had always been. But now the flawless skin was soaked in blood, and the white dress was stained and torn.

She lay in a coffin that encapsulated her beauty perfectly. It shimmered and glowed in the sunlight, the colours now standing out in the meadow, recognised for all their glory. Mesmerising. So hypnotic and heaven-like that no-one would guess they were a grave.

Nobody would see the face of a goddess as it crumbled away.

Nobody would ever know how deadly the roses were.