This was a short story that I had written a while ago. It was something different for me because I had never written a straight short story. This has no seperate chapters, so it was hard to develope the main character. After I got the flow of it, it became simple to write. *NOTE: It's Long!!!* I was inspired by tw things. First, chain letters that say you'll die. Something about it just seems interesting to think about. Another one is the Japanese horror movies such as The Ring/The Grudge. It added a whole new element. Anyway, here's my story. Please Don't Read This! by tummer Emily Yagami, a seventeen year old transfer student from Aoyama, Japan, was studying silently in the school library. She was enrolled at Montwood High School in El Paso, Texas; and she was considered a well accomplished senior. Emily was very fluent in the English language and earned her transfer to America. Emily was going over her Calculus homework just because she needed to kill some time before her lunch period. She was halfway done when she felt her cell phone vibrated in her front pocket. The sender of the message could have been one of two people. The first person that came to mind was Trinity Asakura, Emily’s best friend in the world. Trinity, just like Emily, was a well accomplished transfer student from Japan. Since the two of them were limited on money, they had to share an apartment close by to the school. The other possibility, the one that Emily was hoping for, was Jacob Montoya, her American boyfriend. Emily had only been in the United States for only a few months but she had a special bond with Jacob. There was still a gap of ten minutes before the bell would release the school for the first lunch. Emily gathered her books and made her way to the back of the fictional section. She reached into her pocket, grabbing her cell phone and reading the first line of the message: Please don’t read this!! Emily paused for a moment, stopping herself from continuing the message. She already knew what was waiting in that message: A chain letter. Thanks to being somewhat popular, Emily had received many death threats from pre-mature buried boys and “trapped-forever-in-a-well†girls. Emily searched for the sender’s name (so she would know who to yell at) but was shocked when she read that the sender was unknown. Surprisingly, there also was no return number for a phone call. Despite the voice that was yelling in her head, Emily continued to read the message, aware that she wasn’t going to send it no matter what it said. Please don’t read this!! since you have disobeyed, pass this curse to ten people before midnight or die. Make your choice. Emily strongly fought the urge to laugh at the poorly worded message that was on her phone. She at least expected a story or a reason why the ghost was so angry. She sent the message directly to her phone’s trash bin and prepared herself for lunch. Emily began to fantasize about her upcoming date that night, it would only be her and her Jacob. During her short lunch period—hiding out where the old student training room use to be located—the trio of friends enjoyed their cafeteria pizza. The smell of warm chocolate milk and cold, crusty cheese filled it’s aroma around the friends. Both Emily and Trinity had long, dark hair while Jacob had a short, light-brown hair cut. The hard tile floors and very jagged walls were too uncomfortable for Trinity to sit on, so she decided to stand up. Trinity was staring down at the couple; Emily sat in Jacobs lap, laughing for no apparent reason. “So, has anything new happened,†Trinity asked randomly. “Not really,†Jacob answered in his rugged voice, half heartedly. He was too busy playing with Emily’s silky hair. “I got a chain letter today,†Emily confessed. Why did I tell them that, she asked herself. “Really; can I see?!†That was Trinity’s response. “Sorry, I already deleted the message.†“Why would anyone send you a chain letter anyway,†Jacob asked, staring down at the girl in his lap. “You wouldn’t even hurt a fly. Give me one good reason.†“In Japan,†Trinity began in a more serious voice. “we believe that anything can actually happen to anyone. It’s supposed to create a better balance in the world. In Western culture, you need to have done something wrong in order to be curse or killed. In Japan, you’re not special because your soul is clean. Death is equal, so to speak.†Emily was able to make it through the rest of the school day without thinking about the chain letter she had received before lunch. It was easy for her not to focus on anything really due to the fact that it was Friday afternoon, causing her mind to slowly shutdown for any school related subjects. When she made her way down to her car, she noticed that she had two unread text messages in her phone. Please don’t read this!! Since you have disobeyed, pass this curse to ten people before midnight or die. Make your choice. Head my warning Emily Yagami. I am not good with giving second chances. Send this or suffer my rage. Make your choice Deep in Emily Yagami’s mind, it sounded as if a dozen glass mirrors have shattered into thousands of tiny shards. Again—just like the previous text message—there was no name or return phone number. How in the world did this person get a hold of my name and phone number, Emily thought to herself as she put on her seatbelt. The engine roared to life, which startled her, causing her to jump. No; I have to think rationally about this! Come on Yagami, think! Oh! Maybe it’s Trinity playing another one of her sick and twisted jokes on me again. Emily flashed back to Trinity’s question about strange happenings during their lunch period. I also told her I deleted the message. And she is smart enough to pull of this kind of thing. Finally, her heart ceased its rapid beating and resumed to the normal human rhythm. Emily—furious at this point—quickly deleted the messages from her phone and refused to pick up the phone when Trinity tried to contact her. At one of the stoplights, Emily inhaled the brisk December air—a foreign scent to her—a fantastic blend of maple tree leaves and jalapeños. When Emily finally got to her apartment, she ignored her roommate—who was just reading Eclipse on the living room sofa, not even acknowledging her—and went straight into her bedroom, slamming the door. She turned on the radio, which was basting a scream-o rock song, the singer’s were intelligible. Her phone began to ring while she was changing into her favorite scarlet sweater. Cautious, she looked at the caller ID. Relieved at who it was, she opened the phone and pressed “Answerâ€. “Hello,†Emily chimed into the receiver. “Hey Em,†Jacob answered in a dry voice. “You sound a little jumpy today. What’s the matter?†“Oh it’s nothing,†She answered. “I got some more of those messages after school. I also figured out that it was Trinity who was sending them to me.†It never dawned on her that she had no solid proof that Trinity was the actual sender. “Oh, ha ha.†Jacob almost got sidetracked from what the actual purpose of the call actually was suppose to be about. “Emily, I’m actually going to have to cancel our date tonight; I’m really sorry.†“Why, what happened?†“Well, my old man had a heart attack while he was out at work today,†Jacob explained in a quick voice. “He doesn’t look so good right now. We’re just pulling up to the hospital. Is it alright if we can reschedule for some other time?†“Yes, of course Jacob. I guess I’ll just go and do something with Trinity that night. I’m not really mad at her, and she must be laughing her butt off right about now.†“Alright; I guess I’ll call you when I can.†Emily undressed herself once more, changing into something that was far more casual than a date. A usual night out with these two girls was the same old routine: catch whatever was on at the nearest movie theater and grab a bite to eat at Fuddruckers. In her mind, Emily had forgiven Trinity for her silly little prank. This kind of thing happened between the two of them every few days just because Trinity was bored. Passing by her bedroom window for a moment, Emily thought that she had seen a little girl in a long, yellow church dress standing outside her window. The little girl was looking directly through the window and into Emily’s eyes. * * * Moonlighters was a half-made, two-starred movie that was about a group of witches that go out on a murderous rampage across New York on New Year’s Eve. Trinity wasn’t that much focused on the movie due to the fact that Emily was shaking in her seat, her face as pale as a corpse. For about the past hour and ten minutes, the only thing that Emily could smell was the intoxicating odor of fresh strawberries and dried blood. When Trinity tried to nudge her friend’s arm, she sprung way back into her seat. Emily’s body was as cold as ice (or a corpse) in the warm theater. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done anything tonight,†Trinity said to herself but loud enough for Emily to hear. “N-no, it’s fine,†Emily lied. “The movie’s just really scary.†It wasn’t the horrible movie that was causing her to shake like crazy. Emily’s terror official started when the two of them arrived at the movie theater before the movie could start. Emily spied, amongst the crowd of people in the crowded theater, the little black haired girl she had spotted earlier that same evening. The young girl’s face was very pale and her long, irregular hair hid her dark, emotionless eyes. That’s when the smell of strawberries and (more importantly) blood made its first presence into her nostrils. Emily thought nothing of the smell until she saw that an older woman passed straight through the young, dark haired girl. Following that moment, a rather large party of people passed right through the little girl, whose face didn’t budge for even a moment. This was when Emily came to two conclusions about this girl: The girl wasn’t only transparent but it seemed as if Emily was the only one who could see her. “Emily,†Trinity asked, noticing her staring into the distance at nothing, “are you okay?†The little girl was standing completely erect and began to create an ear piercing screech once she opened her mouth. Emily—whose the only person who can hear it, so she becomes her only victim—began to cover her ears but the noise did not muffle itself. Yes, the scream was coming from the little girl, but it was able to transfer the deafening scream right into her head. Without fail, Emily collapsed right onto her knees and began to cry from the horrible pain she was experiencing. She was wishing that Jacob was with her, although he would be as much help as Trinity was at this moment. The moment she looked up to find the girl again, both the screaming and the ghost had disappeared. More than an hour and a half passed since Emily had seen the little girl in the giant crowd. Emily could intake very little from the movie because the only thing that she could even think about is the little girl. Why is this little girl following me, Emily asked herself. I’ve been a good girl. I know I’ve done nothing wrong to her! I’ve done nothing—wait! Emily figured out that she had done nothing at all. She could only conclude that it was the ghost of the little girl that sent her the text messages. In this one instance, the chain letter had spoken the truth and the warning should’ve been taken seriously. In an odd way, it was the only thing that could even remotely make any sense. Was she crazy; maybe; but there was no way that she was going to take this abuse anymore. Emily quickly searched her for her phone, hoping that it could still provide an answer. She glanced at the time; eleven fifty-five PM. If her theory was correct—but she did pray that she was wrong—she only had five minutes to break the curses! “Emily, where are you going,†Trinity asked once she noticed her friend was leaving her seat. “For a quick walk,†Emily answered. “Call me when the movie is done okay?†Reminding herself about her short time constraint, Emily rushed herself out of the theater, nearly stumbling thanks to her long runner’s legs. The brisk night air was able to help her breath as she frantically searched for her car. Emily was hoping that she could remember the message properly or the little girl had sent the message again (I doubt she sent it again. She told me directly that she was not good with second chances! Why am I so stupid?!). When she had reached the vehicle, it had never dawned to her that her cell phone was almost out of battery. She began to search for her car key. Emily’s hand was almost shivering as she tried to place the key into the slot, but the key had snapped and fell out of her hand. He heart began to skink as she noticed that the car key was now in two separate pieces. I can’t believe it! I’m actually going to die tonight because I’m just so clumsy! No, it can’t end like this! Emily was completely powerless. She threw her cell phone onto the ground and began to sob wildly. Unexpectedly, Emily’s supposedly dead phone had begun to chime as if it were fully charged. Everything was operating; the illumination of the light was shining brightly. The cover screen had clearly read: “One incoming text message from Unknownâ€. Emily had refused to open the phone, accepting her fate in this world. The phone had sprung open and directed itself right to the message. Frightened, Emily bent herself over to real her final text message. Please don’t read this!! Emily Yagami, you have failed. You received two warnings. Your time is up, now you die. You made the choice. On the top corner of the phone, before the phone had shut itself down forever, she noticed that the time was exactly twelve o’clock, midnight. Straight across the parking lot, Emily saw the same haunting girl, but she was now carrying a rusty, old kitchen knife in her left hand. Emily’s eyes began to widen, her legs began to sprint unconsciously in the brisk night. Her instincts foolishly told her that she might have a chance of living if she could out run a reappearing ghost. Turning her head, she saw that the ghost girl was still standing in the same place, slowly unlatching her lips. The young girl’s mouth was open; her screeching had begun once more! Once the sound had pierced right into the mind of the foolish Emily Yagami, she tripped, causing her knee caps to burst open. She was now immobile, blood was gushing everywhere. In less than a second, the girl was able to reappear in front of Emily’s cold, crippled corpse. Under the tattered hair, Emily could easily tell that the young girl was now smiling. It was a very haunting thing to see before you die; a young girl’s smile. “P-please, have mercy!†Emily was begging at the young girl’s feet. The soft, smiling killer relinquished out a small giggle at the girl’s begging. Emily’s eyes widened; the ghost kicking the girl onto her back. She pointed the sharpened knife across the despite girl’s chest. The girl moved her lips to the cry woman’s ear. “Goodnight mommy,†The little girl whispered in a soft, innocent voice. After a while, Emily had felt no more pain in her body. She was seeing white and then she saw absolutely nothing. The first thing that had gone completely numb was her fingers; the lower half of her body soon followed suit. The last thing she was able to hear before she died was the amused laughter of the girl that had left a gashing hole in her chest. * * * Trinity was pacing frantically around the parking lot once the movie had ended at twelve fifteen. At the car, she had found Emily’s dead cell phone and her broken car key. In the distance, she noticed a group of onlookers were crowding themselves in a circle. As Trinity had gotten closer to the group, the louder their conversations seemed to become. Trinity had fallen to her knees, seeing the single reason why there was a crowd of people. Lying on the floor was her best friend’s lifeless body, bleeding out of a giant gashing hole that went straight across her chest. After Trinity had allowed herself a few minutes of hysteric crying, she realized that this wasn’t just her burden to bear. She reached into her pockets, grabbed her phone, and dialed the only person that she wanted to talk to. It took three rings, but the caller finally picked up. “Hello,†Jacob answered in a dry voice. He was drinking the coffee that they provided at the hospital waiting room. He heard how Trinity was sobbing in the other end of the conversation. “Trinity, is that you; what happened?!†“It’s Emily,†Trinity cried. “Emily? Trinity, what happened to Emily?!†Jacob demanded. Suenly, the conversation had ended on its own. “Trinity? Trinity! What’s going on with Emily?!†Jacob’s cell phone began to chime, signaling an incoming text message. He checked the caller ID and read that it was “Emily Yagamiâ€. Jacob let out a gracious sigh; he was relieved to know that she was alright enough to text. He opened the message and read it to himself. Please don’t read this!! Since you have disobeyed pass this curse to ten people before midnight or die. Make your choice. Jacob, I love you. Thanks for reading. C&C please. ~tummer
Wow. I'm a bit scared of chain-letters now. Very well written, although there could have been a few more details, though.
Hmm. You really took the time to make an actual scenario about a chain mail unlike the ones you find nowdays. I really like that you involved The Ring in this story. I hope I never get this message on my phone xD
Thank you guys. Would you beleive me if I told you that this was for a school project? I wrote it like six months ago for a Creative Writing class. I hope I didn't tramatize the teacher too badly.
It lost steam in the middle because as a psychological scare goes you want to be scant on details. The things you're afraid of are generally primal. Things like the dark, being alone and the unknown. You compromise the fear of the unknown when you manifest the being as the girl. You manage to get fear of inevitability out of it, but you could have done more. It was worth the time and although your writing isn't as smooth and grammatically correct as it should be I'll admit this wasn't bad at all. So you should put a little more time into editing and making sure you're using words not only correct for definition but part of speech.
