Flowers and Broken Hearts

Blood and Tears

Song Jinhee, 25, Present day

Jinhee spotted it as soon as she plucked paper towels from the dispenser to wipe her wet hands. It slowly trickled out her nose, down her lips, and splattered the wet sink in front of her, all thick and red and dark.

Blood.

Hastily, she cupped her hand below her chin, the red liquid gathering in her palm. Jinhee blocked her nose with the paper towel, but even after it came away dripping, it continued to flow.

Numb with fear, she reached for more towels, just as more blood flowed out her other nostril. The life giving liquid that had gathered on her palm was already spilling, spotting her light blue dress like lady bugs. She was breathing heavily through her mouth, trying so hard to wipe the blood away, but it goes on, and on, and on, until all she could do was back away from the mirror, staring in horror at herself.

Blood.

No, she thought, looking at her blood covered hands. No, no, no. Please. No.

There was no one with her in the comfort room, no one to cry help at. Jinhee was all alone, the white florescent lights blinding her as she backed away more, wanting to look away but couldn't, she couldn't, not even after she groped behind her for the doorknob, not even as she watches more blood trickle down the sides of her neck, down her lips, down her hands.

She stares in fear.

Blood.

On her hands. By the sink. On the floor, right there, where she had been standing moments ago, silently, peacefully, washing her hands-

And when she stepped back, when she leaned on the door, she saw it. She felt it. The stickiness of her open sandals, the blood that flooded on the floor beneath her, the blood that trickled down both her legs.

Blood.

She screamed.

"No!" She was shouting, screaming, crying. She screamed once more time, louder this time; she was crying hard, staring at her hands. She screamed again and again and again, until the door she's leaning on opened so suddenly, and she fell onto the floor backwards. Then there was a girl there, backing away, gasping, hands on her mouth, too horrified to move a muscle, watching Jinhee.

'Please.' She wanted to say, tried to say, and she could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. 'Help me.' Jinhee's sight was blurry; dark spots were dancing in front of her, but she was still crying, even though she wiped it away with her bloody hands. It kept flowing on and on, flowing like a broken faucet, like rain flowing down a wall. 'Help-'

Then she realized.

It wasn't tears.

It was blood.