text: I have always liked pretty and romantic things. You know--pinks, glitters, lipsticks, cakes, love, French, and of course... tragedy. Well, it isn’t weird since I’m a girl, but I feel like I’m a little bit more obsessed. Some girls aren’t expressive with liking pretty and romantic things, while some girls simply don’t like ‘em and that’s fine. But I’ve got no problem wearing laced dresses and jeweled anklets and eating strawberries for snacks. If I put on purple eye shadow, pair it with bright red blush and pinkish lip tint, most people would giggle at me, but that’s fine as well. I liked it. I had to pay the price, though. Of course, I was bullied and ostracized a lot among my peers and just because I was fine with it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. It sucks, honestly. I tried fixing up my face and fashion with the standard rich-looking monochromatic style to match everything and it was good; I didn’t hate it and thought it was a different kind of pretty. It was too elegant and beautiful for me, though. I feel too much like an adult, though I actually am. But trying on the shades I want and messing it all up a bit was somehow a little more magical to me. Like the colored powders would sparkle and my face would brighten up like a dolly beauty. Anyway, my 21st birthday was coming soon and mom gave me some money to celebrate it with my friends. But like I said, I wasn’t lucky enough to have those kinds of people. No one likes to be with someone as odd and stubborn as me, but I didn’t want to lose face either, so I had to go out and spend the money. I thought that since it’s my birthday, I might as well make the most of it and enjoy it. I also don’t have any issues walking with my solitude. So when the day came, I dressed up, putting on my most beloved white dress with lots of frills in it. I wore a fabric headband, pearl necklace and earrings, and 3-inched heels. I made my make up as messy and pretty as I wanted it to be and finally headed out. I ate my breakfast at a pancake house and ordered myself a towering sweet pancakes with an extra syrup on it and had hot chocolate for a drink. I rested for a while, then walked around the area to decide where I want to go next. Fortunately, I was able to spot a pretty-looking hotel that had a unique design and neon-flashing signboard barely lit up against the sunlight. The misty weather added mystery and allure to the building, beckoning me in. The receptionist welcomed me warmly, asked for my room accommodation preference, an ID, the payment, and the transaction was done. A man escorted me towards my room and inside made me feel like a princess. Just exactly what I needed. The soft bed was like a warm ocean. I had to read some bawdy novels and touched myself there and took a bit of nap. Then, I listened to music, danced, and watched a movie that I have been putting off for a while now. When I finished the film, it was almost time for lunch, so I went out. A man had also just went out from the room next door. When our gazes met, he smiled at me and bowed gently as a sign of polite greetings. I smiled softly and began walking past him. It seemed like he hesitated at first, but he eventually called out to me, “Uh... miss?” I turned around, “Yes?” “If it’s alright with you, may I join you for lunch?” He asked. I was kind of reluctant at first. At first impression, he does look decent and polite, but who knows? Anyway, he wasn’t trying to be forceful, it’s just lunch, and it was my birthday, so why the hell not? I agreed and we went to the dining hall of the hotel building. It was a pretty restaurant as well that served wines and pastries and delicious foods. I ordered soup, steak, and potatoes for main course and had a shortcake for dessert. Meanwhile, he ordered himself a seafood meal and a bottle of red wine. He began opening a friendly conversation by asking me why I ended up in this beautiful hotel and I told him that it was my birthday. He asked several more things, like why I wasn’t spending the day with my friends or how I celebrate my previous birthdays or what my favorite songs are. He was a real good listener, I couldn’t help but be at ease and speak my mind in front of him. Soon, we ran out of things to talk about me, so as courtesy, I asked about him. “I actually have a confession to make,” He chuckled, sipping on his wine. “I... I don’t know if you’ll believe me.” I shrugged, “Try me.” “Uh, well, to be honest, I have a curse.” “A curse?” I asked, trying to suppress my disbelief. “What kind of curse? What does it do to you?” “It’s a curse that whoever becomes my friend would die. It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. All the friends I’ve ever had, they’re dead. That’s why I have no choice but to talk and interact with strangers all the time. And it gets lonely, you know... having my friends die. The only thing that makes it bearable for me is this, the fleeting moments with people I hardly know.” It was such a strange confession. I had nothing to say about it and he noticed it, so he immediately changed the topic. After lunch, we returned to our hotel rooms and we never met again that day. The moment I checked out, he was already gone. I had my dinner at a restaurant nearby our house and soon went home afterwards. The day ended peacefully and I was happy with how I celebrated my birthday. The next morning, while my mom was drinking her black coffee, watching news from the television, I saw the man that I met in the hotel from yesterday. He was reported to have died from a car accident. Of course, my first reaction was shock. But that was only for a few moments. It turned into interest and then, bliss. I’ve told this before, haven’t I? I like pretty and romantic things. And that kind of tragedy was one of the most romantic and prettiest thing I have ever encountered. I felt shivers down my spine, my skin was crawling with fascination, and my lips curving to an uncontrollable smile. The coincidence, the occurrences, the strangeness of the whole thing--I loved every single bit of it. Few years later, I began spiraling down to my depression and the whole world was becoming duller and bleaker. Sometimes, I’d find even sparkling, pink jewelries void of prettiness. I got constantly bullied, especially while I was inevitably entering adulthood. My mom got sick and everything in life went the wrong way. I simply didn’t liked it anymore. So then, I gripped my resolve and steeled my heart. I withdrew money and went to *that* hotel. The one where I went to during my 21st birthday. It was still eerily the same. The receptionist, the staffs, the golden hallways, the chandeliers, and the lobby. It felt like time was nonexistent inside that building. I requested the same room number and luckily, it was available at the time. I did the same things I did during the first time I went here. Read the same bawdy novel, touched myself the same way, listened to the same songs, danced the same way, and watched the same film. And then, when it was lunchtime, I went out. I looked around and the hallway was spick and span neat and glittering of luxury. I opened my room door again and positioned myself just between the threshold. When I noticed that the room next door was opening, I prepared myself and made it seem like I was just going out as well. I hesitated for a while, then called out to the man that came out from the next door and asked if I could join him for lunch. He seemed to think of it for a while before finally agreeing. We went to the restaurant downstairs and we talked about him. He narrated that his wife banished him from their home because he was caught cheating with some other woman from his work. He said he regretted it and that he wished to return to his wife. He was only staying there for a while until she cools down and he plans to return and ask for forgiveness. We talked about him for so long until there was nothing else about him, so as courtesy, he asked about me. And then, I confessed that I have a curse. I told him the exact same curse that the man told me years ago. The one where his friends die, so he had to deal with fleeting moments with strangers. He laughed out loud and ate and drank. I did the same. The day ended well after I checked out from the hotel. And then, the next day, I jumped from the rooftop of the office building where the man I met yesterday was working and accomplished my suicide. Everything went black, but for some reason, what I saw wasn’t darkness... it was rather a pretty pink.