Purple Flowers

Chapter 1

“f**k, I’m lost,” Danny muttered as he looked at the Waze app on his phone for the umphteenth time.

He rounded a corner, skidded past some cyclists, rode along a busy road, crossed over a river, and even went down a dark, secluded alley, and ended up right back where he started.

“I’ve never been to this town before,” he thought out loud, wondering if he should just stop and ask a local for directions.

He decided to give it one more try.

Looking at his phone again, he decided to take another route. He skated along the sidewalk, past some idle pedestrians. He went on until he was out of the more crowded streets of the town. Using his legs as accelerators, he sped up and reached the seaside, where the morning sun shone in all its glory and illuminated the residential homes with golden yellow light. He stopped, got off his skateboard and looked around him.

“Hoo,” he panted. “Now where am I?”

The first thing he saw sent a chill down his spine. In front of him stood a four-storey flat, completely vacant. It had an empty garage and a lush green front lawn on the ground floor. Peeping over the high walls on tiptoes, Danny could just about make out the shape of a small swimming pool.

Danny hesitated. The gate had no lock to it, but he knew better than to break into private property whether it was occupied or not, and whether it was haunted or not……

Legend has it that outside an empty flat of this very town, lived a strange creature that looked like it was made up of nothing but purple flowers. The creature had no fixed structure, and could take on any shape, size or form. It could even grow to the height of the flat if it wanted to. Any person spotted by the creature will meet his end. The creature will grab him with its flowery, free-formed tentacles, drag him across the front lawn, and swallow him up by throwing him into a deep, dark hole, never to see the light of day again.

Danny gulped. He stepped back and nearly tripped over his skateboard. He thought of leaving the place immediately, but, peeping over the wall a second time, he saw no hint of purple flowers. He decided that a legend is just legend, and let his curiosity get the better of him.

Danny rocked the gate gently. Sure enough, it was not secured. Danny entered the property with ease. He walked a few steps forward and looked around. It seemed pretty quiet and peaceful in here. The swimming pool glistened in the sunlight, and the white umbrellas kept Danny cool from the moderate heat. Danny decided to sit at a table and relax. He took off his backpack, pulled out a water bottle, and helped himself to it.

The wind picked up and ruffled Danny’s long black hair. He smiled. From his seat a few feet above the ground, he had a spectacular view of the seaside and the breathtaking sunlight. Seagulls squawked as they flew above the rocks and the sand. Danny figured that getting lost in a town he was not so familiar with may not be such a bad experience after all.

Suddenly, the wind picked up the pace and blew harder. It bustled through the homely area, making the trees sway to one side in a graceful manner. Danny closed his eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze blowing in his face. It is not an everyday experience where someone from his hometown can enjoy a breeze like this. He sat there for a while, hoping no one will just pick up and make off with his skateboard parked outside the flat.

When Danny opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see what looked like flower petals flying around in the air, in the same motion and direction as the wind. He wondered where they all came from. He watched and waited. Soon, more and more petals began gathering in the front lawn of the flat, next to the swimming pool. As the wind increased in speed, the petals began swirling in a spiral-like pattern, forming a strange shapeless blob in the midst of it. An uneasy feeling began settling in Danny’s stomach. In a panic, he dropped his half-finished water bottle and ran towards the gate and tugged at it.

It was locked.