Episode Episode 2: “Letters Never Sent”
682 Words
Episode 2: “Letters Never Sent”
Setting: Lincoln University Campus – Late Autumn
Golden leaves covered the stone pathways like forgotten memories. The wind had a chill that pressed itself into your bones, reminding you that seasons—like people—change whether you’re ready or not.
In the back row of the campus library, Perry Zane sat hunched over his notebook, scrawling furiously in black ink.
“They read my pain like a poem.
Clapped for my wounds,
But no one stayed long enough to ask where it bled from.”
He didn’t sleep well these days. Since the day Elena had unknowingly recited his poem, he’d felt both elevated and erased.
Literature Class – Midweek
Elena walked in confidently, wearing a beige trench coat and high-heeled boots. Perry was in the corner of the room, mopping. She barely glanced at him—just another maintenance guy.
But today, she held something in her hand.
Another poem.
One she found taped to her locker.
“You don’t see me.
But I burn for you quietly—
A candle behind stained glass.”
She read it aloud again, this time in front of the whole class. Her friends teased her. Some joked it was creepy.
“Secret admirer, huh?” her friend laughed.
Elena smiled, trying not to blush. “I think it’s kinda sweet.”
From the far side, Perry lowered his eyes. He hadn’t meant for her to read this one.
He wanted her to feel the words, not laugh about them.
University Coffee Shop – That Evening
Samantha “Sam” Clark leaned over her sketchpad. She was drawing again—Perry’s face, but not exactly. Her version made him look poetic, mysterious… loved.
She saw him enter the café, headed to clean tables, as part of his night shift.
She waved him over.
“You need to stop throwing poetry at that girl like confetti.”
Perry shook his head. “She’s not like everyone else.”
Sam laughed. “That’s exactly what everyone says before they get burned.”
Their eyes locked—longer this time.
Sam’s voice softened. “You ever write one about me?”
Perry looked at her—really looked. There was a hint of loneliness behind her boldness.
“Not yet,” he said quietly. “But I will.”
Sam blinked. For a second, her smirk faded into something… vulnerable.
Elena’s Dorm – Night
Elena sat at her desk, reading the new anonymous note. This one was different—rawer.
“I fear if I speak,
The spell will break.
So I write,
To keep you perfect in the silence.”
Her brows furrowed.
She wasn’t flattered this time.
She was curious. And maybe a little unnerved.
That night, she went to the campus office and asked for security footage near her locker.
The Accusation
The next day, Perry was called into the dean’s office.
Two security officers were waiting.
“We received a report,” the dean said carefully. “A student feels… targeted. Harassed. You’ve been placing letters on her locker.”
Perry’s voice barely came out. “They’re just poems. I didn’t sign them. I didn’t mean—”
“You are a university employee. You crossed a boundary. We’re suspending you indefinitely, pending further review.”
Just like that, his world collapsed.
Rain. Street. Empty Pockets.
Perry walked alone down West Grant Avenue, his backpack slung over his shoulder, carrying only a few books and his poetry journal. Fired. Shamed. Broken.
He stopped by a river bridge and stared at the water.
Sam’s voice echoed in his mind: “She’s not the one, Perry…”
Final Scene – Sam’s Loft
Sam opened her door in paint-splattered clothes. Perry stood there soaked, eyes red, but he didn’t say a word.
She stepped aside silently.
He walked in, dropped his bag, and collapsed onto her old couch.
She brought him a towel, then sat beside him.
He didn’t look at her.
But his hand slowly reached for hers.
And this time… he didn’t pull away.
Scarlet Soul
- Writer
