The Red Chrysanthemums

A letter from a stranger was left on Norman's doorstep. The letter had no return address, zip code, name, or anything. Norman found the pink letter after he opened his door. He read it and exclaimed, "I didn't even tell anyone about my whereabouts!"

"Knock knock" A knock was enough to distract him from his endless thoughts. Norman rushed to the door, narrowed his eyes through his big glasses to look at the peephole, but no one was there, so he reached for the doorknob and opened the old green door. His eyes widened when he noticed a pink letter on the ground. A letter! At this hour? I didn’t even tell anyone about my whereabouts! Who knows about this place? Who knows about this place? He said to himself anxiously. "There is no return address, no zip code, no name, or anything! Ahh, this gives me headaches, "he said in a shaky voice. Norman opened the pink anonymous letter. Inside the letter, there was nothing except a photo. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The photo was of a red bouquet at his apartment. Little spots of blood were on the back of the photo along with the words "I’m always watching you ッ" written in red ink. He immediately locked the door and turned the lights off, sweating and frightened like a little kid being chased by dogs. After a while, Norman tried to figure out a way to escape from this chaos. Eventually, it was not his fault, and everyone might have believed him if he had gone to the police and told the truth about what happened that evening. He was trembling and turned the TV on to calm himself down. It was only a few days after that horrible incident, the one he could not stop thinking about. The reporter said the missing girl was nowhere to be found and the police were seeking a lead, while the primary suspect was in the wind.

So, he reached for his jacket and pulled out his black journal, where he began to write down anything he remembered from that day. Luiza invited me to dinner at her place on March 12^th at 3 p.m. over a text message. I responded immediately because I liked her and it was supposed to be our third date.

He needed confirmation of this because no one believed him, and he flew away from the scene and forgot his cell phone at her apartment, he continued.

I didn’t want to go empty-handed, so after finishing my work earlier than usual, I went to Maisy's and purchased her flowers, and paid in cash. Fortunately, Mrs. Maisy knows me and she could be my alibi. Our meal was scheduled for 6:30 p.m., but it was still 5:30 p.m. Then I went home to freshen up and prepare for dinner. I shaved, put on my best dinner jacket, and left at 6 p.m. I realized that I had forgotten the bouquet as I was approaching Luiza’s apartment, so I walked up the stairs empty-handed.

Luiza was a shy girl. She always wanted to be herself around him and the way she talked stole Norman’s heart.

The only thing he could think of was Luiza’s golden silk-like hair and what kind of topics they should discuss at this dinner date.

When he arrived at her place, the door was open. Her apartment was tidy and filled with the scent of baked goods. In the left corner, he saw a bouquet of flowers on the counter, as well as a card! Dinner was on the table. He called her a few times, but there was no answer. He got worried and started to look for her. Norman was shocked when he saw his red bouquet along with his card on the counter. How can this be possible? I am sure this is my card, my handwriting, but the thing is, I forgot mine in my apartment! He screamed. He spotted blood in the sink and panicked. What happened? Where is she? Should I call the police? He reached for his phone and called her instead, but it directly went to voice mail. He could hear sirens, so he rushed out of the apartment and he watched the police entering the building. The neighbors called the police and apparently, an anonymous caller told them they had heard two people arguing, but when they arrived, no one was there and there was no evidence of anyone else except a bouquet of red chrysanthemums on the counter. And just like that, Norman became the main suspect.

While he was writing, suddenly, he remembered seeing a co-worker from his previous job. Of course, Tim was there as well! He entered the shop a few minutes after me, looking suspicious. When I eventually decided to buy her red chrysanthemums. At that time, I didn’t notice his purchase. How stupid of me. Tim asked for red ones after seeing mine. Why do I remember this now? Can this be a coincidence? Is he involved? I had the impression that I was being followed after leaving the florist, but this was real life, not a movie, so I kept walking. Norman became suspicious and questioned everything about that day.

Tim always liked to get into trouble and had a habit of annoying his workfellows. He once hit a co-worker, and when they asked him why? He said he just felt like it! Once, Norman received a dead rat in the mail and it was from Tim because he accidentally ate Tim’s sandwich. It was a silly mistake because their bags looked the same! So, he held a grudge against Norman. Tim was reported to HR. This accident left Tim jobless. Norman became Tim’s main rival. Tim was the one to blame. He needed help, and he was dangerous.

Norman is in this mess because someone out there is holding a grudge against him! Was this his revenge for getting fired? Framing him up for something he didn’t do? Or, as he said, he is someone who just feels like it!