The Midnight Miracle

      The night was still young when Ashe got off her car and entered the opening event of the Harley Art Gallery in Compton Avenue. She walked in, looking dazzling as ever in her luminous silk gown, and was immediately greeted by a woman, “Ashe, you made it! How does everything look?” The woman was dressed in a radiant emerald green dress and looked like she was in her mid-30s. Ashe said, “Lacy, you’ve outdone yourself this time, everything looks beautiful.” Lacy smiled and replied, “Oh I’m glad you feel so, I hope the party goes well. Now excuse me while I welcome the Dursleys, I’ll be with you soon.” She hurried off to welcome a couple who had just walked in. Ashe walked into the large room and accepted the glass of champagne that she was offered. She sipped on her drink while walking around the room, admiring the artworks that the white walls flaunted all around the room. She was always a lover of art, especially for the kind of depth each of them held. Ashe looked around, impressed with the grandeur of the gallery. The high ceiling was adorned with hanging pots full of jewel-toned flowers, flashing their vivid shades across the entire place. The whole room was illuminated by the baroque crystal chandelier that stood majestically in the center. Exotic-looking flowers ornamented the tables around the room too. Ashe stopped in her tracks when she smelled something familiar. Familiar but haunting. The scent was so fragrant and intoxicating. She turned around and her gaze fell upon the white flowers that were arranged on the nearest table. The flowers lay there innocently, unaware of the memories attached. She could never forget the scent that followed her everywhere, clinging onto her even when she fell asleep. Her worst memories flooded back to her; the same ones she had been trying to forget for about a year now. Despite all her effort, she was taken back to the night when it all happened.; to the night these flowers will always remind her of.

            It felt like time slowed down when Ashe raised her knife and plunged it into his stomach. Leo laid there struggling, his eyes out of focus. His shrieks collided with her loud, booming laughter, echoing in their room. The room was filled with pictures of Ashe and Leo smiling and in love. The one next to the lamp showed Ashe in a long, silky white gown, holding Leo’s hand, who was dressed handsomely in a tux. The contrast between the picture and the present moment was terrifying. His face held layers of emotions – terror, fear, betrayal, and pain. Her face betrayed a maniac’s expression – almost hungry looking at his wound. Her long hair fell on him, surrounding his pale body, rendering him helpless. Her lips were stretched wide, bearing an intoxicating smile that revealed her perfect set of teeth. The black dress that she was wearing made her look as graceful as a queen but there was nothing graceful about what she was doing now. Every physical feature of hers intensified her beauty but her eyes held a darkness that seemed almost unreachable. It showed no mercy at all. It almost seemed like it had the effect of turning him into a stone, like that of Medusa’s eyes. He lay there helplessly as his screams slowly dissolved into the deep night, leaving room only for death that was settling on him painfully. Her eyes explored the dripping blood that had been smeared all over his shirt. The fresh blood reeked of death, mixed with the fragrance that filled the room. It belonged to the majestic flowers that stood boldly on Leo’s table. Its aroma grappled with the stench of the fresh blood seeping from Leo’s body. The crimson shade matched the painting of a sunset that was hung above the bed, looking down upon the horrific scene. If the four walls could talk, it would speak of the violent story it had witnessed in this tiny room. The window next to the bed revealed a dark, moonless night. The streets were in grim silence, as if aware of the gruesome affair that had taken place – Ashe’s fall from grace.

           She towered over him, the knife still in her hand, dripping his blood onto the sheets, and continued smiling. The look on her face was unsettling and disturbing. Her face betrayed no remorse for her dying husband. She looked at him and the smile quickly faded away. The last thing that Leo saw was this terrorizing expression. She whispered, “How dare you?” over and over again, in a low, dangerous tone. “How dare you ruin our marriage like this? Was I not enough for you?” She went on, her eyes out of focus as if speaking to a wall. “I trusted you, I guess I deserved this for trusting you so much. You deserve all of this for what you did. You deserve being left here to rot.” She stepped away from him slowly, still unable to comprehend everything happening around her. She picked up the white flowers from Leo’s table and placed it on the open slit of his cadaver and wrapped his lifeless hands around them. The room looked almost like a dramatic scene on a stage.

           She was brought back to reality when she heard someone say, “Oh I see you’re admiring the Kadupul flowers. You have a great eye for flowers! It’s one of the most expensive flowers.” Ashe smiled, “Hello Arnold! Oh yes, my husband was a part of the floral industry, so I have an eye for them.” Arnold replied, “Ah yes, I’m truly sorry for your loss.” Ashe said, “Oh that’s okay. It’s been almost a year now, I’m in a better place. He’d have liked seeing this I think.” Arnold replied, “Oh yes, these flowers are truly magnificent. I wonder how Lacy got her hands on them, they are hard to come by, especially these Kadupul flowers.” Ashe smiled and said, “Oh Lacy knows her way around everything. They truly are beautiful, and they smell great too.” Arnold immediately replied, “Oh yes, the fragrance is also called the Midnight Miracle.” Her smile widened deeply, amused by the name of the fragrance, and said, “Ah, midnight miracle indeed.”