Haunted lungs

“Alright Alright, I’ll let loose, okay!? Promise not to laugh! I’m telling you this in secret, Ellie.”

“So when I was around … let me think… thirteen? I was just OBSESSED with fanfictions, I LOVED them. I mean, you should’ve met me and then…” I’m silent for a moment. I want to really build up the suspense. “Then I made a discovery. Romantic tropes.”

“Oh no” She giggles. I love seeing her little smiles. So precious. “Oh yes. Seeing familiar characters with an already established storyline act upon my desires and sick fantasies just …. enthralled me.“ I stop for a second. She was attentively listening.

“So anyway, there was no need to get to know them once again, already having found their Point of View. One of those fantasies, I stumbled upon unknowingly. Its name is…” I make a sort of mysterious hand motion where first they are overlapping, and then I move them further and further apart from one another. “‘Hanahaki Disease’” “What’s that??” It takes me a second to think of a way to explain it as accurately as possible. I can actually visualize the light bulb above my head glowing.

“Remember when you had that HUGE crush on Nina?” “Yes?” “And she didn’t like you back?” “Omg, you did not just-” “I did, and I’m sorry, but I had to! So, in that universe, when you have a crush on somebody and your love is unrequited, you start growing flowers in your organs, but mostly in your lungs.”. “Weird. Well, I mean it sounds interesting. That would not go over well for any of us.” “Nah, it wouldn’t. I gotta use your bathroom real quick, but I’ll be right back.”

It is said that once there is unrequited love in the air, often times the victim’s lungs would become infected with a type of ‘virus’, the virus being flowers. Whole bouquets of flowers would grow internally and eventually be fatal, were they not dealt with. Either the victim’s airways were blocked off entirely, or other vital organs would stop functioning. There’s a surgery that can remove these flowers. It does, nonetheless, also dampen the persons emotions.

Soon, I would consume it endlessly. It was an obsession, no, an addiction to the trope. That is when weird things started happening. Ellie joined my class and with her being such a sweet girl and all, I immediately developed a crush, but she was in love with Nina. It was not long before I felt a strange sensation in my chest. I couldn’t believe it when I coughed up the first pedal, but there it was, a daffodil pedal. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Hey I’m back!!! Was kinda weird, there was actually a petal on the floor! You secretly in love with someone?” “Nah, but I’m feeling kind of sick, I think I should go to bed early.” “But it’s not even been that long! Come onnn, don’t be a party pooper.” “I’m sorry.” My head falls down onto the pillow and I turn to the side. I don’t want her to see me like this. I cough. Instinctively, I pull my right hand up to my mouth. I take a look at it.  A handful of the petals. Soon, they will start turning into flowers and my entire body will be full of them. Even now, just moving a muscle, I am in excruciating pain. I have learnt to live with it and it will not proceed any further. I have to stop loving you.