They parted and went back home. Ichika hold the box wondering what's in the lovely pink box. She heard a gentle shake as she walked back home. It didn't sound particularly heavy or massive, almost too small for the box. She didn't ponder much and patiently waited for the surprise to reveal itself once she opened it.

Ichika hummed until she reached the front door of hers. She hold the knob and twisted it slowly. As the door waved her open, she managed to waft herself an unpleasant smell. Blood.

At the end of the hallway, she saw one of the sliding doors was left open because something was blocking it on the floor. Her mother, lying on the floor, bathed with blood. Ichika vividly remembered, how lively she was back then before she left. Who knew, that kiss and hug was the last time. There won't be next time for her to seek her mother's warmth. It's cold and silent as the air was.

She dragged herself to her lifeless mother to take a final look at it, "Yeah, she's dead," said Ichika, trembling. The gift she had clutched fell from her weak hand and dipped itself in the sea of blood.

Momentarily, she was taken back a few hours ago when she's at school. "I wanted you to write as you please about your family," the Japanese subject's teacher said in her head. It was vivid what she wrote about, but not clear what she actually wrote. It's true, she missed her dad. However, she didn't fret nor thought much about it because of her mum. She also wrote down about the precious and painful memories they went through together as one.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

What irony, she thought. The timing couldn't be worse. She had such poor luck; no matter how hard she tried, not a single tear fell. The situation had caught her off guard, leaving her unable to react properly. "I'm sorry, Mum. You've got the world's worst daughter," she said weakly.

For a few moments, she stood there, staring at her deceased mother. "Not a tear has come out. I can't just stand here doing nothing," she finally said, gathering herself. As she looked around, she noticed that the present was now a dark crimson red, no longer resembling the cute pink box it once was.

She stepped onto the thick red substance and picked up the box. Her hands were shaking as she lifted the cover, revealing a shining silver necklace and a folded piece of paper. As any girl would, she took out the necklace and examined its intricate shapes and patterns.

It was lovely how it had been crafted, featuring a design of two lovebirds perched on a branch. She put it on, trying to muster a smile, but it fell flat. Then, she unfolded the paper and straightened it out.

There was a short and quick text, "Congrats on the story. I wished to see what you would reach, together."