Inkling | rejected & unpublished short stories

Black Tiles

Here's the myth. They cannot step on anything that is not black, or else they will explode to a hundred and one pieces. At least, not physically—the detonations are in the head.

            In humbler words, they will go mad if we step on anything coloured.

            Jia retreated a step back as she accidentally stepped on the pink-tiled floor with her bare foot. She did not obliterate or go crazy. She was supposed to turn mad, like her parents when they did the same.

            Glancing around, she ducked into the door with the low-hung curtains. Usually, she would play along and act crazy when anyone sees her soles touch anything other than black.

            No one saw her.

            Sighing, she bent down to hook her fingers into the loose corner of her room carpet. The black carpet trembled as she tried to shake it off with one hand. Her walls were bursting with colours in various shapes, layered on top of each other like dominoes. The ceilings were sprinkled with dried flowers, an upturned garden under a roof. The whole room screamed the curse everyone was scared of. Nobody ever attempted to step on coloured surfaces except Jia. Her family threw disapproving responses towards her rainbow room but as long as she kept the carpet black, they got nothing on her.

            It perplexed her to no end that they chose to believe what they had never personally experience. A perfectly passed down story versus a girl willing to prove that nothing will happen if they step on yellow and white and blue and purple floors—they will choose the former.

            With another hard tug, the black carpet came off and ripped, revealing the colourful mat beneath it.

            "Sweet black," cooes someone from her back. Jia whipped her head around, not knowing how to react. The girl gaped at Jia, gripping the sides of the door as if waiting for an outburst, the aftermath of the supposed curse. Jia blinks at her, resorting to standing up as sane as a seventeen year old could endure. "How did you do it? How did you resist the urge to be mad? You stepped on—on, colours!" She even stuttered before choking out the word, as if it was a mere curse word.

            "Shh!" Jia pulls her in, making her scream as she dives onto the remains of the black carpet. Crossing her arms on top of her chest, Jia prodds on, "Have you ever stepped on anything other than black?"

            Pertrified and curious, the girl answers, "No."

            "C'mon, step on the mat," Jia beckons her to get off the shrouded pile of black carpet. She emphasizes her feet on the colours, swiping them on every shade.

            "No, maybe you're special," the girl concluded, nodding.

            "I'm perfectly normal, like you. What should I call you? Come over and try," Jia shakes her head, extending her hand so it is directly beneath the girl's nose.

            "You can call me Okay," she shrugs, "I don't want to go mad."

            "You won't. And even if you do, it will only last a few hours."

            Okay contemplates it, chewing her bottom lip as if she could squeeze out a decision from it. Jia keeps coaxing, tempting her by prancing around on the mat. Okay finally gave in and set her feet on the mat, yellow first. Silence is cued as nothing happens. Jia's laughter is the only thing that explodes as Okay reached her left leg towards another colour and stepped. Still, nothing happens.

            Okay looks up, bewilderedly happy.

            "Let's run on the grey paved road and keep our eyes on the stars," Okay says, her eyes glistening with her discovery.

            "In public?"

            Okay takes Jia's hand, "Let the others see. Let's make them realize how wrong they are. We can set them free."

            Jia's face broke into a smile and she nods fast. They run out of the building and feel the wind lash them on the face. Their feet are bare as they padded down the road, laughing. Heads poke out of windows followed by flung open doors, surprise painted on every face observing them.

            "We can change the world!" Jia shouts, "C'mon, you can do it too. You can be free today. The curse is just a myth."

            Hesitantly but curiously, a few people board the grey road. They take their socks off and inhale the damp night air. Elation explodes in Jia, having to share her secret with everyone. Now everyone can step on colours.

            Then the first scream came, tearing apart the nighttime like a dagger.

            Jia and Okay look around in shock as the people around them clawed their hair and laughed hysterically. They started to walk dangerously, swaying and talking gibberish. They hit walls but treat it as a joke.

            They become mad.

            "I told you, you're special," Okay whispers, letting go of Jia's arm. "You can't just go and tell everyone that they can be like you."

            Jia watches in utter sadness and surprise as Okay dropped on her knees and started cackling.

Author's Note:

This is not a love story, I am aware. I don't spend my life making metaphors about love, although it seems likely hahah. Again, this story is sparked by the lyrics in the photo. It took twenty minutes, on a free afternoon with Iffah. Free writing, no crossing over words and no thinking.