Which Smile Lies Underneath

Startles, Sari awoke to sound of a tumbling down empty can. She finds herself strapped onto a metal bed in a vast empty room. It’s dark but she knows it’s still daylight as she sees a straight line of sun peeking trough the hole on the roof. Where am I is the first that come into her mind…but no one is there to answer her question.

“Hello…is there anyone there?” Sari shouts, “HELP!!! can anyone help me please!!!” Her voice bounces back from the dark wall and creates chilling echoes. She stops shouting. She feels like a kid again, scared of her own voice.

Sari tries to track back her last memory. She was in a party, it was a mask party. a friend asked Sari to keep her company. A mask party sounded intriguing to Sari’s ears. There was this guy in the long black coat with a white mask on his face. His voice was deep and charismatic. Sari liked straight away him even though she hadn’t seen his face. She imagined him as a man with sweet smile that could easily break any girl’s heart. His baby blue eyes were shining when he laughed. He offered her a drink and they left the party to find a better place to talk. And that was the last thing she could remember.

The sound of someone opening the door distracts her thought. There is a slit of daylight and a silhouette of someone by the door. It lasts only for few seconds as the door is closed again. That someone walks toward Sari. The approaching of that someone made Sari shivers. The wall bounces the sound of the footsteps into an intensified deafening loudness. She has never been this scared her whole life.
The closer he walks to her the more she knows who he is. Her suspicion is answered when she sees a man in dark suit wearing white mask. He is still holding the rose like the first time they met.

“You!! Why are you taking me here?” Sari asks in pleading tone, “Please let me go…please“.

The man says nothing, he is staring at her with his baby blue eyes that once attracted Sari. The eyes are no longer shining happily, they are now cold and terrifying. She no longer imagines that there is a sweet smile hidden behind the mask, the sweet smile has turned into an ugly and scary smile. She no longer has desire to lift the mask and see the smile that follow his blue eyes.

The man put the rose on Sari’s stomach. She is shivering with fear when the rose touches her bare stomach. At that moment, she finally realizes that she is naked.
“Please let me go….” she pleads. Her eyes are full of fear. “I’ll do anything you want…but please let me go, please don’t hurt me.” Tears are now falling down her cheeks.

“Hurt you?” The man finally says something. “I will never hurt you, I will never hurt your beautiful skin. I am here to help you.” He caresses her arm as if her arm is a fragile china. He takes a pail full of rose petals and spreads them around Sari. “Your skin is as smooth as these roses, but it shine more beautiful than them. Didn’t you know that?” He keeps spreading the petals. “It’s a pity that such beautiful skin will turn ugly as the time goes by. I am here to prevent time from hurting your beautiful skin.” His voice is so full of love and admiration but that makes Sari more afraid than ever.

“What are you saying?” sari asks. Confusion and terror are swimming in her mind.

“The wrinkle of an old lady always destroys the beauty of woman’s skin” He whispers near Sari’s ear. “I will never let your skin turns into ugly wrinkle.” He is smiling, Sari is so sure he is smiling behind that mask. In an instant she knows something terrible is about to happen.

“No…no…don’t hurt me…please…NOOOO!!!“

The room turns dead silent when the man hit Sari’s head. His preparation is finished with the rose petals. He takes his knife and starts skinning her. He has that smile again underneath that mask. Which smile is it, Sari will never knows.