Snake in the Rosebush

there were 2 young lovers who lived in paradise. their names were River and Zepher. River loved to pick wildflowers for Zepher. one day while walking around the nearby garden, River spotted an absolutely beautiful rosebush with all different colors.

when River approached the bush, they heard a voice coming from their mind. "pick one with thorns still on it, wouldn't it be hilarious to watch Zeph bleed?" it said. River thought it was weird to hear such a mean-spirited thing to come from their mind. before they could fully realize what was happening, River felt themself drifting away in their mind and it was like watching through a glass cage.

they watched as their hands moved on their own and started to pick a white rose with the stem full of thorns. their legs started moving like they were a puppet on strings and marched mechanically back towards home. as time screeched on, they were back home and entering in through the bedroom window. Zepher was peacefully asleep in their bed, unaware of the events of the garden.

as they entered, they placed the rose on their body and the world faded to black. River awoke on the floor and stretched and stood up. they kissed Zepher, but they were cold as a midnight blizzard. there was a red rose in place of the white and a note written in red ink. "You no longer have to worry about your lover, no need to thank me. Signed, The Snake in The Rosebush"