[フレーム]
Article:Lostwhat's Proposal 1: Floriography
Author: Lostwhat Lostwhat
Original: Lostwhat的提案一:花語
Translator: Kikunai Kikunai
Image Source:
here, its author is Tomi Mäkitalo, and was released under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Floriography
19 years and 312 days after "The Blossoming"
They all say, flowers can speak.
When I was a child, I was confused by this statement. Flowers are pretty, yes, people are at least somewhat obsessed with their aesthetics and shapes, but flowers do not possess a tongue nor a soul. Flowers are simply flowers, as their name imply. I do not believe they can understand the complex feelings of a human. Emotions belong to no other species than humans, as they are our utmost pride and treasure. Feelings are more complex than emotional responses.
Because of beliefs, we firmly believe we can be saved by gods and spirits born from a world of doubt and fear.
Because of love, we sacrifice everything to protect lives that are not of our own.
Because of pain, we irrationally throw everything to the corners of our room, and cocoon ourselves under layers of quilts and blankets.
These irregularities are what make us human, and create the beautiful things seen through our pupils.
Indeed, flowers have their own language. No, I am not talking about the signals between plants, but the language of flowers. Humans have assigned a language for each flower, and thus they can symbolise and represent concepts. I am not sure whether they wield the power of feelings because of their prettiness, or were feelings crowned by flowers because of their wonder? Either way, these are not important, for they are not evidences of flowers possessing a tongue.
So, what do flowers understand of us?
I have pondered it long and hard, yet at last I have reached no conclusion. As I discover myself not dissimilar than others, that we are unable to find the answer of this question, I have given up on thinking such things.
Until I have received a letter, of which the following was its opening line:
"Hello, Scarlet. We have not spoken in twenty years, have we not?"
Spider lily: savouring memories
19 years and 315 days after "The Blooming"
Entering: Deep Layer Archive Search System
Welcome, Researcher Scarlet. I am Anchor.aic, the administrator of Deep Layer Archive.
May I ask what you're looking for?
Say, what is love? ▏
In a narrow sense, love was an emotion displayed by humans, a feeling established on the attachment and love for others. Biologically speaking, the existence of love is related to reproduction, as well as protection from environmental danger during formation of groups and societies. However, this feeling may cause humans to do irrational acts — altruistic behaviors such as getting hurt when protecting their loved ones, and giving money or other valuables to lovers are commonly seen. The last documentation of love was confirmed to be replaced completely on early April, 2039 by SCP-ZH-001.
Then, what is sadness? ▏
Sadness was a basic human emotion. To elaborate, it can display as emotional responses such as disappointment, displeased, upset, despair and helplessness. This emotion can be commonly seen on humans when they encounter something that are disfavourable to themselves, and thus a physiological function to protect themselves from danger. The last documentation of sadness was confirmed to be replaced completely on early March, 2039 by SCP-ZH-001.
And… what kind of feeling is happiness? ▏
Happiness was the first of the six basic emotions. When humans experience happiness, it usually originates from an event that are beneficial to them, and thus brings them excitement and pleasure. Such emotions will prompt humans to actively try to take actions that are beneficial to themselves. The last documentation of happiness was confirmed to be replaced completely on June, 2039 by SCP-ZH-001.
Understood. ▏
Do you need any other of my services?
…… ▏
Miss Scarlet?
There is something that has to be done. Something from a long, long time ago. ▏
Is it a contract?
No, a promise, from twenty years ago — when we were called… humans. ▏
Is it not true now?
You know what I meant. ▏
Sorry.
To fulfill lthis promise, I will require your help, Anchor.
Can you bring back emotions for me? Anything you can, even just a little bit? ▏
This is impossible. It has been nineteen years since the appearance of SCP-ZH-001, and over 99.99% of the global population has become complete infectants. Such task is unachievable without coming contact with the Mad Flower Disease. You have no reason to die, and as a fellow property of the Foundation, I do not hope you seek your own death. This is the age where our ideology is the closest to those of humanity, so I hope you understand my concerns.
No, I am not seeking my own death, it's just… Nevermind, just get me the SCP-001 file. ▏
You have read the file for 493 times, do you wish to proceed?
That would be wonderful, Anchor. Perhaps this will let me retrieve something. ▏
Understood.
Opening file: SCP-ZH-001
Orange day-lily: the oblivion of apprehension
31 days after "The Blooming"
Item #: SCP-ZH-001
Object Class: Apollyon
Special Containment Procedure: Currently, the patterns of transmission of SCP-ZH-001 are poorly understood, and there are no evidence of successfully preventing from/ fight against infections from SCP-ZH-001; it is not even known if it is spread by transmission. As of the time of writing this document, it has already infected over 20% of the global population. The infected are randomly distributed in different areas, mostly in cities. There are patients all over the world.
All actions against the spread of SCP-ZH-001 have concluded in failure, and its existence has been fully known by the public. Thus, SCP-ZH-001 can simultaneously trigger a CK-class Reality Restructuring Scenario and a Broken Maskerade Scenario, yet the Foundation has no countermeasures to stop the scenarios mentioned above. To prevent further losses, the Foundation has not opened the Veil of the anomalous, and planned to pursuade the public to slowly accept the presence of SCP-ZH-001 using the internet and news reports.
If a Foundation staff has infected by SCP-ZH-001, they only have to report themselves to the SCP-ZH-001 containment team; no self-containment is nessesary, and they are allowed to return to their original post. If not for such policies, the infected staff, which account for nearly 30% of the Foundation's employees, will severely interrupt the normal operation of the Foundation. This is putting the cart before the horse, as other important Foundation work cannot be completed.
The mass blooming of flowers on the impact of the ecosystem is currently being assessed, although all flowers caused by SCP-ZH-001 have lost their ability to continue growing or reproduce. Hence, such assessment has a lower priority.
Description: SCP-ZH-001 is a large-scale anomalous event occurring worldwide on 2022年6月19日. It has directly caused the failure of all Foundation coverup artifices and thus known by the public. Its source, mechanism and routes of transmission are not known and under investigation. This event is known as "The Blooming", which has infected 5% of the global population within the initial 24 hours. This number is still increasing at the time of writing.
SCP-ZH-001 uses humans as a host and grows various flowers on their bodies. These flowers prefer to grow on uncovered skin or organs, such as but not limited to skin, eyeballs, nails or teeth, and takes within 20 seconds to grow completely. No harm towards human bodies is observed, nor do they require energy from the host when growing. At present, the growing conditions of SCP-ZH-001 is still yet known, but it is clear that it is related to the mood swings from the host, as vigorous swings induce frequent blossoming.
The flowers caused by SCP-ZH-001 do not continue to grow and stay as such. They possess no other anomalous traits and can be easily removed, which causes no harm to the host. It is common for affected personnel to be covered by flowers from themselves, but unusual to be injured or killed by such phenomenon.
More information will be updated along research progresses.
Lily of the valley: a forthcoming of happiness
On the day of "The Blooming"
SM0BM9w.jpgAt last, the rain hasn't stopped, even she has hung many, many teru teru bōzu by the window. Why hasn't it stopped? Grey raindrops drummed on the yellow umbrella, rolled to the edges, and fell onto wet grass. Mist has obscured Scarlet's vision. She couldn't see the sun that should've been high in the sky, couldn't recognise the shape of iris petals in her hand, and couldn't find her mama's whereabouts.
Didn't mama hate rainy days?
Scarlet blinked again. Mama doesn't like tears rolling down her face either. She's already tired, tired of crying, because no matter how hard she cries, how many times she throws tantrums, this time, mama won't be nodding her head and giving her soft-hearted approval. The ache in her heart could not be washed by the rain, but rather seeped into it. Drop by drop, the rainwater strangled her dry and tired throat.
"There is no need to cry," she said. "Mama is just fast, that you and papa couldn't keep up."
Liar. Mama is bedridden, how come she said she was fast? Scarlet wasn't stupid, no! Every time mama said she was a silly child, although she also said she is kind, and that's the most important virtue to be human. How can she become smart? What does being kind mean?
Tell me, mama.
Please tell me…
The rain continued with no sign of stopping.
It was her turn. Scarlet in her small red rainboots walked towards that rock and pile of dirt. She knew mama was underneath all of this. There were plenty of orange-red flowers next to the rock, which she did not know the name of.
The umbrella slipped carelessly from her small hands, but she did not care. Raindrops slide from her hair to her cheeks, and the coldness seeped through her black dress. She quietly knelt in front of the rock, took out a purple iris and laid it on the mud. But when she touched the soil, something has changed.
Flowers bloomed between her fingers.
Flowers with many intricate petals spread around her finger and formed a ring, a bracelet. The white flowers slowly covered half of Scarlet's hand.
She did not know it was called "Upright-spiked GalingaleCyperus orthostachyus".
And its language is "Longing".
It seems, these blooming flowers have taken away some pain that the rainwater couldn't wash away.
At last, the ache in Scarlet's chest, in the form of flowers, was also buried by her.
Cherry blossoms: igniting lives
1965, 57 years before "The Blooming"
…Forgive me to disagree such viewpoint. I started studying psychology when I was sixteen, then falling in love, having children, saying a last farewell to my parents, and at last standing on this stage. After all these years, the thought of "emotions is a hindrance to mankind" has never come to my mind even once.
The moment us humans are called "humans", we already have hundreds, even thousands more emotions than other animals could have. Love made us protect each other, made us establish stable societies, and to unconditionally protect others from harmful beasts and insects. Admiration made us find the most efficient ways to lead a society, while sadness told us not to make the same mistakes. I believe rationality is built on the constains of sensibility — sensibility tells you how to do things, how to devote oneself, how to shirk; these important emotions for survival, combined with rationality, will judge what is right. If no such emotions exist, humans would not have such achievements today.
But if humanity abandoned their emotions, what will they look like? I believe we must admit one thing: this world has become one that is habitable to humans. If emotions are ripped away from their DNAs, they will not be extinct because of the aforementioned beasts. Furthermore, I do not believe humanity would wither away without emotions; note that all I have spoken are theories established on the foundation of modern civilisations. Humans without emotions are going to seek the largest collective benefit, since sensibility has once taught them the fact that humans must work together to survive. Thus, humanity will still collaborate in the force of interests.
If this question was asked three thousand years ago, I would have told you humanity without emotions must wither.
But if it is now, I would tell you that perhaps they would live a better life than ours.
I believe it would be the definition of "human".
— An excerpt from British psychologist Adele Winston's Where does human nature ultimately lead?
Purple balsam: the hums of summer
Three years after "The Blooming"
CNN news report, 2025
[Content omitted]
Reporter: Back to the scene. As we all know, today marks the third anniversary of "The Grand Blooming". The streets of New York are filled with people holding lanterns who wish to send blessings to this commemorative day, while the doors of every house are decorated with flowers. To humanity, today three years ago may just be the biggest leap of human civilisations. Some even say the Grand Blooming will have a greater impact than the birth of Jesus Christ, and create a new chapter for humanity.
Reporter: Although religious activities have massively dwindled, there are still many believers who have put on their robes, Kāṣāyas and religious headwear and joined the parade. (Striding forward) Hello sir, are you a Christian?
Interviewee: Oh, yes. What is it?
Reporter: Is there a particular reason that you are still religious?
Interviewee: …Well (A roselle flower has grown on his neck), it's true that I'm not as devoted as before, but you could say it's a habit. There are still a lot of benefits to being religious, like a regular daily routine, communicate with my neighbours better, and meeting a lot of people. I can't think of a disadvantage.
Reporter: t's true that people still pray to God out of habit. By the way, can I ask your opinion on the reform of state education?
Interviewee: Are you referring to including floriography in basic education?
Reporter: Yes, it's been a controversial topic on the internet. What are your stances?
Interviewee: Me? I'm… probably on the side of opposition. Even if floriography is useful in daily lives, but it's still not quite appropriate to let others know your internal thoughts.
Reporter: The main argument from the opposing faction are mostly based on privacy, yes. Thank you sir for your time. Oh, we can see the parade floats have arrived. Our dear viewers, do you still remember last year…
[End of record]
Red carnation: a lesson of trusting in love
19 years and 315 days after "The Blooming"
Have you found what you seek for?
Nope. These rosemary are so troublesome. I still have not gotten used to their smell. ▏
Rosemary… "Memories one wish not to recall"?
You and the flowers knows my thoughts better than me, Anchor. I simply want to know what emotion I should wear when facing certain memories. ▏
Do you require assistance? I believe I am more familiar with the events in the database. May I ask what exactly you are looking for?
… I have received a letter from my late mother, of which the addressee is me twenty years after her passing.
In the opening of the letter, she said she would love me to visit her.
I have not read further, as I am not the same person she knows, the same person who once was flooding with emotions.
To her, the current me is just a stranger who forgot love.
There is no way she could have recognised me. ▏
So the reason you have connected to the Deep Layer Archive was to understand what emotion you should wear when you visit your mother?
Yes. |
This is… frankly absurd.
I know, I know. I no longer have a heart, nor can I feel nostalgia, sadness, or anything.
But I have been following her footsteps in my entire life. Even though it has been twenty years, I can still see her silhouette.
She has been always here, never has she left my side. ▏
But this is nonsense, at least to the present you.
Not everyone who lost their emotions have become a robot, right?
At the end of rationality, there are still things that humanity can seek for; the love, the hate, the pain we once felt have not disappeared.
They simply became memories and persist to this day.
The instinct of seeking memories still shrouds our kind, and I am no exception.
I want to bring something that she needs when I return to her place. ▏
It is a difficult topic to digest. If you permit my assistance, do you want to see information that I have hidden far, far below?
Oh, can I? I only have a Level 2 Clearance, I thought… ▏
Shh, let this be our little secret.
Foundation Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct - Article 15: In case of necessity, Artificial Intelligence shall have the power to grand access of high Clearance documents to staff with low or no Clearance.
I believe this is the time.
…Sometimes you resemble a human more than I do. ▏
Because I am a product thirty years ago.
Opening file: SCP-ZH-001 Addendum (Require Level 4 Clearance)__
Calendula: yielding despair
135 days after "The Blooming"
I am Rösler, the lead research team of SCP-ZH-001, and this is a report for the Three Enclosure Command regarding our progress. Forgive me for skipping the greetings as we have little time, so let me just start with the circumstances in our lab.
First of all, more than half of our staff has been infected with ZH-001. We have not come to a useful conclusion regarding the method of transmission that the Command has requested. No one knows how the anomaly spreads; several hundred million people around the world have simultaneously infected by ZH-001 on the same day with no traces to find. This has violated all transition logic of any kind of virus, bacteria, memes, or other anomalous stuff, but we still can't do anything on it. Efforts on controlling the plague has been futile. We cannot sort, quarantine and contain eighty billion people in an instant. The number of new patients each day is in the tens of millions, there are simply things we cannot achieve. Even the D-class we have quarantined with the highest level possible has been infected when we are 100% sure they have not come in contact with ZH-001. This has further stalled our research progress.
However, unlike our initial hypothesis, we have gradually discovered the effects of the anomaly on human subjects. At first, we thought this was some sort of parasitic alien plant, but soon enough it was found that the energy it draws from for growing does not come from our body, but somewhere else. Such source is still an enigma. Do you know, sir? The behavioral model of the anomaly is far beyond from our expectation. That is why we have such slow research progress.
Although we do not have direct evidences, but all current hypothesis have point to one vague answer. Please look at this table.
| Subject | Situation | Flower grown | Flower language | Emotion after growing flowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-3677 | Receiving the first hug after becoming a D-class | Chinese peony | Reluctant to part; Shyness | Peaceful |
| D-9172 | Being beaten | Black thornapple | A broken heart; Death | Peaceful |
| D-2238 | Was released | Bird of paradise | Freedom; Happiness | Peaceful |
| Researcher Vier | Busy with work; called home in their spare time | Red Pelargonium | Lingering sense of longing | Peaceful |
| Researcher Hibiscus | Conducting experiments | Chinese angelica-tree flower | Cautious | Peaceful |
| Agent Heartfell | Brought coffee and candies to Researcher Hibiscus, who was working overtime | Snapdragon | Please notice my love | Peaceful |
| Researcher Holt | No results with SCP-ZH-001 transmittion experiment | Chamomile | Life and hope renewed | Peaceful |
Have you noticed a pattern? Yes, it's their flower language and the odd sense of peacefulness.
SCP-ZH-001 seems to be absorbing our feelings and emotions — whether it's love, sadness, happiness, pain, fright, surprisement, they all have transformed into flowers with the corresponding flower language, and bloom on our bodies. On the other hand, our emotions have become dull, like they have been replaced by those flowers. We no longer feel despair and sadness when we are jilted; instead, teamillets grow from our faces. We no longer cry nor curl up when we are sad; instead we throw up blue petals of Japanese gentian flowers. Every emotion molted into flowers, form crowns on our heads, and eating away our inherent curses as humans.
Every infected researcher I know has become more and more… collected. They no longer respond to their emotions because they are unable to have outbursts; all they can do is to adorn their bodies with more flowers, drown themselves in the sea of petals, and do whatever they should do. They are still the same people, they have not become monsters nor lost their egos — they even are our main force of our research team. My hypothesis is that the loss of their emotions lets them to concentrate better and work in a higher efficiency. They are indeed still our colleagues, but I can no longer lie to myself that they're our kind. One day— perhaps soon— my body will also be a flower field. I want to know what it feels like to lose emotions, but I do worry my curiosity will be long gone by then.
Another odd thing that we have observed. Last week, our D-class has accidentally witness a containment breach. Befroe we get to suppress the scene, her husband, who is also a D-class, was torn to shreds in front of her. These two are both infected— the dying husband was drowned by blossoms on his body; I saw many, many beautiful flowers that I have lost count of their species. I believe this is because humans tend to think a lot when they're at the brink of death. However, the abnormal part of the story is the D-class who is still alive. She shivered as she witness her husband's death, while tons of flowers burst on her body, blooming, withering, then blooming again, withering. She was still in this status when I arrived.
The flowers that fell on the ground quickly became dust, though she cannot stop shivering, and that evolved into screams, screams and screams. Flowers spewed out of her mouth, out of her eye sockets, but these did not stop her breakdown. She was one of the first patients we have received, and one of the most infected, most emotionally stable. At last she was engulfed by her flowers, which flooded almost half of the corridor. When we finally removed all the flowers, she was already suffocated by ghost pipe, "the flower of death", in her throat.
This abnormal phenomenon is promptly named "Mad Flower Disease". Our hypothesis is that SCP-ZH-001 was not able to convert her overwhelming emotions into flowers in time, and as a result, killed her.
Wisteria: Still unwithered
299 days after "The Blooming"
Meeting record #:001-3E-22
Attendees: 3E-2、3E-3、3E-5、3E-6、3E-9、3E-10、3E-12
Venue: Site-ZH-01
[Log begins]
3E-3: So, tomorrow is our promised 300th day, yes?
3E-6: Did you lose not only your emotions, but your ability to count?
3E-2: Please don't be like this, Six. You know the aim of this meeting—
3E-6: —is to decide the future of humanity, and tell them where we should go next. Of course I know, but all of you except me are infected by 001, no? Is this meeting necessary?
3E-10: You know the answer better than us. Plus, it is within your freedom to decide if you want to come or not. Time will not stop for us, the world will continue to spin, and now is the time to decide our future. Whether we are infected or not, we are still the same person as before.
3E-9: I have no interest in this nonsense for three hundred days. The development of the antidote has been stuck in a bottleneck, and the origin of the anomaly is still unknown. If I were me in the past, I wouldn't just sit here calmly — the meeting table would've been upside down ten minutes ago.
3E-3: We haven't started our meeting ten minutes ago.
3E-9: I was already here ten minutes ago.
3E-6: I hate you all, and the aroma of this room.
3E-5: We don't have such emotions anymore, Six. Flowers have taken away many things, but there are still a lot of work waiting for us. We don't have time for your outbursts.
3E-6: …Whatever. The only reason I haven't leave this room is my job, so please be considerate of this. Though you all have no empathy left.
3E-12: Alright, alright, everyone, we aren't here for a fight, yes? I'm sure we all know what choices lie in front of us.
3E-10: To surrender, or to start a war with flowers, yeah? On one hand, we accept the existence of SCP-ZH-001 and become an entire different species; on the other hand, we risk all resources so that we can Unveil ourselves and fight those flowers til death. Even though we know nothing about our enemies, surrendering is not an option for me.
3E-6: Aren't you already infected.
3E-9: Can you just shut up for a sec.
3E-6: Talking freely is in my nature, Nine. Are you jealous?
3E-12: I can't believe this is a Three Enclosure meeting.
3E-2: Can we just start the voting process.
3E-6: So there's that.
3E-3: You are oddly calm about that.
3E-6: Voting in the council has always been a sacred process, and its result is the will of the Foundation. Even if I'm pissed at the result, it's the consensus of all council members. I have no reason to oppose.
3E-9: Even if you have different opinions than mine, you are still indeed a member of the Three Enclosure.
3E-6: Cringe. Get up, let's go. Stop talking fluff.
3E-9: Where are you going?
3E-6: To the future. The future of humanity.
[Log ends]
Orange jasmine: the call of happiness
4 years and 41 days after "The Blooming"
So, it's almost time we say our farewell.
It has been four years since the start of The Blooming, and during this time we have not given up on searching the truth. Where does SCP-ZH-001 come from? What is its purposes? Actually, we already have a conclusion. But first, let us rewind a few years prior.
Have you ever noticed that we have been on the decline since the start of the millennium. The amount of information we receive now is dozens of that we would twenty years ago, and hundreds that of a century ago. We were gluttonous of information bombardment from various media such as the internet and television. We want to know everything, understand everything — it is in our nature as living creatures to dominate everything. In these twenty years, we have been blindly seeking out power, justice, fairness, but we forgot the damage we cause to ourselves during our quests for such things.
On average, modern humans switch their emotions once every 17 seconds. You may see a heartwarming news in a minute, and next a calamity — we bear overwhelming changes of emotions. We thought wars are scary, but quickly fell in love with a television drama; subsequently a news of a passing celebrity, meanwhile you have just cleared a level in your mobile game.
It must be unpleasant to live like this.
Our ego and conscious are in a constant tug of war — destroyed and rebirthed, resurrected and disintegrated countless times in this world filled with love and hatred. The history of humans only spans for a few millennia, and we are the youngest amongst all living creatures. All living things have spent a couple million years to adapt to their environment, but the environment we live in, the information we receive are different every day. No living beings can evolve every single day. Emotions were suppose to be a tool for our evolution, but it became a poison of no return when we are under an overdeveloped and unnatural environment.
Our guess is that our emotions are enveloped in the language of flowers, their petals scatter across the wind. SCP-ZH-001 is our protective mechanism.
This is the price we pay for the radical changes of modern society, but our emotions have not given up on us — they dissolve into flowers, petals, and protect us once more with its most beautiful way.
Humans are evolving, changing.
Today is the last day of the SCP-ZH-001 containment team. We will disband tomorrow, and return to where we should go. So let us farewell, to ourselves, to our emotions, and to humanity.
Secure, Contain, Protect.
Good night.
—SCP-ZH-001 Head researching team member, Dr. Rösler.
Rose: my love
19 years and 315 days after "The Blooming"
So this was the finale… ▏
Indeed it was. Apologies, Miss Scarlet, but I truly am unable to tell you what feelings are. This is well beyond the capability of any Foundation Artificial Intelligence.
It's alright, this is enough for me. Thank you, Anchor. ▏
Well, have you found the answers you have longed for?
What if I already have an answer from the very beginning? ▏
I beg your pardon?
Our emotions have vanished completely, and all it left was absolute rationality — a brain that can absolutely pick the correct choice.
But here I am, seeking for an answer. Our humanity has not yet vanished, has it?|
Perhaps you can put it that way, but this conflicts with your initial thought, no? Didn't you hope your mother to see the past you?
No, not like that. I have gradually understood something. Something that my mother has never told me.
What she really wanted wasn't to look at me.
What she really wanted is for me to look at her, and it has been this way from the very start.
Although I am no longer me, but she is still her. Her love for me has not disappeared. ▏
And you'd like to inherit her love?
It's the opposite. I would like to bury all the love she gifted, just like that rainy afternoon. ▏
Why?
Because she is a stubborn woman. Even we are separated by the realms of life and death, separated by two tens of years, she still worries me.
She has not been infected by SCP-ZH-001. Thus, her love has not yet disappeared. I have to return her love. ▏
So…
So she can rest well. ▏
Flowers have no tongues
19 years and 317 days after "The Blooming"
The rain has not stopped. Perhaps it has never stopped.
I carried my umbrella and walked on the grass. The grave of my mother was planted with asters— China Asters, in fact. They are as dense as wreathes. The last time I came was indeed twenty years ago, and I had not come back ever since. An invisible force tend to ward away any memories related to my mother; perhaps they were all filled with feelings.
Laughter, grieve, happiness, sadness — I have forgotten them all.
I have opened the letter.
"Hello, Scarlet. We have not spoken in twenty years, have we not?"
Yes, mother, it has been twenty years.
"Please bring this letter to mama, for I have something to say to you."
And here I am.
"Twenty years have already past, perhaps you have changed a bit, yes? Are you still the crybaby I used to know?"
It's a long story, but I won't be able to shed another tear in my life.
"Alright, enough teasing. You were aimless in the past, and tend to follow me and papa's footstep. I guess you work for the Foundation now, yes? The SCP Foundation, I mean. If you don't know what it is, please burn this letter after reading it."
Please don't write something this dangerous in a letter, I don't want to be sorry.
"Well, no matter where you are, if you have a lover, if you still are picky eater, what mama wanted to say is — please forget mama."
…What?
"You won't approach anywhere mama doesn't go, you won't attempt anything mama doesn't do. You are a good child, but you have already won. You have indeed surpassed me. Do you still remember we used to love running races? Mama was the one who always won."
Ahh, I do. One time…
"One time you fell in a field, no? I have never laughed so hard back then."
Please don't keep teasing me alright.
"My memories with you and papa are the most precious treasure of mine. But I do worry that I would be a hurdle to you, as you always follow my shadow yet not knowing where you'd truly want to go."
But, I…
"Do you know the language of China Asters?"
Please don't.
"I have asked someone to grow them next to my grave, so please offer me flowers one last time, will you?"
…
"Please put the flowers of parting on my grave, return all your emotions to me, and walk forwards. Do not turn your head, as you only need to know there are still people who love you, even if that person is only me."
And, it was indeed you.
"And that is all. Farewell, Scarlet. I love you."
The letter ends here. The asters have adorned her grave — has she planned this twenty years ago?
I did not feel anything.
Nor can I reach my arm and pick the flowers.
But I have put a bundle of Chinese Asters on her grave, beneath was her letter.
And so I left.