Under The Blossom Tree

By:  Kevin Mae
April 23, 2025

Under the Blossom Tree

I still remember that day. The Blossom Tree incident. An incident that had been etched into my memories, a day I wished it never happened. A day where love and terror were both in mind, coursing through the blossom roots. Slowly wrapping around like a snake with its prey. Capturing each single prey who falls under its trap. The terror under the blossom tree.

It all started ever since I entered high school and found myself in a quite prestigious and excellent school. It was well furnished with many classes across the corridors till the 3rd floor. My class was located near the left side of the building. It was isolated beside the school laboratory. The good thing was that my class had a balcony with a splendid and perfect view of the blossom tree that stood a couple of yards away. The blossom tree had been standing there for a couple of years, planted by the elderly couple who had for long passed away. Because of that, many of the students in my school would confess their love under the blossom tree, believing that true love would fall upon them, blessed by the elderly couple.

This was also the time that I met someone. A girl that I will never see again—Alicia Ella, one of my classmates whom I met on my way to school. Alicia’s house was near where I lived. We would often meet accidentally on our way to school and talk about many things like our teachers, complaining about our assignments, and sharing the dreams that we want to achieve. She was a very interesting girl, and I loved every single bit about her.

We grew closer every day. I could feel it in the warmth of my heart as it pounded quickly. I knew this was my chance—to tell Alicia how I truly felt about her. Everyone in the school was talking left and right about confessing to their loved ones under the blossom tree. I knew this was my time to shine.

But fate… had other plans instead.

After school had ended, I grabbed my bag and walked over to Alicia. She was still packing her stuff as she noticed me and smiled. Suddenly, one of my classmates walked in front of me and spoke to her.

“Alicia, do you have time later next Friday?”

I looked at him and knew immediately that he also had the same intentions as me. I didn’t know what to say. It was as if my mouth was sewed shut.

After a bit, that guy left, waving at Alicia as she waved back.

“So… what did you want to talk about?”

I looked at her with a bit of hesitation and forced a weak smile, “Nothing”.

That guy was everything I couldn’t be—charming, confident, bold, and effortlessly brilliant. But out of the girls that were in the school, he just had to choose the one girl I liked. I didn’t want to give up but at the same time, I didn’t have a chance when it comes to that guy. I couldn’t sleep that day and kept on replaying the scene in my mind, and thought whether she would accept that guy or not.

Valentine’s Day has arrived, a day when love is in the air, while others are better off sleeping at home. The hallways were filled with couples. They all exchanged gifts and kissed each other like there were no people around. I weakly walked through the hallway with my head down, knowing my heart had just been broken.

After what felt like eternity, school was finally over. I didn’t want to stay longer than I had to, nor did I want to be outside at all. All I thought of was to stand up and leave. Unfortunately, my ears were caught up by the conversation between that guy and Alicia. He entered the classroom and walked up to Alicia like there was no one else in the room.

“Shall we go, Alicia?”

“Alright, let’s go.”

They both then walked out. I looked as they left the room and followed. It was like my body was moving by itself. I was curious about them and began following them outside of school.

They walked onto the path that led to the blossom tree. I continued following them from behind and after a couple of steps. There stood the blossom tree. The golden light of the sunset crashes through the leaves as petals fall slowly onto the ground. It was the perfect moment. The perfect confession. I watched from behind a small bush as they both walked under the blossom tree.

“Alicia,” he began, nervous but determined, “I know you might be wondering why I brought you here.”

I turned away. The pain was too much to bear. But before I could leave, a sound cut through the air—a car. Fast. Too fast. I turned back, and both the guy and Alicia were gone. I rushed to the blossom tree and looked around. There were no signs of them both. Where did they disappear of to? Something was wrong. It couldn’t be that Alicia and the guy were to disappear so quickly. That’s when I noticed… a stain of blood—a phone. Not just anyone’s phone, it was Alicia’s phone.

I quickly grabbed my phone from my pocket and contacted the police. Alicia had been kidnapped. From the depths of my heart, I was anxious and scared. This wasn’t supposed to happen. But why exactly was Alicia the target? Alicia wasn’t as popular as the girls in my class. She was just an ordinary girl who had an interest in many things. I didn’t know the name of that guy, nor did I find out about which class he was in. I had barely seen his face. I only knew the popular things about him.

All I could do was stand there with a confused and panicked mind. Soon, the police arrived at the scene and quickly swarmed the blossom tree. There I stood, anxiously wandering around. The police were inspecting the area. They looked around the blossom tree but… there was no answers, with only the blood stain on the ground and the lingering fear all around.

I went back home with Alicia on my mind. That night, I had so many questions on my mind that I couldn’t answer. I took Alicia’s phone and turned it on. Messages and missed calls cover her screen. But one stood out from the rest… a single message that could be the clue to finding Alicia.

“I’ll be waiting for you… Alicia Ella”.

To Be Continued…