The Letter
Mark opens up his apartment door, looking down seeing a piece of paper on the ground.
What is this? The inkling thought, picking it up. He unfolds it, reading through the slightly messy handwriting. He looks up from the paper, looking to his right.
Should I be going over there?
Mindy was getting on her green dress shirt, buttoning it up. Then, she puts on the vest. She smiles as she looks into the mirror of her bedroom.
More chaos is here to go out to the city, she thought.
Dusting off her red pants, she checks her hair in the mirror. It's been colored green again. She looks closely at the clown makeup on her face, seeing if she missed anything.
A knock at her apartment door.
Mindy sighs, walking out of the bedroom.
Opening the door, she sees the inkling that she talked with in his apartment that one night.
"What are you doing here?" Mindy glares at him.
"I was just wondering, were you the one who placed this at my door?"
Mindy nods, rolling her shoulders. "Yeah, so what? You don't care about me, so why do you care?"
The inkling looks at her. "I don't remember you looking like this. Are you okay?"
"Now you care about me suddenly?" Mindy snaps, backing away sharply.
"I'm one of your neighbors from down the hall, I should be concerned."
"Do you remember what you did that one night? You snapped at me, telling me to leave you alone."
"The thing was that I didn't know you," the inkling tells her. "Why are you even dressed like this?"
"Do you see the chaos outside? I'm going to join it," Mindy smiled wide. She then frowns. "Stop talking to me."
The inkling sighs. "You sound insane. Do you need help?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Let me in. I can try to help you, miss."
Mindy rolls her eyes with a groan. "Fine, come on in." Mindy mutters to herself as he walks into the apartment. She walks over to the door, closing and locking it.
Wait. Is this the squid that was in the elevator with me that one time? I'm sure of it. I recognize that voice.
Mindy walks into her bedroom while the male inkling sits on the couch.
Putting on her red suit jacket, she walks back into the main area of her apartment. Sitting down near him, Mindy begins to speak.
"So, what is your name?"
"Mark, yours?"
Mark?
Mindy's eyes widened. "I'm Mindy, but now people on the streets are calling me 'Joker.'"
"I can tell. You must have done something to get this far into the world. I remember you from that one time, you look so different now."
Mindy laughs. "Yeah, I know. Crazy, isn't?"
Mark clears his throat. "So, why are you being like this? I'm only asking, not to be rude."
"I finally feel free to be my true self, that's all this is," Mindy tells him, smiling. She is looking at him.
"Weren't you on the NatOcto Show one time?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Guess I missed it. I was about to watch it like that letter told me, but guess I was tired."
Mindy laughs again. "It's alright, you didn't miss anything."
Mark looks down at her clothes.
"Something wrong, Mark?"
The inkling looks at her. "Nothing, just a little freaked out, that's all. You don't mind that, right?"
"I scare you, do I?" Mindy asks, leaning towards him a little. She then leans back. "It's alright. Guess I've been being praised for looking like this from the city folk, not from you."
"Yeah." Mark chuckles nervously.
Silence filled the room of the apartment. After a moment, Mark sighs to himself.
"Are you really okay?"
Mindy looks down at the floor. "Can you stop asking me that? I don't wanna talk about it."
"It's been a few weeks and you are now like this. I just want to talk to you."
"About what? You already ruined my heart, now what? My whole being?" Mindy looks into his eyes.
"Have you done anything you may have regretted?"
"I regret meeting you the first time I saw you. Now, just leave." Mindy starts to feel tears in her eyes. "I don't need help, I don't need you."
Mark places a hand on her shoulder. Mindy grabs his arm.
"What don't you get about leaving?"
"Please don't shut me out. You seem broken, like your shell is slowly breaking and you are becoming this way."
Mindy backs away from him. "You are a complete stranger to me. I don't even know who I am anymore."
Mindy feels something in her pocket. She takes out the gun she got from that one friend.
Mark stands up, looking at the gun. "Wait! You can't do that! Hear me out-"
"Why should I fucking listen to you?" Mindy snaps, placing the gun under her chin. One of her fingers is near the trigger.
"Put down that gun, you don't wanna get hurt, right?" Mark says, panic rising in his blood.
"Why shouldn't I? Everyone would be happy if I died, including you, right?" Mindy closes her eyes, holding back tears in her eyes.
Mark rushes over to her, grabbing her left arm, pulling away the gun from her chin and himself. A shot goes off, hitting one of the walls of the apartment.
"That was my last bullet in that gun," Mindy whispers, looking up at him. "Why can't I die?"
"People care about you. Stop thinking people aren't going to care about you, Mindy."
"You're awful," Mindy says softly.
"I'm trying to help you." Mark sits next to her. "Don't listen to whatever is going through your mind. Relax and calm down."
"Why are you so," Mindy pauses, feeling something gripping her left hand.
Mark is holding her left hand, smiling sadly. "Please, don't cry. I'm here for you."
Really? Is he telling the truth?
"Are you being truthful with me?" Mindy questions him, her voice cracking as she is holding back tears.
"I know we have only met, but you need someone to talk to."
Mindy looks into his eyes. "Please hold me."
Mark brings her into a hug, rubbing her back. Mindy places her head on top of his shoulder, not wanting to ruin anything with her makeup on.
"It's alright, I'm here to talk to you. You will get better."
Mindy's lips quiver into a smile. She starts to hug back, sighing softly while her voice continues to crack.
"Now, do you want to go out there hiding behind a mask, or the real you?" Mark says softly.
"I don't know anymore."
You are fine. Go out there like this. Mark won't mind, right? This is the real me.
"I'll go out like this. I don't care," Mindy tells him.
They pull away from each other. Mark looks into her ocean blue eyes.
"Is that what you want?" Mark asks her, placing a hand on one of her shoulders.
"It's fine, I don't mind. Nothing can really hurt me anymore," Mindy says, softly giggling.
Mark backs away from her. "Alright. Just remember, you can talk to me."
"Why do you care so much about me?"
"The reason is personal, alright? Hopefully you have a good day, Mindy." Mark stands up from the couch, over to the apartment door.
Mindy just stares at him as he leaves her apartment.
