[CONTENTID1]The Black Rose[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Its Hidden Owner[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]I came to an elite restaurant that Saturday night, dressed elegantly. Why? Even I do not know. I received an envelope not to long ago, inviting me to dinner; and inside that envelope contained a black rose petal. The letter wrote that they knew me. They wanted to meet me and see how I was doing. They told me to dress all in black, just like the petal's color inside the envelope... and so I did. Who 'they' the letter referred to, I did not know and confined me even more. Am I meeting just one person? Or will there be more? It was not clear to me.

I waited for an hour - two hours, with a few more ticks on my watch. It was intimidating to wait, especially with the eerie aura the restaurant gave. Wait, it was not intimidating. It was chilling, down to the very core of my bones. Even the howl made by the passing winds on the other side of the window surprised me. It was as if the winds were telling me that there will be no turning back. It was chilling.

A waiter with a straight face came, lifting a black platter with a glossy cover. He placed it in front of me, as if serving with the most expensive food they had. Without a word, he opened the cover and left, making my bones chill again.

I wanted to leave.

I stared at the black-wrapped box that was served a few seconds ago and glued on top of it was another black envelope. I opened the env