When Lilith was about ten years old, she was told by Brigham – the baker near her house - a very impressive story,  about a young and beautiful woman in a red long sheath dress. No one knew her name, but people called her “A rose with thorns”.

She was beautiful, with brown eyes that glowed the depth of universal stardust, her long eyelashes shadowing her cheeks. White skin  as smooth as silk, contrasted with her loose long black hair curved  her upper body like a waterfall. Her lips were like a claret rose, the colour of blood. Her smile was an enticing that attracted souls. She lived in a house with blossomed bougainvilleas upon the eaves, and a basement, where she caressed her preys, with her sharp thorns. The inviters of her ‘dinner with candles’, never returned.

“What did she do to those people? The inviters.” – Lilith asked busy Brigham baking his cakes. “I don’t know, guess there would be something to do with their blood.” – Brigham pulled out a tray of new cake, the steamy delicious pound cakes smelled good. Brigham smirked, walked towards her, bowed down and whispered into her ear: “Are you scared, my little doll? Dont worry, I will protect you.” His hand groped around her back. Lilith’s hunger suddenly disappeared, she wanted to go back home. Seemed like God heard her, the door opened, her dad came to take her, Brigham retrieved his hand quickly and smiled. Blueberry pound cakes had cooled down, but Lilith said she didn’t want it anymore. As soon as they stepped out of the store, Brigham’s smile disappeared.

The echo of the music from the shop wandered around the street: “London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…”

That night Lilith had a nightmare, she cried a lot and her parents never let her go to Brigham’s bakery again.

A few days later, Brigham was under arrest because of his hideous crime with a child. Brithm was an elderly dirty man with pedophilia syndrome that had been involved in a lot of sexual harassment with children.

It had been a long time since then, ten years, Lilith doesn’t understand why she had that nightmare again last night, it is surely not a good thing. But she quickly forgets about that dream, because she is very busy. Part-time jobs, study, and time spending with her lover - these things make her rushed off her feet. Lilith just wants a peaceful life but lately her luck seems to be asleep.

Her colleague has a new girl, her name is Carmela, she is very attractive, with a beautiful brown eyes that can glow light when she smiles. Scarcely has that new girl come to the colleague, she crazily approaches Lilith’s boyfriend with a clearly purpose - flirting. Lilith thinks that Carmela is super ludicrous. She has found Carmela and asked if she can quit her third wheel job many times but every single time that deceptive girl just gave her a smile, a crooked smile that is totally different from that bewitched smile in front of her boyfriend. She said: “I am very sorry Lily, but Daniel has the choice, not you.”  Lilith is sure that every man could go insane about her charming, but she doesn’t think that this could include Daniel. But soon, Lilith realizes that men are the same, they’re all fools in front of beauty.

Three weeks later since Lilith’s ‘headache’ started, it finally ends. Sunday, clear sky, the sunshine’s dancing through the leaf canopy as an invitation for everybody to go out and enjoy the weather. Lilith and her best friend Cathia sit inside a coffee shop for a ‘coffee - and - cake’ meeting. Cathia and Lilith became friends since the first day at the colleague, Cathia is a lenient and introvert girl, she nearly doesn’t talk to anybody else except Lilith, maybe because she is an orphan. Cathia is very beautiful and kind, not that intensive like Carmela, but lovely and graceful like a doll.

Seem like they are talking about something really funny, both of them laugh, suddenly, Cathia stops, she opens her eyes widely like she just saw something impossible. Lilith turns around to see if there is a flying turtle or a walking fish, then she can not kid anymore.

No turtle or fish, just a couple hand in hand walking past, nothing’s special if their faces don’t look like her boyfriend and that third wheel that much. No, they are them, Lilith guarantees, that is Carmela, that face can’t be mixed up. Her smile looks even more glamour today, because of dark red lips like the color of wine.

The colour of wine, or… blood? Lilith suddenly feels like, Carmela is a bit scary, her smile, looks like a demon. Is it an illusion?

Daniel sees them, seems like he has prepared. He says: “Lily, I’m sorry, but…” Lilith doesn’t remember what he says, she doesn’t even know how does she come back home then, her head hurts so much and she just wants to sleep.

That night she has a dream, the same dream as ten years ago and recently when the new girl came she had - that dream with the woman in a long red sheath dress. But different from the first two times, this time she can see that woman’s face clearly - she has never actually seen her face before or she couldn’t remember it when she woke up. That beautiful face, with brown eyes and red lips, a familiar face… Carmela!!!

Next day, Lilith tries to calm herself down. It’s just a dream… Lilith comes to class as normal, she ignores Daniel and Carmela like nothing happened. Cathia worriedly asks her: “Are you okay?” Lilith just smiles, “Don’t worry”. Everything is just as expected, Lilith nearly forgets about that dream.

However, a week later, Daniel goes missing. The police and his family keep seeking for a while until they find his dead body, in a dark alley, next to the garbage heap after five day missing. His skin is all dried up, like all of his blood had been taken out of his body before he died. His face looks really painful, even his eyes are still opening, widely.

As his ex - girlfriend, Lilith is being suspected as the murderer. But soon, the police can’t arrest her because she has thoroughly proof to show that she wasn’t involved. When she steps out of the police office, Cathia waiting for her heaves a sigh of relief, but Lilith doesn’t feel released. Is everything a coincidence? That dream, that woman’s face, Daniel’s death, everything leads to the same answer - Carmela.

Lilith knows this is not simple, but she can’t tell anyone about her dream or the story she heard ten years ago, no one’s gonna believe her, this is too ridiculous.

So she chooses to keep watching. Carmela doesn’t show up for a while since Daniel’s death, somebody says that it is because she is too shocked. Lilith isn’t sure if Carmela is shocked because of Daniel’s death or she is busy with something else.

One day, Carmela finally comes to class, she looks pale and haggard, she doesn’t smile anymore. Lilith thinks that if she is the actual perpetrator, she should be given an Oscar award for the best actress of the year.

This time Carmela becomes taciturn, but Lilith always pays attention to her, realises that she keeps staring at the same person everyday - Cathia. Her look is kind of fierce. Lilith starts to feel worried, she tells Cathia to stay away from Carmela. Although Cathia doesn’t understand, she still agrees. Carmela keeps her eyes on Cathia, Lilith keeps watching Carmela, for a week, but nothing happens.

Until a day, Lilith finds a piece of pistol on Cathia’s hair, a pistol of bougainvillaea flower. Lilith frightens, she asks her best friend where did she go, Cathia uncertainly says, she doesn’t remember. Another day, Cathia also disappears. Lilith knows that she can’t depend on the police, just like with Daniel. Lilith realises, Carmela is missing too, she feels hopeless. By herself, she can’t do anything.

Three day after, Lilith finds a letter inside her locker, a red card with the scent of rose :

“Round and round,
High into the sky.
Touches the cloud,
Then goes down again.
Round and round,
The circle never ends.
Friend, forever
Play, together.
Round and round,
Kids laughing so loud.
In the playground,
Pigs, are not allowed.”

At the corner of the card there is a small drawing of a rose with thorns. Lilith is not stupid, she knows that this is from that woman in the story, or actually Carmela. “Friend” refers to Cathia, Carmela wants her to go somewhere, to save Cathia. “Pigs, are not allowed”, means that the police can’t be involved in her “play”. But where? Round and round, it must be something round, and ‘the circle never ends’ sounds like it's spinning, a spinning circle? A spinning circle that can go up into the sky and then go down again? What is that?

Lilith thinks all day, but she still has no idea. On the way back home, Lilith wanders about like a lost soul. Suddenly she hears a kid’s laughing, Lilith immediately concentrates, ‘kids laughing so loud’! A kid  is holding his mother hand walking in front of her, he says: “Mama, I want to go to the carousel.”

Lilith stops walking, carousel! A spinning circle is a wheel like a carousel, but it can go up to ‘touch the cloud’, so it must be very big, and standing. The biggest wheel in London, the playground…

The London Eye!

Lilith runs fastly towards the South Bank of the River Thames, where the biggest Ferris wheel of London locates. The sky is turning dark, Lilith walks into the ticket office, while she is wondering if she should call the police or not, she sees a shadow of someone at the corner, very fast, that shadow runs away.

Carmela! Lilith reacts quickly, chases after her.

Her shadow disappears at a turning point of the alley. Lilith looks around, then she notices a house, with bougainvillaea flowers cover up the eaves. Without any hesitance, she pulls the door and comes inside. Its an old house, very dark, Lilith can just see by the light of the candles on the table, music from a music box float in the air with slow melody. The house is empty, Lilith calls loudly: “Carmela?”

“You came, Lily.” - A soft voice comes behind Lilith, but it isn’t Carmela.

Lilith turns around: “... Cathia?”

“Ha ha ha, Lily, you got me! How can you realise so quickly?” - Cathia laughs, as she takes off her lens contact and the long black wig.

Lilith knows that something is wrong: “Why are you dressing like that, where is Carmela?”

Cathia laughs again, like Lilith just said something very funny: “Why are you sure that she is with me?” Lilith startles, she is about to say but Cathia stops her: “You got me again, Lily. She is under the basement, sleeping.”

Lilith is now sure that, Cathia is behind everything: “What do you mean? What have you done to her?”

“Oh, Lily, why are you saying like it was my fault? It was that b**ch being stupid for menacing me about Daniel. Maybe she knows that I was having fun with him.”

“ You… killed him?”

Cathia seems surprised, then she grins: “Can’t I?”

Lilith steps back: “You are not Cathia!”

“Lily you make me sad, I’m your bestfriend.”

“Why did you kill him?”

“He died because of you Lily, because he was your lover, and ‘cause I love you, he must die.”

Lilith flinched: “What the hell are you saying? Don’t come here! What do you want?”

“Can’t you hear? I love you Lily, don’t you love me?”

“Shut up! It isn’t love, let me go!”

“Ha ha ha”- Cathia laughs crazily, “You don’t understand, it is. My father always said ‘I love you’ to me when he hurt me badly.”

Lilith thinks Cathia is totally mental: “What?”

Cathia stops laughing, sits on a chair, she looks at the light of the candles: “Do you know Lily, that if you have told me about that story you heard from my father, I could have trusted you. Because ten years ago, when my father told you that story, I was there too.”

Lilith is totally appalled. Cathia suddenly bursts into laughing: “Haha, I get goosebump for calling him ‘father’.” - She rubs her arms: “When I was in the orphanage, I wished I could have a family so bad. Then he came and asked me if I wanted to be his family, there was no reason for me to refuse. He told me to call him ‘father’, haha, I called him father. He brought me ‘home’, in his bakery shop. At night, he told me stories to put me to sleep. But he didn’t sleep. Why did I know? Because after putting me to sleep, he woke me up again, in a rough way. He told me to shut my mouth, but it was really hurt. I begged him to let me sleep, but he ignored it, I could see my blood, everywhere. He said, he loved me.”

Lilith is now speechless, she never expects this. She remembers Brigham had sexually abused a kid for long time as his adopted child, her name was Cathia.

Cathia pretends not seeing Lilith’s pity look, she continued: “Do you remember Lily, that day when you came, the wardrobe behind the table you were sitting? Did you ever realize, I was there the whole time? I saw you walking out with your father, but I think Brigham really hated my voice, so he covered my mouth up with sticky tape. You have no idea after you went, how angry my father was. He pulled me out of the wardrobe, threw me on the bed. He said, he loved me. I realised that suffering is the best way to show my love with someone.” - She smiles: “Lilith, I love you.”

Lilith can’t stand this anymore, she said: “Look, Cathia…”

“Shhh” - Cathia interrupted her: “Listen.”

The music box is spinning, Lilith realises that familiar melody.

“London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…”

Falling down, falling down, falling down, falling down.

“NO!” Cathia suddenly screams, then crazily destroys the music box.

“Help me, Lily, help me!” - She loses her mind, squeezes Lilith’s arm tightly like it is her lifebuoy: “He’s gonna be released soon, can you go with me, to heaven?”

Lilith is frightened out: “Let go!”

But it is too late, Cathia laughs wildly. A second before the bomb explodes, Lilith sees a tear at the corner of her eyes, she says: “I’m sorry.”