Blood Moon Roses

When the first blood-red rose bloomed in the ruins of Tehran, Farida was kneeling beside her mother's cold body. The scarlet color was like a wound, cutting through the paleness of dawn, and the dew on the petals glowed a strange blue in the morning sun, as if enchanted.

"This is a cursed flower," the old gardener said tremblingly, pointing to the flower 丛 (thicket), his withered nails almost poking Farida's nose. "Three hundred years ago, the princess planted her lover's heart in the soil. Since then, the roses in this land only grow at midnight, sucking moonlight, and on the full moon... they eat people." His voice seemed to squeeze out from the depths of his throat, with a creepy hoarseness.

Farida did not back down. She gently pushed aside the gardener's hand and looked firmly at the rose thicket. The silver dagger her mother had clutched before her death was now hurting Farida's palm. The rose pattern carved on the dagger's handle was identical to the flowers in front of her, as if implying some mysterious connection. She knew that only by breaking the rose's curse could the land be peaceful again and her mother's spirit be comforted.

As night fell, Farida sneaked into the rose garden. The moonlight poured down like mercury, sprinkling on the petals and dyeing those strange flowers a weird silver-white. She walked carefully through the flowers, and with each step, she could feel the rose thorns leaving tiny wounds on her ankles. Blood oozed out and dripped into the soil, but unexpectedly, the nearby roses became more beautiful.

Suddenly, a soft song came from the depths of the flowers. The voice was like it had been soaked in moonlight, ethereal and charming. Farida followed the song and saw a woman in a white 纱裙 (gauze dress) in a particularly lush rose thicket. The woman's face was breathtakingly beautiful but had an unreal paleness. Her long hair fell like a waterfall, with delicate roses in her hair.

"Are you the one who came to break the curse?" The woman's voice was soft but with a hint of coldness. "For three hundred years, countless people have tried to break this curse, but they all became food for the roses." She gently stroked the rose beside her, and the petals trembled under her fingertips as if responding to her tenderness.

Farida clenched the dagger in her hand, took a deep breath, and said, "My mother died to protect this land. I can't let her sacrifice be in vain. Tell me, how can I break the curse?" Her eyes were full of determination.

The woman stared at her, silent for a long time, and finally said, "To break the curse, you must water the roses with pure blood and then pierce my heart with this dagger. But you have to know that once you start, there is no turning back." As she spoke, she took out a dagger identical to Farida's, shining with cold light.

Farida did not hesitate at all. She raised the dagger and made a cut on her arm. Blood flowed down her arm and dripped onto the rose thicket at her feet. Those roses crazily absorbed the blood and became more enchanting. She endured the pain and walked step by step toward the woman.

The moment the dagger pierced the woman's heart, the entire rose garden began to shake violently. The woman's body turned into countless rose petals and floated into the air, while the cursed roses gradually faded their strange colors and became bright and pure.

The dawn light shone again on the land of Tehran, and Farida smiled as she looked at the rose garden that had come back to life. She knew that her mother's wish had been fulfilled, and the roses on this land would no longer be a symbol of curse but a symbol of hope and beauty.

From then on, every night, a soft song would float out from the rose garden, as if the woman was telling her yearning for freedom and her wishes for a better life. And Farida became the guardian of this rose garden, using her love and courage to protect this land full of legends.