A Thousand Words (for GloriousDeath)

“C O M E I B”

Ordinarily, the sight of one’s name accompanied by red, jarring letters splattered across the floor would be off-putting. Whomever that poor soul was that had to bare witness to the sight would likely feel a chill, maybe even scream or shiver, before darting off in the nearest opposite direction in search of an exit.

Not her, though. Not Ib.

The gallery had gone dark. All visitors except herself seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving only a young, brown-haired girl with deep, red eyes, wandering around the empty exhibit. The thousand pupils of Guertena’s best works seemed to follow her behind her back. Some of them, perhaps, did. She’d swear she heard the sound of a sneeze, or a cat’s meow, but when she looked around… no one in the gallery. Just Ib all alone.

‘Abyss of the Deep.’ One of Guertena’s most famous works, a massive portrait etched into the floor, originally blocked off by velvet ropes, now was wide open. The depths awaited.

“C O M E I B”

Empty-handed and with only a handkerchief in her pocket, Ib took the first step into the still portrait, the eyes of the beast pictured looking like they could spring to life and swallow her whole at any moment. Her foot slipped through the floor. It was cold. Wet. But the thin layer of water housed an entire new area on the other side – and the only way forward was down. Ib pinched her nose and pushed through the painting like water, emerging from the other side on a downwards staircase dry while the murky waves were left behind her.

Her eyes opened wide. Child-like curiosity took over from this new surrounding. Ib took her first steps into the open hallway at the bottom. “Mom?...” She called out, her voice hushed and soft. “…Dad?”

[GloriousDeath]

But notone answered Ib back. The hallway was colored blue and had two paths going from the staircase, both going in opposite directions. On Ib's left was a painting depicting water with rocks floating in it, on her right, a painting with rocks floating in the lava. The air was damp and if one were to focus, you could catch a small wiff of the smell of paint in the air.

With wide eyes, Ib searched the ceiling over her, in awe of the new surroundings. Did her parents know the gallery held this kind of basement? Did the owners…? Taking her first steps down and off the staircase, she glanced both ways at her options. One way looked to be a dead end. The other had a table at the end, just barely out of her sight. Water wasn’t as scary as lava, Ib presumed, so she took the left path.

[GloriousDeath]

As Ib walked she found that the hallway on her left had the words COME painted on the wall in a lighter blue, constantly repeating itself. At the end of the hallway sat a small table that was blocking the door. On it was a blue vase with water, with a red rose resting in it. The table looked light enough that even Ib could probably gently get it our of her way.

The letters written on the wall were just like the ones she had seen back in the upstairs of the gallery... except these ones were blue, of course. Ib knew they were scary. But they were the only sign of direction she had right now, so with her hands huddled over her chest, she checked over her back frequently while walking down the long hallway...

Until she reached the end. She eyed the little flower left behind, her head cocked curiously to the side. "For me?" She asked, softly. Ib looked behind her again, surveying the landscape, but no one else was around. The letters led right back to the rose, too. So it must be for her. Helping herself, Ib plucked the flower from it's water and perched it under her ear. That made her feel a little better about things, looking so pretty now. She could hear her father's voice now, "Oh, Ib, you are beautiful!" And perhaps her mother's, afterwards. "Oh, Ib, don't go putting random things in your hair! You'll get all messy."

Her desire to find her parents again drove her forward. She gave the table a gentle nudge and pushed it out of the way, slipping in through the door behind.

[GloriousDeath]

On the other side of a door is a small room with a painting hanging on it, depicting a girl with teal hair and a white dress, her eyes closed with a smile. On the ground in front of her lays a blue key. Under the painting is a plaque, reading "When the rose ???s, so too will you ??? away.", it was a bit confusing due to Ib not knowing some of the words.

The door creaked open while Ib peered inside, at first dismissive of the portrait in the center of the room. She stepped inside with less caution, once it became clear no one was on the other side... but as she got a closer look, she realized this wasn't any ordinary painting. Hair draped out of the frame and looked very lifelike. Ib cocked her head, but simply nodded with confusion... art was strange.

A key waited. She stepped up, at first over it, to look at the fine print on the plaque beneath the portrait. Something, something, something... she didn't know the meaning of the word, but it carried an ominous vibe. If nothing else, it confirmed one thing; the rose was for her. Chipping back up, she turned around and picked the blue key off of the floor.

She didn't know any doors needing unlocking yet - but it was a step in the right direction, anyway.

[GloriousDeath]

When Ib picked up the key the painting suddenly opened it's eyes, revealing their catlike nature and opened her mouth in a creepy smile.

If Ib were to venture outside of the room she'd find the walls that before desplayed COME now had THIEF constantly written on them in blood red paint, the entire atmoshere suddenly getting far ore hostile towards the young girl.

The cool, shiny object turned in Ib's hand. She didn't see the open eyes of the fearsome portrait yet - not until it's stone-like glare reflected off of her key. With a gasp, Ib took a step back, her red eyes darting up to meet the woman looking back. Her breathing grew funny for a moment.

"You scared me..." Talking to paintings seemed silly, but it was clear this was no mere painting Ib was looking at, now. With another soft breath, Ib asked "Is this key yours?" She held up the little blue piece for the painting to see. "Sorry..."

Rather than put it back, though, Ib took careful steps towards the exit without turning her back. "I need it more." She blankly asserted, then, once she was sure she was a safe distance, turning around and slipping back out through the exit.

The door clicked close behind Ib. The young girl took a brake to catch her breath, muse to herself whatever it was she just saw... when she realized the hallway had taken on a much sinister hue. Her pupils shrank into beads.

"T H I E F T H I E F T H I E F T H I E F T H I E F"

'Thief?!' What did she steal?! Impulses kicked in fast and Ib shut her eyes and ran blindly down the hall, hoping to return straight to the staircase she came from with the key tucked tightly to her chest. "It's mine! I need it!" She yelled out to whomever was painting the walls with red. "I'm keeping it!"

[GloriousDeath]

However when it had returned to where the staircase was there was only a wall there. The paintings that were besides the stairs remained, but now they were only seperated by a wall. Whatever Ib's plan's were returning upstairs was now impossibile and the only way forward was the hallway she didn't yet pick.