Lisa laid a hand on the golden handle. However, her arm stopped mid-motion of pushing down and she turned around. Before the three steps, Era stood and waved at her with a smile. Behind her unneeded glasses, the perfect blue eyes had narrowed with uncanny anticipation.
At her feet, the white cat tried to claw something at the stairs. Every swing of her claw created sparks in the air. Yet, none reached the stairs, as if something blocked it. Again and again, it tried. A low growl began to emit from its throat. Until Era picked it up by its and made a "shhh" gesture.
"Only you are supposed to enter it seems. So, have fun Lisa~" Era said after the white cat quieted down in her arm. It trembled every time the woman stroked its fur.
Lisa glanced between them a few times before she pressed down on the handle with a sigh. It made sense that a barrier is in operation around this place, to stop others from going in and things from going out, but Era would never be stopped by anything. That ill-mannered woman just wanted some entertainment by seeing her potentially suffer.
Although, she didn't mind this time as it was an opportunity to grow for her. However, she still would've liked to have the white cat as a companion but she to do without it seems. The guild's papers had mentioned that nothing dangerous should block her way to the item. Lisa waved once at the duo and then pushed down on the handle.
With a creak, one door made way for Lisa. The first thing to reach her was the smell of mold and rust. Then, she saw the broken glass on the ticket booth, a wooden puppet behind it. Besides the booth, stood another puppet with its arms raised. Another stood and held a broken broom in hand. Some other puppets leaned against the walls or walked up the staircase to the right. One sat on a chair as if to take a break.
The wide lobby seemed almost lively. Yet, the walls looked rundown and molded. The lamps were shattered, leaving the windows as the only light source. The plants had since long died. Most chairs had broken down and glass pieces laid all over the floor. The clean and complete front outside just a lie, a facade.
She let go of the handle and a second later heard the door close behind her with a soft click. The sunlight shone a faint path before her. Dust floated past the rays, making them visible. A long sigh escaped her. The wooden puppets stood forever frozen in motion in this desolate theatre.
Lisa walked slowly towards the ticket booth. A glass piece cracked beneath her feet as she passed the puppet that seemed to sweep the aged floor with its broken broom. Like the other puppets, it wore a black and red uniform. And like those others, its bowed head had no face either. Just smooth wood, free from corrosion unlike the rest of the theatre.
A few moments later, she arrived beside the ticket booth standing in the middle of the lobby. The puppet in it leaned forward, its faceless head concentrated on the coins and faded ticket before it, as if it counted them.
With a spark of curiosity, Lisa reached out to the puppet's hand holding a coin. Her slender fingers almost touched the wooden hand, yet she stopped midway. A thought, a voice, a scream echoed through her mind. Don't touch them. Don't interfere. Let it be.
Over and over again. It whispered one second. Then it screeched. As if to burst her eardrums, yet it was only in her mind. It pleaded the next moment. Begging her. A whimper now.
Lisa retracted her hand and it vanished from her mind. Nothing had changed, as if just an illusion. The few sunlight beams still made the dust and decayed lobby visible. Just as before the puppets were just puppets. Still, quiet and solemn.
With a shake of her head, she abided by the voice's plead and kept away from the puppets while she strolled through the lobby.
Whether the puppets leaning on the wall, walking up the stairs or the one sitting on the chair, neither appeared stiff like a wooden puppet would normally be. As she observed them up close or from afar, they looked so lively. Even in this desolate theatre. The cold feeling in her eyes increased as she looked at them over and over again. Yet, they just became even more vibrant.
Only some time later did she have enough and decided to walk to the main stage. Maybe in another day, she'll explore the other floors.
Quite a bit past the ticket booth stood a grand double door with two hallways to its left and right. As she reached it and leaned into the left hallway, she spotted a few more puppets along the curved way. A difference between those, from the staff puppets, was a pair of puppets. One adult and one child. The adult puppet had an exquisite long creamy dress on. While the child wore short trousers and a shirt. The adult puppet crouched before the small and had a hand on the child's blank head.
Lisa tilted her head at the scene and smiled. The surrounding walls and decor were in the same state as the desolate lobby, yet here she saw this scene. The warmth she saw in the mother's chest shone so softly and calming. This pair looked to her just so lively, as if she could see the mother rubbing her boy's head with a loving smile. However, all that stood before her were the faceless wooden puppets.
Another, much longer sigh escaped her and she turned away from them. A quick peek into the hallway to the right of the doors just showed one puppet in the theatre's uniform standing in it. Nothing else for her curiosity, Lisa put both her hands on the two doors. With a push, the main stage showed itself.
Rows and rows of seats extended down before, ending a distance before the elevated stage. At the walls, countless booths for premium guests went up to the ceiling. Yet, she didn't marvel at the sheer size. All of them, in all the seats and booths, puppets filled them. The entire theatre had been filled to the very last space with all kinds of differently clothed puppets. And every single faceless head was focused intensely on the stage.
Under a light still shining onto the stage, a long doll stood wearing a grand white and red dress. The white hair stopped just below the waist, while it framed her equally pristine white eyes. Those eyes focused, with a tearful agony on a black dagger. A dark dagger, dyed red by blood as she stabbed it into her own chest.
Lisa, just like the puppets, couldn't take her eyes from the lifesized doll. From the blood bearing a stark contrast to the pure white. From the tears that rolled down the face. From the milky eyes that looked up to her. She couldn't look away as she began to walk. Walk towards the stage and the dagger she is supposed to retrieve. Yet, at this moment, she didn't care for the guild, she just wanted to draw this dagger and free the doll of her agony. Even as a beautiful voice pleaded with her, telling her to turn around. She needed to remove the dagger.
A step after step down the stairs. Past the puppets filling the seats. Past the heads that turned her way. Onto the stairs, a few steps up, as now all heads focused on her. The wooden stage creaked beneath her. The doll's white eyes cried before her. Her voice begged her to stop. However, her fingers curled around the red-dyed dagger. She felt the cold material of the doll's fingers, the wet sensations of tears dripping on her hand.
Lisa looked into her milky eyes. The pure white stained by sadness. As her hand pulled, Lisa felt like she could see the scene of Annabelle stabbing herself with the dagger, of the pain she felt till now. She felt like she could see the agony she received till now. Yet, as the dagger left her body, all she saw in Annabelle now was sadness.
With the weight of the dagger in her hand, Lisa opened her mouth, yet Annabelle pushed her suddenly. As she flew down the stage, as a black, purple-rimmed door opened behind the doll, Annabelle spoke.
"Run."
Her voice was full of pain and sadness. She looked at her with such eyes too. Lisa didn't care for the stinging pain on her back as she landed on the floor. She could only helplessly look at Annabelle being swallowed by the door. Second after second passed as she stared at the door on the main stage, when a rattling caught her attention.
She turned her head around. Everywhere, the puppets rattled and shook. Their limbs creaked as their faceless head turned and swiveled. The lights all around lit up. It illuminated all puppets, and the lone Lisa laying on the floor before them.
"Run."
The tragic beautiful voice echoed in her head once more. She gripped the red-dyed dagger tight, glanced once more at the door, and said, "Wait for me."
An indescribable sigh sounded in her head as she stood up and ran up the stairs. The echo of her steps drowned out by the puppets, by the theatre that sprang alive. She sprinted past the hands that grabbed at her. Avoided those that stood up and lunged for her. And rammed into the door leading to the lobby.
Yet, it didn't budge. As she pushed and pushed, it stayed still not giving way. The clatter behind her got louder and more intense. She pushed with all her might. Suddenly, the two doors opened up before her. She stumbled and rolled on the ground into the lobby. The door closed behind her with a loud sound.
She barely caught her breath, when it came again. The rattling and creaking. She turned, yet something pushed her down. Cold woold grabbed her hands. Restricted them. A faceless wooden head came close to her eyes. It stared into her very being, as it almost crushed her wrists. It pressed down at her. Her breath shortened every moment. Its weight on her torso, while its head began to press onto her head. As if it wants to crush her skull.
She struggled. Struggled and struggled. Yet, it was no use. It budged, but not enough. As her mind became dazed, her breath weakened, a flame came up in her mind. A black, dripping ink flame burning candles down. Her heart raced, the pulse echoing throughout her body. Like a bell ringing louder and louder. On her last breath, as her skull seemed to creak like the puppets, her words released her.
"Burn."
And so it did. And so it screamed. And so the black ink engulfed the puppet, burning the wood. The next second it had already vanished. Becoming nothing but ink on Lisa's clothing and the ground. As her thoughts returned to her, as her body recovered at a fast speed, Lisa stared at the ink. The pure scream of agony sounded through her mind again and again.
Yet, she had no time to think, as the rattle reached her ears again. The lobby's puppets spared no thought about the puppet burned by an ink flame and reached for Lisa with slow movements.
Lisa grabbed the dagger tight, her wrist aching from it, and stood up. She stood up. With pain in her entire body, from the puppet and magic, she stumbled to the door. She glanced at the puppets that moved in slow-motion and opened the door.
With a sigh, she slid down the closed theatre door. Even as a minute has passed, no puppet tried to open the door, or even ram against it. It seems they can't exit the theatre. She hoped from the sigh Era would take care of it, which is why she just sat down before the door.
With her breath back to somewhat normalcy, Lisa looked up. Before the theatre's steps, the white cat paced around while it stared at her. She smiled at it, even as her body screamed in agony.
However, as she glanced at its side, she caught her breath. Her eyes widened while her hands pained from her tight grip on the dagger. Instead of Era, a girl in a black, white and gold outfit stood there. At the side of her short skirt, she held a chained golden spear. However, Lisa didn't focus on her pleasant figure and instead stared into her pristine white eyes, framed by white hair. Just like the doll, Annabelle.
Yeah, this is definitely one of my favorites
This has been legitimately entertaining. I can't wait to see more of this world, everything just leaves you with a bunch of questions, and it's awesome.