Sadly, I don't own Ib nor the picture I used for the cover. Everything belongs to their respective owners.
Running, panting, screaming, crying… Whenever she closed her eyes that's all she heard, all she saw. Her body hurt all over and she felt slightly betrayed, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember anything else. Nothing but the fact that she had come here with her parents and slow got lost in the exhibit. If she thought hard enough, she come see a man lying on the floor. He was tall with floppy hair, but the rest was a mystery. Then, everything; the man, the pain, the betrayal, it all left her and …. She couldn't remember what she was doing.
She began to wander, through the large and, as far as she could tell, endless exhibit. Looking at the paintings and people, she felt at odds, but she could only wonder why? Why did she feel like she was forgetting something major? As she walked past a floor painting her stomach fluttered and her insides heaved as though she was falling from a great height. She studied the painting at her feet, a large shark that seemed to jump at her from the deep swirling blue that was its home. The feelings in the pit of stomach slowly dissipated and she hesitantly continued her journey through the gallery.
Her legs carried her to a tall rose statue and a man gazing at it. Before she could stop herself, she walked up to the man. He didn't notice her at first, so she tugged gently at his old and worn coat. The man turned towards her.
"Huh? Oh… Hello, little lady. What is it?" She softly asked him what he was looking at. "Hm… Well it's a statue of a rose. I guess…" He trailed off, glancing back at the sculpture, "When I look at this… I feel sorrowful somehow. I wish I knew why…" Shaking his head, he turned back to the girl, "Sorry if I said anything to trouble you, Ib."
His eyes widen by a fraction as he stared at her. "Wait, who's Ib?" She smiled up at him and told him that was her name. "That's your name? It's really Ib?" His hand went up to tousle his purple locks, "That the strangest thing. I mean, I don't know you at all. It just came out, how weird. Perhaps we've met somewhere before?" His arm dropped and he let out a sigh, "Look at me, asking you such strange questions. Well, never mind what I said."
His smile turned sorrowful and there was confusion in his eyes. "Goodbye, little lady." And with that he hooked his thumbs on his pockets and walked away.
At that moment, Ib never thought that she could feel so lost and confused in her life. And later, after her mother had found her and brought her home, her confusion turned to shock as she realized she knew the name of the stranger and he had her missing handkerchief.
Thank you for reading, this will be continued once I find some more time. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated in the meantime!