3
"Garry! Don't leave me!"
"Ib, don't touch that. That's mine!"
"Garry, I'm sorry!"
I looked out the window. The trees passed by almost as often as the houses did. Honestly, I prefer the sight of trees. I missed living in Ogden, Utah. It was nice. But my parents sent me to visit my cousin, Ib. Not that I didn't want to see her, but I hated the area she lived in. Plus the fact that I had to visit for the entire summer. My aunt suggested I get a job, and told me about this new art museum. So I told Ib, thinking that she would be happy to get a discount there, but she just started crying. "Garry, I'm sorry!", she yelled. Her father came running in trying to call her, but all I could about was 'who is Garry?' Anyway, I was on my way to report on my first day. When I did get there, I sighed. I wonder what happened to this Garry guy. I shook those thoughts out of my head. I couldn't let anything distract me. Walking in, I noticed that there was only one person manning the desk. She smiled when she saw me.
"Hey, you must be Tyler. I'm Tiffany," she said shaking my hand. I nodded and told her it was nice to meet her. Not really. I've never really like meeting new people.
"Anyway, you will just walk around and make sure the guests aren't doing something they're not supposed to," Tiffany explained. I nodded and walked away. First I went upstairs, and walked around. The place wasn't very busy. Just a few school kids here and there. Then I saw something that caught my eye. A painting of a man with purplish hair, a green shirt, and a blue jacket. His eyes were closed, so I couldn't tell what color they were. But there was a blue rose in his hands. Garry. I blinked. This is the guy Ib was so sad about. But why? He's just a painting. Looking closer, I noticed thorns wrapped around his throat. Almost like a chain. Suddenly, the lights went out. Everyone else was gone. Oh come on! I just got here! I was beginning to think that maybe Tiffany had played me and told me to come in just to lock me in. But then I shook my head. That seemed to far fetched. Especially for her. So I looked around. When I turned to face the painting again, I saw writing under it.
"Leave, please," it said.
Anger bubbled inside me. It was a prank! I huffed and stomped downstairs. Tiffany was gone to. Big surprise there. I looked around, then went to the front door. Locked. What the hell? I thought. Suddenly,I heard a giggle from behind me. I whipped around, but saw nothing. Now I was starting to get scared. Reluctantly,I walked into the next hallway. There was a painting on the floor. It was titled Abyss of the Deep. I looked closely, only to see the fish actually moving. Yelping in surprise, and a bit of fear,I jumped back. The I heard a crash from upstairs. I sighed and ran back up to see what had happened. What I saw saddened me for some reason. The painting of Garry was on the ground face up. The frame was broken. So I bent down to pick it up. The painting itself was untouched, sending a wave of relief through me. I tucked it under my arm, and looked around. Some the front door was locked, there had to be another way out. I took out my phone, but there was no service. Damn.
Suddenly,I heard crying. It sounded feminine. So I went to find where it was coming from. It l lead me back down to the fish. There beside it was a girl in a green dress with a white collar. Her hair was blond, and she was on her knees leaning over the painting. Slowly, I walked up to her. She looked to be around Ib's age.
"Little girl, are you okay?", I asked. Her crying just stopped. Then, in the tiniest voice,I heard her say, "My friend betrayed me. Because of him." She began to stand up, and I got the most ominous feeling. She scared me. Her hateful gaze was pointed at the painting under my arm.
"HE'S THE REASON SHE TRIED TO GET RID OF ME! HE TURNED HER AGAINST ME! HE SHOULD HAVE JUST LET ME HAVE HER!" The girl continued to yell as she slowly walked toward me. Got some reason, I felt that I should let her near Garry, so I backed up. But as I did,I fell into the moving painting behind me. The air in my lungs was replaced by water. I felt like I was sinking. The fish circled me, as if I were is prey. Suddenly,I couldn't hold on any longer. I opened my mouth in a last attempt to scream, but instead it filled with water. Seconds later, I passed out.
"Garry! Don't leave me!"
"Ib, don't touch that!"
"Garry, I'm sorry!"
My eyes slowly opened. I was on the floor of what looked like a library. But I didn't know how I got there. Just a second ago, I was drowning. Yet, I'm completely dry, and warm. That's when I noticed a blue jacket covering my body. Where did this come from? I thought. This isn't mine. Then I remembered. That girl was screaming at me, and I fell. No, not me. The painting! It was gone! Frantically, I looked around.
"What are you looking for?", a male voice asked. I looked up to see a man with purplish hair, a green shirt, and purple eyes. Just like the painting. My eyes widened.
"It can't be. You were just a painting!"
He smiled. It was a kind smile, meant to deter my fear. It worked.