Ib brushed the tears out of her red eyes,"Everything was normal, I was just your average 9-year-old! And then this happened. I'm torn! Garry, I can stay with you, as I'll grow older and need love. You're someone who's strong. You offer the protection a girl like me needs, from the harsh horrors hidden in the depths of this gallery. We could grow old together, and maybe even start a family. Mary, you're someone I can relate to. A friend. We could be those two giggling little girls, for years and years to come. This is the hardest decision in all of my 9 years!" Both looked up hopefully, into Ib's eyes,"But if I stayed with you, Mary, I wouldn't feel complete. I would feel deprived of a future, like I had failed as an adult. It would be like being stuck in a time warp, a little girl forever. Although some might wish for a carefree life, along those lines, I believe I could feel normal with Garry. An adult, the future I'd always wished for. It's what I really need."
Mary's high-pitched shriek broke out,"Oh, Ib, if you stay with this man, I won't have a future! We could have our futures together. I know you think he's your true knight, in the shining armor, and that he'll do anything for you, but I have a bad feeling about him. He resembles the one who created this gallery and picture, that I was born from. Ib, to feel normal, you need to stay with me, and help me find my father. I refuse to believe that he's gone."
Garry sighed,"Mary, you tried to hurt me and Ib. It is my only purpose in this world to protect this girl from any further harm."
The little girl ran her fingers through her blond hair,"I made a mistake! I now know who you are. Your power! Your greatness! Ib, you were sent here for me. To rescue me from eternal loneliness."
Ib shook her head, and whispered a barely audible, "Sorry!" The canvas burst into flames. Garry and Ib held hands, watching. A tear slipped from her eye. Garry stroked her hair,"For us." But his voice was wavering. The painting burned into a pile of ash. Three yellow rose petals swirled around the room, and then landed on the painting's remains.
Ib bent down to pick them up, but Garry pulled her away,"What's done is done. You're a caring girl, and a petal would just remind you of the pain." He walked out of the room. She knew he was right, but Mary wouldn't want to be left alone. Although she was crazy, she had a big heart, and Ib couldn't help but feel she meant well, in the end. She picked up a single petal, and tucked it inside her red skirt.
She whispered,"It was a hard choice, one I will never forget, but you will always be with me. I just hope you understand."
Garry returned to the room. He shot her a look, but said nothing. They walked on, hand in hand.
Garry spoke up,"I don't remember much of my early childhood, but there's one thing that's really clear. My father would always try to get me to paint. One day, I painted a girl, and now that I think about it, she looked a lot like you. Father disappeared that night. I carried that paining everywhere with me, until one of the horrors took it, and burned it in front of my eyes, just like Mary. It was an object, therefore it left no petals. I kept thinking it would leave the petals of my father. It crushed me. I can't believe I was so naive. I lost my painting for nothing; you lost Mary for our lives."
Ib nodded, and rubbed the petal in her pocket,"Garry, she was just a lonely little girl. She didn't deserve to have her heart reduced to nothing more than a few wilted petals. She deserved a future as much as you and I."
He frowned,"Ib, she was beyond saving. Even if she meant well, it would be to dangerous for you to stay with her. What if she killed you in a fit of rage, and didn't even care? What if she burned your petals, one by one? There would be nothing you could do, no one to protect you. Or, you might go crazy with her. With me, you have the life of a human, not just a broken pawn in this gallery's game of chess."
Ib took a deep breath, and continued walking. Just then, a hand shot out of the wall, but Garry grabbed her away,"If you were with Mary, that would've killed you."
She sniffed,"I know you mean well, but this is just making me think more about how innocent she was. Sure, she was crazy, but she was trapped in a gallery, tormented by eternal loneliness."
He put his hand on her shoulder,"If all that is true, then she is in a better place now."
She was sobbing,"Please, make it stop. Make the pain stop!"
Garry sighed,"My dear Ib, I can protect you from the horrors that will harm you physically, but I cannot protect you from those in your mind. I wish I could. I just wish."