Ib - Lost in Dreamland
Chapter 1
A long Awaited Reunion
Ib sat under a giant oak tree wating with a huge smile plastered to her face. Finally, she thought excitedly. It had been three years since Ib and Garry had escaped the fabricated world together . Three years since Mary had been reduced to nothing more than a pile of ash. But most improtantly, three years since Ib and Garry had parted ways with only a promise to once again be reunited. Today she would finally have her handkecheif returned to her.
She would never say it aloud to anyone that hadn't gone through that hell with her, but she still awoke with nightmares. She dreamt of being chased by paintings, brutally murdered by headless statues, being eaten alive by maniquens, being trapped there forever and she woke up screaming for help everytime. That wasn't the strangest though. The most recurring dream was with Mary. Not her burning or chasing Ib and Garry with a palette knife through a world that looked as though it was drawn by a three year old. She dreamt of being in Mary's place. Being nothing more than a painting forced to remain in a world like that forever. Watching real people come and go but never being able to leave herself. Ib never woke screaming from those dreams, she woke in tears.
Those weren't the only dreams of Mary though. She appeared in different dreams. Mary only talked to her here. They had started a year or so after Ib escaped the gallery with Garry. It was strange though: Mary changed in these dreams. She was happier, she had finally gotten out of that world too. She was grateful to Ib for being burned. As of late though, she had started to realize that she was once again imprisoned in a place where she couldn't escape. Her personality wasn't the only thing that changed. Mary's looks had changed. Mary got taller, her hair grew longer, her outfits became different. Ib remembered a fairly strange one where Mary was dressed like a cat, athough that one had been on halloween. On most occasions Mary asked about the real world and Ib explained what she could to her. Sometimes though, Mary came bearing a warning for Ib. At first, Ib didn't trust Mary and was scared that she was still able to contact her. But if it hadn't been for Mary, Ib might be dead.
The first time Mary had delivered a warning Ib's family was going to a fancy restaurant for dinner and Ib had fallen asleep trying to finish her math homework. She dreamt of Mary who warned her not to go. Ib managed to convince her parents to order pizza instead. Later, on the news Ib and her family learned that the restaurant had caught fire an hour before. Mary had saved Ib and her family's lives. In the dreams Mary and Ib sat atop a hill overlooking a meadow filled with yellow roses. Mary always smiled as they talked on the regular topics of what went on in Ib's life. Even things like school made Mary's face light up. Ib had asked why Mary appeared to change in the dream but even Mary didn't know the answer. The two of them had become friends.
Ib's only warning today was from her parents. If she wasn't home by three o'clock she would be grounded for the remainder of spring break.
Ib allowed her thoughts to happily drift to a couple of days ago, when she bumped into Garry. She had been walking home from school dreading all of the homework she would have to do that night. As she walked past the art store she bumped into someone walking out the door.
"I... I'm so sorry!" She stammered picking up a new sketchpad and some charcoal pencils that were rolling into the street.
"Ib?" She recognized that voice. Ib looked up and saw Garry sitting on the ground across from her smiling like an idiot. After picking up all of Garry's stray art supplies Ib had squeezed him until he couldn't breathe anymore. The two of them had made plans to meet on the first saturday of spring break in the center of Memory Park at noon. It had happened almost a week ago but Ib remembered it like it was yesterday.
Ib checked herself over once again from head to toe. Her chocolate brown hair fell over her shoulder in a braid. She wore a simple light blue dress that fell to her knees and had a white scarf tied underneath the collar. A matching cropped white jacket with short puffy sleeves adorned the outfit. She had on a pair of strappy white sandals. Tucked in her hair was a red rose. She pulled a mirror out of her white over-the-shoulder bag that had been emboidered with a red rose in the bottom left-hand corner. Ib made absolutely certain she looked perfect and put the mirror away.
Ib looked at the large clock in the center of the park. It was almost 12:30! Ib stood and looked around for any sign of Garry. After looking around for five minutes she sat back down, dissapointed. She rummaged through her bag, looking for something to do. In her bag was $20 for lunch, a small mirror, her cellphone (which she now carried with her at all times), and a bottle of water. Gently, she touched the petals of her red rose. This was the same rose from three years ago. It hadn't died or even started wilting. If a petal fell off all Ib had to do was put the rose in water. It had sat in a vase beside her bed on a nightstand. The only thing that shared it's space was Ib's alarm clock.
"Ib!"
Ib turned toward the sound of Garry's voice. He wore a simple yellow T-shirt and jeans. He had on a light spring green jacket with a blue rose in the lapel.
Ib smiled. "Hi, garry!" She stood and waved. Then she pulled her bag over her head and onto her shoulders.
"It's been such a long time! You got so tall! Sorry, I'm late!" Garry said excitedly when he reached her.
"It's okay" Ib promised. the two of them hugged.
"So how've you been?" Garry asked, still smiling happily since he was once agained reunited with Ib.
"Fine. I still have nightmares though" Ib admitted, a light blush spreading on her cheeks.
"Me too. Those creepy dolls still haunt me to this day" Garry said, chills running down his spine. "Ib, I believe this is yours" Garry produced Ib's handkercheif from his pocket.
Ib took the hankercheif from him almost instantly noticing that it was tied around something. She undid the slight knot revealing a piece of candy. It was a peppermint with stripes as red as Ib's face. She smiled, hoping her blushing wasn't as bad as she thought. "Thank you."
"You're very wlecome, Ib. Say are you hungry?" Asked Garry, his smile unfaltering.
"Starving" Ib replied.
"Then follow me, there's a cafe not too far from here that sells the best macaroons" said Garry, taking Ib's hand in his own.
"You didn't forget anything you promised me so long ago, did you?" Ib asked, raising her eyebrows.
"How could I? Meeting you was one of the only highlights from that gallery" Garry replied and they walked, hand in hand, toward the cafe. They walked along the sidewalk for a couple of minutes, stopping at a crosswalk. Garry let Ib press the button. A standing red man flashed on a screen atop the pole. "I would have been here earlier but I missed the bus and had to walk" Garry explained.
The two of them ran across the street as the man changed to a flashing green man walking. They turned a corner and stopped at a small cafe. Garry held open the door for Ib and they picked a table by the window. The place smelled of coffee and pastries. Garry pulled out the chair for Ib, pushed her back in, and walked to the front counter. He returned minutes later with a coffee for himself, a hot chocolate for Ib and two plates of macaroons.
Ib bit into one with a light pink filling. The macaroon was heavanly. The filling tasted like strawberries and the outer pastry was warm and flaky. "Mmmmm..." Ib sighed.
Garry giggled. "Glad you like it."
Ib told Garry about her life. How she simply despised her math teacher, Mr. Greene, because he had made a habit of calling her Eve, since her name sounded so similar. She also told him about her friend Stacie who had alot of classes with her and had been Ib's friend since kindergarten. Garry, in turn, told Ib about his life. He told her how he was in college and was trying to get his masters degree in art. He showed Ib his sketchbook. Ib blushed when she saw the first picture; it was of her. She was wearing her school uniform. The date at the bottom read: 3/14/08, the day she had bumped into Garry again outside the art store. The picture looked so exact it could have been a photograpgh. The other pictures were of a bread basket, a cake, a fountain, a cat, and the last picture was of Mary. She looked exactly as she had when they'd first met her. She looked bright, cheerful, and a little scared too. It made Ib's heart ache. When they ran out of stuff to talk about they played red car-blue car. Ib being red and Garry blue. By the end of the game Ib had counted 17 red cars, Garry counted 26 blue cars, and Ib had also counted 7 yellow cars for Mary.
At 2:30 Ib had the nice man who ran the cafe wrap up the rest of her macaroons, and so did Garry. She tucked them safely in her bag and sipped the rest of her hot chocolate before Garry walked her out the door. He walked her all the way back to the park and to the tree.
Garry and Ib hugged each other goodbye. "Oh, Ib take this, incase you ever want to talk to me" said Garry and he gave her a slip of paper with a phone number on it. Ib put it in her bag with her handkercheif and candy.
"We should definetly do that again sometime" said Ib, putting on a smile.
"Yeah" garry replied. He hugged her one more time before they parted ways.
"Goodbye" Ib said weakly under her breath even though Garry was no longer in earshot. She peered at the clock which now read 2:43. "I should probably get going now" Ib said to herself. As Ib walked along the sidewalk she started wondering about what to do when she got home. Maybe she'd take a nap and hope to see Mary. Ib stopped to look across the street. Sure enough there was the Guertena art gallery.
A boy stood out front. He had on a light gray paperboy cap and a long sleeved white shirt with a dark blue vest. He also wore a pair of tan shorts and brown loafers. He turned to look at Ib. Jet black curls fell out of his hat and into his face. He was glaring accusingly at Ib.
The hairs on the back of Ib's neck stood up. She turned and continued to walk toward her house, not wanting to turn back. Ib had just walked in the door when the clock struck three. "I'm home" Ib said loudly so her parents could hear. She ditched her shoes at the doorway for a pair of house slippers. Her mother's head popped out the kitchen doorway.
"Just in time" she said before tuning back into the kitchen. Ib walked upsatairs and into her room where she collapsed on her bed. Carefully she plucked the rose from her hair, sniffed it, and put it back in the vase. She started to feel a bit tired once her head hit the pillow and she fell asleep.
"Ib!" called Mary's cheerful voice from down in the meadow.