Part 8

Mary

I still hadn't figured out what to really sacrifice for it, but since I had kept Ib and Garry here..mabye they could help.

These artists really seemed creepy now. I was actually a bit frightened, ever since I met them they had this...aura.

The body was now lying on the ground, close to the water. She looked just like me, and what I did was to put two petals of each rose, the red,the blue and my fake yellow ones. "What shalt thou give us for this? Memory,Friends, or your ...artistic gift, as strong as Guertena's paintings?" Definitly not the last one, which meant I wouldn't remember a thing if I chose memory, but that only left me with friends... and I personally didn't want Ib or Garry hurt. I wanted them to enter the real world with me as a human.

But if I didn't choose I wouldn't get anything and everything would have been a waste of time. And so I chose to give them Ib.

"Take the youngest of my friends then."As Ib realized what I told them, she gradually froze. But the artists had already surrounded her, with a black-ish fog. I felt bad about it, but I didn't want this to be a waste.

Garry

I could see what was happening, even thought I did not want it to happen, and how did this even... When all the fog was gone, Ib was just lying there, seemed like they just wanted what was mental. The artists' shadows was even darker now. Which made it all the more creepy. Mary was too busy with her soon-to-be-new-body to really care. She put her rose into where the human heart would be, and then, the weirdest thing I have ever seen actually started. Mary was merging herself, as soon as she touched the body, she entered it, a if entering ..I don't know, water, but she did not seem like she was able to move out of it again. Sadly I had to blink, but in the next moment, there was no Mary, but another girl who looked just like her, sitting up. With the same green dress. Still, now the artists were gone, and so were the mannequin heads and headless statues, even the portraits.

"I'm human now, I am really a human now!" Was this really everything it was about? Look into her. Red writing , that surely wasn't there three seconds ago. Still, when I closed in, I could still hear Ib's heart work, thump,thump,thump. Her rose only had one petal left. Which simply told me that this was not over just yet. Mary might be human or something close to it, but that was obviously not all that could happen here. I could still save Ib from dying! Hurry...

Yeah, I know I don't have any time to waste! So stop reminding me, whoever is writing this is a bit repetitive.

But how do one so simply wake up someone!? "heheeh... Let's go to the real world together Garry!" Just why... Dosen't Mary understand? If she was human that is one of the things she would easily understand, which meant she weren't whole either."It won't be real before everyone returns. And you entering will just ruin it, remember what happened the first time? You dragged the Fabricated World to this world!" That looked like it got her to be quiet. "Why do you say that? Why don't you just let her go? It's not like she's still alive!" I could see she was sad, but that didn't fix anything, I wouldn't go without Ib, she was there for me ...twice, now I have to help her too.

Ib

I remember I got weaker and weaker, I just kept myself going, I didn't want to die yet. This is not how one is supposed to die.

I held my rose tight, not wanting them to rip my last petal right off. But when it was all done, all of it, I couldn't even open my eyes.

And when I did, I didn't see the forest, I saw nothing, I was all alone in this darkness. All I could do was to keep myself remember, but my memories was just running away from me. But the memories was the only thing that could keep me alive, and I didn't want to forget about all of this again..this time maybe forever.

Which was when I saw a door approach me. I ran to it, trying to keep myself whole at the same time. When I got in, I could see a lot of these different paintings, but they didn't move. And then , on the left side, I could see Garry lying there, trying to wake me up. But I am right here! I ran, trying to reach them, but I crashed into something invisible, like glass. I then knew that the only way through was to go to the not-moving portraits. So when I went to these portraits , one of them unlocked for me, becoming a red door. And there was someone who looked a lot like Garry, but I knew he wasn't. "Hello Ib... It's nice to finally meet you." That smile... not something I would trust, so much more different from Garry's smile. "I am Guertena, and of course you have met my brother's descendant, Garry, he seem to have taken a lot of interest to you. So I figured I'd help out just a little, plus, playing with dead people isn't fun at all. They just lie there..not moving. I tried once, it didn't work out. Which was why I decided to start painting and give these paintings life, but Mary betrayed me. That's why I died, mabye she didn't know, but always, her words and look, I had made her like that, but she never even thought of me as if I were a creator. She never expected I'd die, and so I killed myself, with her knife. The one she is carrying now, has my blood on it, but it is so weak , she wont ever see it. Plus, she was tiresome." Of all people, I didn't expect to see Guertena, but then again, it could be he was lying. I wouldn't be able to know the difference. "If you know me, then you must know how I can wake up from all of this!" He seemed shocked. "That is something only you can do, I just entered your mind to keep you company, extending your life and strenght to hold the memories, and a talk is always nice, don't you think? I'm not even living, but in this world I can be anything I want, if you want I could look like your dear Garry, if that would make you feel better, I could let you see this real world you both are talking about. Althought I cannot help you into it." Looking like Garry wont make me feel more comfortable, and it is no fun seeing something you cannot enter. "Just … tell me how I can help Garry! I don't trust Mary anymore!" This guy seemed to understand what I was saying, as he was nodding as if he understood. "I can't really trust her either, I can't control her anymore, she's not mine. She has herself now., If you really want to know, ..just dream, Garry will know the rest."

And just how does he suppose I'll dream?... Mabye if I grab onto one of my memories and fade like that..."Good idea, I wish I could do that too, but I'm kind of dead soo..." I take that as a yes, so … I'll think about when I first found the portrait of Garry.

And those feelings connected to that.

Garry

While listening to Mary shout at me, scream that we should just leave Ib be, I could barely stand it, when I started hearing this music. And Ib's body started to glow. Mary seemed to see this also. But this music, like a lullaby. It made me real tired but in a cozy way, and Mary couldn't get any closer to us, anyway how much she tried. And I ended up falling asleep, holding my rose against Ib's , like two roses forming a cross. Barely conscious, I saw the roses merge, into a purple one, too tired to think what it meant, I fell asleep.

Few moments later, it felt like, and I woke up in the store. Still hearing the music, even thought It didn't make me sleepy this time, I checked it out. I never got time to see what was being sold here. And then I saw someone who looked like me, He was sitting in a chair, where my portrait used to be. "Garry, been too long! I see you finally got inside this dream. Ib is waiting for you, and she don't really have much time left, so you should hurry and find her. Last time I saw her now, she was walking around with her parents. In the park , southeast of here. " Who is this man? How can he know where Ib is? "Why are you standing there? Don't want to save the little girl?"

He almost seemed sad. "Of course I want to! But how can I trust you?" that look in his eyes, same old every time... It's what I saw.

What is with this music? "It's the lullaby Ib used to listen to before she falls asleep." How can he... "I can read you mind until you're out of this world." He was smiling, kind of friendly, but not enough to be trusted, as if another Mary, just male form."Don't compare me with that monster. Go already, if she is important to you!" And so I went out, finally able to see the whole area, as if really back in the real world, so many rich buildings. And I could already see the park that guy was talking about. I guess it is the only place I can find Ib.