Maki's POV
Paris, France. Modern day.. The Musee du Louvre, sparkling in the dappled light reflected from Pei's Pyramid.. It was certainly a breathtaking sight to behold. The museum itself is a work of gorgeous art! Pictures didn't do it much justice at all. It looked as though nothing could properly capture its beauty.
I'm a travel agent from Tokyo and a travel blogger on the side! I love to travel.. The food, the languages, the culture, the architecture! All of it was so amazing to me. Paris has always been my dream trip.. And I always wanted to see the Louvre. How could I miss out on something like this? I've also been wanting to put more focus on my blog. "Two Hours at the Louvre. What You HAVE to See." May just be the article that does it..
I gave my miniature traveling companion and mascot, "Mousette," which was a winged fuzzball dangling from my bag, a little tug for good luck and joined in the queue.
The Demon Wing.. Containing Jacques-Louis David's The Coronation of Napoleon. I pulled out my phone to double-check my location, only for someone from a large tour group to bump into me. "Excuse me- I mean.. pardon." I muttered. The person smiled sheepishly and responded in a kind tone. Judging from their accent, it sounded like they were from Switzerland, perhaps?
Continuing onward, I found The Coronation. It was massive, almost as if you could enter another world just by stepping into it. "It takes up the whole wall.." I muttered, amazement in my tone. "Did you know, it's the second largest painting in the Louvre?" I heard a man speak. But it took me a moment to realize he was even speaking to me out of all people. His French was fluent, almost like he was a native. And his clothing, finished with a long, beige overcoat, suggested to me that he may have been a wealthy and classy man. He also had dirty blonde, almost light brown, hair with a strand curling underneath his eye, and speaking of eyes, his were a dark golden color.
He almost looked like a man out of time.. Like he had stepped out from one of these paintings. The gentleman turned on his leather oxfords and drew closer, peering at me. "Um.. Pardon, Monsieur?" I mumbled, slightly uncomfortable by his stare. The way he looked at me, examining me so closely, it wasn't very pleasant. But suddenly, he smiled and opened his palm, "I knew it. This earring belongs to you." I looked down at his open hand, and he was correct.
"Oh! When did I lose it..?" I touched a hand to my ears and yep, one of my studs was missing. "I believe it was when that patron bumped into you. I happened to spot it as it fell. I was looking for a chance to return it to you." The man explained. I smiled at him, "Oh. Well- Thank you very much, Monsieur." My bow was almost instinctual. And when I looked back up, I caught his eyes once more..
I'll admit, it was a beautiful shade of dark gold. I'd never seen anything like it before. "It's a shame there's no mirror here to help you put it back on." the gentleman sighed. "There's no need to worry. I'm sure there must be a restroom nearby or something." Suddenly, it seemed as though he had gotten an idea. "Shall I help you restore it to its proper place? That way you won't lose it again."
Before I even realized what I was doing, I accepted his intimate offer. It wasn't just his eyes.. Had his old-world, noble manner enchanted me that quickly? "If you would hold still, Mademoiselle-?" The gentleman brushed my blonde hair back with gentle fingers, so gentle in fact, that they felt as if they should've belonged to one of the graceful sculptures in the room. I understood that we were in Paris, but this felt like too amorous of an act to be coming from a complete stranger.
"That's a lovely fragrance." He commented. "Thank you. I purchased it here in Paris." His smile fell, "Oh.. But I wasn't referring to your perfume." His voice sounded soft and rich, yet I found myself unable to place his accent. It sounded like it were some type of combination of a hundred different lands and cultures. "There. I believe your earring is secured." The gentleman stepped away with a perfectly natural smile.
Whatever spell I had imagined myself to be under was seemingly shattered. "My rogue earring is certain to behave itself now. Thank you." I let out a light laughter with a small smile. "Not at all. It was thanks to the earring that I was granted the good fortune to meet you. Bon voyage." The gentleman said his goodbye, then left. Heading down towards the gallery towards the Mona Lisa, I assumed. But I couldn't believe myself. I had been completely swept away by his charm..
His tailored three-piece suit was seemingly modern, yet he adorned it like a turn-of-the-century prince. Or perhaps.. A vampire from a gothic romance novel. But I brushed that thought to the side and fended off any further fanciful notions and checked my cellphone. It had already been an hour and half yet I had no clue where the time went. Perhaps it was time to rethink my article. But I figured that I should at least see the Mona Lisa while I was there. It could be my last stop.
I hurried down the same corridor I had seen the gentleman take. And I arrived at a strange looking door. "..Is this some type of exhibit?" I mumbled. The wood looked so old and so intricately carved that it could've been a work of art on its own. But I couldn't recall it being on the map. What was behind it? Perhaps a staff room? But there were no signs, no stanchions cordoning it off. And it stood still, partially ajar. Sneaking a peek through the gap, I could spot clocks, vases, and paintings inside. My intuition told me that it could be a new exhibit. Or an older one.
The hallway smelled of time forgotten, and before I realized it, my hand was already on the handle. Sighing, I decided to just take a small peek. Nothing more. Maybe even add it as a part of my blog. But unlike the rest of the musee, this hallway was narrow. Just barely wide enough for two people. And the exhibits had no labels, no descriptions of any kind. I immediately assumed that I must've wandered into a sort of storage area.
But instead of turning around like I should've.. I found myself being drawn further in. Like something was calling to me. It was like I had found myself in a dream. My feet were moving without me, walking towards a light at the end of the long, long hallway. Was it the exit? I broke into a run. Running just so I could get out. But I felt some kind of force take hold of me before I could reach the light. I gasped, fought, and broke free. "Aah!" a sound of surprise fell from my lips.
The light flared around me, enveloping everything. I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn't help. Yet I kept them shut tight until the light returned to normal. But when I opened them-