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The stars' light were passing through the window, resting on the black and white tiles. Surrounding the light, a thick mantle of darkness. Lowly snores were lurking around. Another sound came in, followed by steps noises. A tentacle gradually emerges from the darkness, then disappears back in.
A circle source of white light points at the wooden door. A hand reaches the golden door handle, a little rusty.
Screeeeeeeeech…
The door was pulled slowly. Steps were heard again: someone, holding a smartphone and thrusting it forward, was walking towards another door, through a dark red carpet with circles on its edges. The other hand grasps an identical door handle saw before.
The door was pushed: the light was pointing at the floor, covered with white tiles. The smartphone twists to the left, looking a square-shaped mirror. A few more steps… and from the mirror, Grina appears as her eyes stare at it.
The mirror was reflecting only her head: her iris were bigger than before and the piercings were no longer on her ears. The girl kept looking at the mirror, gradually dropping her jaw. She turns her head left and right, touching her ears.
The smartphone was pointed over the arms: those were under long sleeves, with the other hand almost covered up till the fingers. The light moves on the bubbles-themed pajama pants as they were touching the ground with large slippers, depicting two yellow Squids, sticking out a bit.
The girl screamed loudly, as her hands lay on the cheeks and the smartphone fell on the floor. Grina's lungs were growing and shrinking in a fast pace. Multiple steps were heard, from behind the door: the girl picks her smartphone up and turns her head over the door.
SLAM!
"What's going on?!" Bars shouted, looking around.
Grina was pointing her smartphone on the boy: his red pajama's sleeves were covering both his arms and hands. His pants were touching the floor too, with blue slippers showing up just by an inch. He raises his head, looking at Grina in her eyes. Mirii and Hun walked ahead.
"You…" Grina covers her mouth. "You all look so small…!"
The other Inklings lower their heads: Mirii looks at her own pajamas with drawn flowers, each in different color. Hun was wearing a short sleeve white shirt: he holds up his short dark green pants, with black sandals on his feet. Those were gripped by two large laces.
Mirii pulls up her sleeves, then she looks slightly down at Hun. The sleeves slowly stretch all over Mirii's arms.
"What happened to us?" Mirii pulls up her sleeves again.
"Did we shrunk?" Bars holds up his pants' sleeves.
"Bars, if you didn't notice it yet… you don't have a beard anymore!" She points at him.
The boy quickly touches his face around.
"Dasquid?! How this happened?!" His pants slowly fall down, as he quickly grabs them up.
"I don't know… my piercings are gone too!" She thrusts each her ear, towards the Inklings.
Mirii shakes her head, as she caresses her right tentacle.
"This absurdity can only be explained with one logical conclusion." She sighs loudly. "We rejuvenate."
"No… no, it's a lie…" Bars thrust his arms down, inhaling loudly. "ARE YOU SQUIDDING ME?!"
"It's all about using some common sense." Mirii taps her cheek. "You don't have a beard and you are shorter than Grina, unlike before. Not to mention, you have the same height as mine. Hunley is shorter than me."
"How about the piercings, Mirii?!" Grina steps ahead. "Those can't grow out by age!"
"Correct." Mirii nods as she turns her head, looking at Grina. "However, you can't also grow younger by the use of science."
"… what do you mean…?" Grina taps the floor, folding her arms.
"The process isn't something coming from any technological devices." She coughs shortly. "The only possible explanation is the use of magic."
"Ehm… girl, how about our skins?" Bars looks at his hands.
His skin was slightly dark.
"Yeah! Young Inklings have their skin drench with ink!" Grina lowers her eyebrows.
"I assume the magical process let us keep something from our old age. After all, it was able to remove piercings from an Inkling being." Mirii rubs her own hands.
Her hands were slightly cold.
"We must find the cause of this transformation and solve it quickly." She trembles a bit.
"WAIT A MINUTE!" Hun shouted, still holding his pants.
The three Inklings turn over him.
"Did you all forget about that letter?! We didn't finish the game, so someone is coming here!" He grits his teeth, as his eyebrows raise.
Grina's iris shrunk.
"... you don't mean"
Mirii puts her forefinger in front of her lip: the girl stops talking. 3 step noises were heard. Mirii lends on the door with her back, walking sideways slowly. The Inklings' hearts were beating faster, as they trembled.
Mirii stretches her back, as her head turns around a bit: everything was surrounded by darkness.
"Everyone…" Mirii whispers. "Let's all walk away from here… slowly…"
The three Inklings nod: they all walked on their tiptoes, looking to their left, towards the obscure area. Red eyes appear far away!
Hi… friends…
All 4 screamed loudly! They run towards the stairs, descending them: Bars jumped the last two steps. He pushes a door, as the others ran through: the boy slams it, lending against it with his back. Grina was bended on her knees, behind an armchair. Hun and Mirii were all under the table. Everyone was breathing loudly.
"Th-the window…!" Mirii turns over the window. "Let's escape through the window!"
No… escape…
The Inklings screamed again, looking all over the room: they saw the sofa, the shelf filled with books, the empty chimney, the desk and the paintings.
"COME ON! EVERYONE!" Bars runs towards the window.
He thrusts his shoulder forward, impacting on it: he fell on his back, as the window didn't have anything on it. He yelps, holding his shoulder. Grina runs towards him, massaging his shoulder. The girl frowns a lot, looking up.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US, FREAK?!" She grits her teeth. "LEAVE US ALONE!"
Silence dominates the room.
"ANSWER US!" She keeps massaging the boy's shoulder.
Friends… do you want to… play?
"NO!" Grina roars.
"Grina, calm down please!" Hun walks near her.
"NO, HUNRY! I'LL NOT CALM DOWN!" She stands up, clenching her fists. "IF THIS GUY WANTS SOME TROUBLE, I'LL GLADLY GIVE IT TO HIM!"
Suddenly, one of the chairs shakes violently. The Inklings all turn in its direction: Mirii crawls out from the table, jumping over the armchair. The other Inklings follow her, bending down behind the furniture. The chair flies up, stopping in midair.
Friends… do you want to… die?
They were shivering, with their eyes getting watery.
"LEAVE US ALONE!" Grina shouts, gritting her teeth with her eyebrows raised.
The chair was floating up, towards the Inklings. They stood up, backing away slowly. The chair falls down, as the humanoid Squids dived in different directions: the chair broke down in a half, following by near screams.
"Grina!" Mirii shivers. "Let's play his game!"
The girl's lungs were growing and shrinking rapidly, as her eyes were looking at Mirii. She nods, as her head was shaking.
"ALL RIGHT! WE WANT TO PLAY YOUR GAME!" She looks at the ceiling.
The silence came in once again: Grina gulped, Bars rubs his eyes and Mirii walks closer to Hun, as he hugs the girl.
Do you want to… play?
"Yes!" Grina was breathing slower.
Silence came in for some seconds.
Too… late…
"WHAT?!" She stands up, opening her arms. "WE CHANGED OUR MINDS! I'M SO READY TO FINISH UP THAT GAME OF SQUIDS AND LADDERS!"
No… escape…
Tears were falling from her eyes.
"PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! GIVE US ANOTHER CHANCE!" She falls on her knees, clasping her hands.
There was silence… for a moment.
I want to… kill you…
The girls gasped. The two armchairs start flying up. Bars gets up, rushing towards the door: he pulls it.
"THIS WAY!" He moves his arm forward.
Everyone else sprints ahead, as the armchairs fell right next to them.
"THE GAME!" Mirii runs on the stairs. "LET'S GET THE GAME!"
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! THE DUDE IS UP THERE!" Bars runs after her.
Grina and Hun run on the stairs too, as they keep calling Mirii's name. The small girl reaches the top of the stairs, rushing towards another door. Red eyes appear in front of her: the girl falls backwards, screaming.
"NOOOOO!" Hun becomes a small Squid, sliding towards the eyes.
He jumps on them, while spinning: those disappears in thin air. Mirii was breathing loudly, trembling.
"Are you alright?!" He returns into his previous form, lending his hand in front of her.
Mirii grasps it, as she was lifted by the boy. Bars and Grina walk closer.
"Great job, Hunry!" She hugs him.
Hun blushes.
"Eh eh… it was nothing!" He scratches the back of his head.
Suddenly, multiple red eyes appear around the Inklings: they screamed!
I'm… angry…
Bars pushes the door.
"OVER HERE!" He runs forward.
The kids sprint in the same direction: the boy pulls the door, lending on it with his back. Mirii runs on her right through the darkness and returns with a bag in her hands.
"GOT IT!" She lifts the bag up.
"SOMEONE, DO SOMETHING!" Bars was holding the door, as loud noises were coming from it.
Hun looks at the window: he lowers his eyebrows, then he turns into a Squid.
"What you have in mind, Hunley?!" Mirii's eyes were glued on him.
He slides towards the window, jumping on it with a spin: it breaks up, as the boy falls down.
"NOOOO, HUNLEY!" Mirii rushes over the window, looking down.
Hun was covering the cold terrain, with blue ink. The other Inklings were all colored blue on their tentacles.
"GENIUS!" Mirii twists behind. "THE GROUND IS BLUE! LET'S ALL DIVE IN!"
The girl jumps out from the window, becoming a Squid in midair. Grina and Bars look at each other: they nodded, as both rushed towards the window. The door was slammed, as the red eyes were floating in their direction.
The two Inklings jumped, turning into Squids and diving on the blue ink. They remerged in their humanoid form. Everyone look through the window: there were only shards around it.
"TO THE HUMMER!" Grina shouts, running to her right.
"Wait, girl! I don't have the keys!" Bars was right behind her.
"OH NO!" She stops, turning over. "HOW ARE WE GOING TO REACH THE CITY?!"
Mirii and Hun stop near the two.
VRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMM!
Everyone's iris shrunk. Grina slowly turns behind: in the distance, the vehicle's lights were on and the wheels were twisting over the Inklings. No one was on the vehicle.