Enlightenment.
(Memory's Crannies)
The colors mixed together certainly looked flamboyant, but there was something she found odd. She knew that black is the presence of all colors, and at some parts, the painting had very dark corners, places she thought she would never be willing to go. It had too many colors, (too much red, and blue, and green and yellow) and there was no harmony.
She knew a picture needed harmony to be beautiful. She wanted to be a painter so she could create liquid worlds of color.
Ib looked intently at the wide master piece (she hated it, but hey, it was interesting anyways), and then it came to her.
What was she doing? When did she start to stare at this awfully colorful painting? Ib looked around her, at the people watching in silence, at the white walls, white celling and white floor. The light hurt her eyes for a moment, and the music started to play slowly, with low volume at first, then higher and higher until her ears started to bleed. She closed her eyes tightly, and covered her mouth so she could refrain herself from screaming (she knew it was in her head, because that's what Mommy (where was Mommy?) told her). People where still staring at the paintings and the music was still lovely, but she felt sick.
She wanted to get out and go home and have hot chocolate with marshmallows, take a bath and go to bed. It was the feeling you get when you are back from a very long (very unpleasant) trip.
Odd though, she had just arrived at the gallery.
Slowly, Ib stepped away from the painting. The title had something to do with 'World'. But she didn't fully understand it. She honestly didn't care either.
Walking around, she passed by some pieces that seemed familiar (eerily familiar, she felt a shiver down her spine, and shook her head (c'mon Ib, people are looking at you!)). The Lady in Red (her eyes observed her, following her, digging their way to her flesh), and a huge sculpture of a rose.
A red rose.
And beside it a tall man in a blue coat was standing, watching it. Ib walked passed him, but her hands started to sweat, her knees started to fail, and her heart skipped a beat. She stopped and turned back, and he was there, looking at the rose, hands in pockets and a blank face (what a creep). By instinct, she copied his pose (you are a creep too, Ib) and dipped her hands in the pockets of her skirt (there wouldn't be anything, she checked that same morning, looking for spare change to buy something sweet).
The delicious sound of plastic paper filled her ears, and in the stillness of the gallery, it also seemed to fill the air around them. She turned away from the rose (and from the man (she was not looking at him)) and from her left pocket she extracted a candy with blue envelope. It smelled like blueberry, but the sound as she tried to unwrap it was too loud.
"Excuse me, miss?" a lady (not in red (not in blue, not in green…) was smiling plastically at her (pretending to be nice, for sure, but merely pretending, and the kindness didn't reach her eyes) 'You can't eat inside the gallery. Could you please put that away?'
IB felt the eyes of every single person in the room on her, but when she smiled (plastically too, because the lady was pissing her off) and put the candy on her pocket again, she looked around and knew no one was watching (no one cares about a girl and her candies, Ib, for fucks sake).
"I wasn't intending to eat it" she said coldly. The lady nodded without smiling and walked away.
Feeling silly, Ib turned around with her chin lifted (proud as ever) and found the man (creep) was looking at her, eyes open with something that seemed like surprise, and the very dim light of recognition, but Ib couldn't tell for sure, because it was too awkward to keep staring (Mommy told her to be careful with strangers, especially if said stranger was an older man), and his gaze was too heavy to hold. So she pressed her lips, bit her tongue, and walked pass him (again, Ib? what is it with you and socializing?).
And she's not sure (she might just be fantasizing) but it seemed the man smiled when she extracted the candy again and dropped quietly it in her mouth.