Welcome To Guertena

Pristine Walls and Dark Paintings

                      Ashe looked up at the painting in front of her. The swirls of purple paint mixed together to form a sleeping man’s face. In his hand he clutched a blue rose and petals were showered around him. A small pinprick of blood swam on his palm. Ashe winced inwardly at the painting. Guertena was known for his disturbing paintings and dark works. Ashe’s gaze lingered upon the man’s peaceful face once more before she tore herself away.

               People meandered all throughout the gallery. Admission to this place was normally expensive, so not many people came. Ashe shifted her backpack to her other shoulder and sighed.  She wished she hadn’t worn her dress and jeans. The hot pink converse didn’t help at all with her appearance.

               Mannequins with neon dresses and shiny plastic skin posed for awed museum goers. They snapped pictures and tried to mimic the pose of the mannequins ungracefully. Some other people were gathered around grotesque paintings. Ashe passed one with a man hanging by his foot, dangling above an empty void. The biggest exhibit of them all was The Abyss of the Deep though.

               This was a giant painting that was positioned over the white tiled floors. A huge black fish loomed in the dark corners of the paintings, its teeth seeming to glimmer in the nonexistent light. Museum goers took more pictures. Ashe sighed again. She needed a quiet place to work on her paper. Mozart played his way onto my iPod; the symphony struck a peaceful chorus before they finally screamed their cries for the entire world to hear!

               Ashe bobbed head and then entered into the next room. Silence was king here, and the white walls, spotless in the synthetic light; in stark contrast, there was a large painting with swirls and splotches of red coming together. She looked up at its imposing stature and slumped against the walls of the gallery, digging out her notebook from her backpack. She brushed her brown hair back as it fanned over her blue eyes. Ashe looked behind her at the plaque on the wall. The name for the painting was fitting and yet disturbing at the same time.

               Fabricated World.

               She set to work writing her art analyses paper as more piano music played through her ears. Suddenly, the lights flickered and then dimmed down to a grey. Ashe blinked, startled, but continued writing as she tried to push curiosity away. The lights flickered once more before the room went completely dark. Ashe gasped! Footsteps sounded nearby and a chill spread through the room.

               “Who’s there?” Ashe whispered her eyes wide. The lights flickered on and her note book was laying on the floor across from her. She picked up the shabby book and stared at it. Terrified.

               CoMe, AsHe! CoMe PlAy WiTh Us!

               She trailed the words, and her hand came back with ink dripping from her fingers. Book bag forgotten, she raced down the white hallways as the paintings came to life around her. The Coughing Man coughed; blue painted leaked from the ceiling and dripped down in slick, oily puddles. The lights flickered once more until she found herself back at Abyss of the Deep. The large sea creature swam in angered circles snapping at anything that got in its way! The paint swarm towards her, trying to wrap itself around her ankles; it licked desperately at her sneakers. Back one step! Another! Ano-

               Ashe felt the gravity drop from underneath her as she plunged down into the inky water. The large fish swam away for some odd reason, but then again, she wasn’t underwater like she had expected. She entered a dark purple hallway. On either side of her were two large paintings. The one on the left had an island with flames licking at the bases of trees. On the right, there was an island surrounded by cool, clear water. She took off towards the right, fleeing for her life.