Dreams of Arcadia

44

As soon as we drove through the entrance, it got dark. Soft music was playing, very organ-heavy and therefore reminiscent of old vampire movies, and the first hand had already clasped mine.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from the ghosts." San whispered in my ear, which made me pull up the corners of my mouth in amusement. His grip was so tight that he seemed to be the one who was afraid. The boat kept jerking and changing direction unexpectedly, apparently following tracks that led it through the vault without being visible as they were underwater. Lights began to flicker and in front of us on a small platform we saw scenes of torture, re-enacted by mechanical dolls that I wouldn't have found scary even as a child, but when the doll dressed as a jailer held up a knife and swiftly brought it down on a sacrificial doll lying on a table, I heard San gasp in horror and Jin squeezed my shoulder a little too tightly. Sighing, I grinned... I was in here with two scaredy-cats of all people. Up ahead, I heard Mingi yell out, but didn't yet see what had scared him so much. Before we turned the corner, the lights went out again. There were lamps on the floor in the water, through which we could now look into the greenish sludge and see corpses/other dolls lying around, some body parts floating under the surface of the water.

"Jeez, Mary and Joseph... Jin suddenly shouted as one of the dolls came shooting out of the water with a loud splash and wild manic giggling could be heard from the loudspeakers before it fell back into the water next to us and sank. That must have been why Mingi screamed. She had fallen into the water on Jin's side and he had gotten a good splash, which made San laugh spitefully. We rounded another corner, there was still no light and the underwater lamps ended here, when we heard a high, diabolical witch's scream, the light came on and a doll, suspended by the neck, wearing long black hair and a white robe, fell from the ceiling in front of us, illuminated by spotlights from two sides at the same time. This time San and Jin screamed while I leaned back laughing. I briefly rubbed a trickle of laughter from my eyes and when I opened them again, I saw San sitting on Jin's lap, both clinging to each other trembling, which made me raise a brow.

"How did you manage to hop over me without me noticing? That was so fast, no camera could have caught it," I giggled. They both looked at each other in shame and San climbed out of the boat, as we had arrived at a jetty. From here, we had to continue on foot.

"I thought that was you..." sulked Jin, who had almost given San a comforting kiss.

"It's not like I could jump on you... on the first date..." said San, who was visibly embarrassed.

"But me? My lap is reserved for my baby," scolded Jin.

"Stop arguing kids and take my hand so I can lead you mimosas out of here safely." I ordered them amusedly and held out a hand to each of them, which they took without hesitation, but couldn't resist sticking their tongues out at each other behind my back...

We walked on past some really terribly unscary scenes, the music got louder and louder and I noticed that both of them were getting more and more tense. I shook my head slightly and couldn't hold back a grin. Two grown men who actually wanted to impress me, but were now both shivering in a haunted ride that would only have elicited a tired smile even from six-year-olds. We entered a hall of mirrors and finally my companions calmed down again, even giggling as we passed distorting mirrors.

"Haha, Jin hyung... you don't have a stomach, your head is coming out of your pants." San laughed before he also stood in front of the mirror and grimaced.

"Turn around Sannie, then your head will come out of your ass." Jin asked him with a laugh and he actually did it. Jin joined in, but when they started to twerk, I went on laughing. Why were they actually arguing? They were both crackheads... well, they seemed to be getting on well at the moment. They followed me, still giggling, but stopped abruptly when they caught up. I stood still too and looked at the figure in front of me with widened eyes. There stood a woman, long black hair hanging over her face, her head tilted forward and wearing only a white hospital gown.

"Ah the hanged ghost from just now... Help, she's chasing us!" Jin shouted in panic.

"Come on Y/nie... let's get out of here fast." San urged me, on whose back Jin had now jumped, ready to be rescued piggyback. But I didn't move, hearing the woman, who actually seemed real, clear her throat before lifting her eyes and wiping her hair out of her face.

"Fuck... Have I landed in hell?"