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'Twisted', doesn't even begin to explain the mentality that I was descending into.
A looming shadow was following me wherever I went, it's presence bending my spine in fear and the sound of it's voice endlessly whispering in the cold autumn wind. I felt like it was on it's way to get me and drag my bones somewhere in to the neverending darkness that I already visited once before, but no matter how many times I glanced over my shoulder, there was never anything there. I knew that there wouldn't, couldn't be, I was well aware of the fact that my overwhelming paranoia had no basis in reality, but I still couldn't shake off the itching need to keep running away from something.
The image in front of me flickered and changed. The sculpture that was sleeping in a glass box, laying on a bed of artificial blooming flowers, suddenly opened it's eyes. The white marble body began to move, slam it's fists against the walls of the glass box and scream. Blood was pooling over the flowers carved out of stone and turning them red. There was so much of it that the moving sculpture soon started drowning, while the colored liquid slowly seeped out of it's prison.
A woman stopped in front of the tortured marble statue and took a picture of it. The flash of her camera made me snap back in to reality and I stumbled under the sudden wave of the loud sounds that were coming from all around me and accidentally hit Sooyoung. I blinked a few times, took my eyes off the statue that stopped moving and turned back to it's original beauty and looked at my coworker, who's loud curse made some people glance at her with surprise.
'' Watch where you're walking, '' Sooyoung mumbled and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. A camera was hanging around her neck, she was typing notes on her phone and she seemed ready to collect information for an amazing article, but her mind wasn't completely focused on the job that she was supposed to be doing. Instead of preparing to write the critical analysis of an idol's private art collection, she kept glancing around, watching the other guests that were invited to it's first public showcase and trying to spot any famous people among the crowd. '' My shoes are already killing me. If you step on my toes, I will sue you for assault. I don't care if it's an accident. ''
I glanced back at the glass box that was holding the marble statue, to see if it would start moving again, but it remained immobile. There was no sight of the blood from earlier either. Just a cold and still figure of a woman, peacefully asleep on a bed of delicate and detailed flowers, all carved out of white marble. She was like a vision from a dream, that someone managed to bring to life.
As I stared at the statue of the sleeping woman, I found myself wondering how much of my strange illusion was real. Or rather - how much of anything was real at this point.
'' Why did you want to come along with me? '' I asked Sooyoung and looked at the painting that was displayed on the wall in front of me. The collection of different pieces of art was showcased in the many rooms of a beautiful villa. Sunlight was pouring through the tall windows, making the golden wall decorations glisten and helping the art radiate all it's beauty. Outside, the villa was surrounded by a beautiful garden, which held even more precious sculptures and flowers that looked almost too pretty and too perfect to be real.
