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墨書 Inktalez
The ground was still stained with the blood of the Black Cat, which confirmed its existence. The more certain I became, the more terrified I felt.
I scanned my surroundings, but I could no longer see the shadow of the Black Cat.
As I turned to head back, just as I was nearing the first room, the wooden door suddenly slammed open with a loud bang. Instinctively, I took a few steps back to avoid it.
Suddenly, another 'meow' echoed through the air.
I steadied my nerves and looked inside the room, only to see the Black Cat digging into a mound with its paws, dirt scattering everywhere. The meowing seemed to carry a hint of resentment.
The calm I had just managed to establish was instantly shattered. I kicked open the wooden door and rushed inside, but the Black Cat paid me no mind and continued to dig.
As I approached, it lifted its head and glanced at me. In the beam of my flashlight, its eyes glowed with an eerie and sinister light.
With a 'meow,' it lowered its head again and resumed digging.
Fearing something terrible might happen, I wasted no time and grabbed the Black Cat from the mound, flinging it out of the window. It let out a whimper as it fell outside.
I quickly ran to the window to look out, but the Black Cat had already vanished from sight.
At that moment, Hills was standing outside the door.
I leaned against the window, gasping for breath, suddenly feeling a wave of suffocation wash over me. I hurriedly pressed my hand against my chest to steady myself. After a few minutes, I finally managed to calm down.
The mound had been dug up by the Black Cat, and I could vaguely see a coffin beneath it.
Hills wore a serious expression.
"Fill it back up," I urged anxiously.
Hills did not respond to me. I crouched down, holding a handful of soil disturbed by Black Cat, just as I was about to toss it into the pit.
"Don't fill it in; the grave is already broken."
I paused, letting some of the dirt slip through my fingers.
Hills had already stood up and walked outside.
As I was leaving, I lightly covered the pit that Black Cat had dug with the soil in my hands.
This incident left both Hills and me feeling heavy-hearted.
I looked up at the sky but found that all I could see was the wooden framework of the roof. A slight disappointment washed over me, and I withdrew my gaze. Hills was already several meters ahead of me.
I hurried to catch up with her.
The second room was similar to the first, but when we opened the third room, instead of a tomb, we discovered a staircase leading to the second floor. Hills and I stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up to see a Resting Platform before the staircase turned.
The wooden stairs were already cracked with many marks, and some parts were slightly lifted.
As I stepped on them, I could hear the entire staircase creaking. When my other foot landed, I felt the ladder sink slightly under my weight.
I sensed that if I took another step up, there was a risk of collapse.
I climbed one more step, and Hills followed closely behind me.
The staircase probably couldn't bear much weight; I should go first.
Upon hearing my words, Hills retracted her foot from the ladder. I handed her my flashlight so she could illuminate the way for me.
As the light flickered, my shadow was cast out, enveloping the distance ahead of me and making it appear even darker.
I took each step cautiously, trying to keep my movements light. Finally, I reached the Resting Platform, instantly feeling a sense of solid ground beneath my feet. Although the Resting Platform was also wooden, it felt much more stable compared to the ladder.
I turned around; the light was a bit blinding, and I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes. Hills quickly lowered the brightness.
"You can come up now," I called out.
"Okay."
Hills stepped lightly, but still moved faster than I did.
When Hills reached the Resting Platform, I turned again and made my way toward the second section of the ladder.
Fortunately, I managed to navigate without any issues and arrived safely. When Hills joined me and the light illuminated this space, I was surprised to find that the second floor was actually a room. It was a combination of the three rooms downstairs, with three windows facing into the courtyard.
At the end of the staircase, right above the first room downstairs, there was a Stage set up, complete with facilities arranged in accordance with an Old Theater layout.
The front seats were reserved for gentlemen, while the back seats were for common folk who could afford tickets.
I felt a bit bewildered; it was strange that there were dead bodies buried below while a Stage was built above.
The second floor was quite spacious, and a single flashlight couldn't illuminate it all, leaving many dark corners beyond the beam of light.
My grandfather loved listening to plays and often enjoyed singing a tune himself.
I thought about how wonderful it would be to find some artifacts related to the Old Theater here to give to my grandfather; he would surely be delighted. With that thought in mind, I headed toward the Stage.
"What are you smiling about?" Hills asked as he walked beside me.
"Come on, let's go see if there's anything good," I urged Hills.
Hills paused for a moment, her bright eyes filled with confusion, but she quickened her pace.
We navigated through the tables and chairs until we reached three seats occupied by an old gentleman. On the table were several teacups, and just by looking at the intricate designs on them, I could tell they were valuable. Without hesitation, I grabbed one and stuffed it into my bag.
Wait a minute. I pulled the teacup out of my pocket, emptied the remnants inside, wiped it clean with the edge of my clothing, and put it back in my pocket.
"Are you done yet?" Hills asked irritably.
"Yes."
As soon as I finished speaking, Hills shifted the light away.
The stage was about a meter higher than the floor below. Hills had already stepped onto the stage.
I didn't want to fall behind; without a second thought, I jumped up, landing with one foot on the edge of the stage. Pain shot through me, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.
Hills looked at me in disbelief while I awkwardly smiled back.
The stage was simply constructed from wooden planks, but once I calmed down, I could almost feel the vibrancy it once held. A curtain at the back of the stage concealed what I guessed was a dressing room.
"Let's go check what's behind," I said, surprisingly eager. As I spoke, I stepped forward and pulled aside the curtain, only to be met with a cloud of dust.
I quickly stepped back.
Suddenly, a series of high-pitched singing voices echoed through the air. I froze in place and turned around. Just then, I locked eyes with Hills.
The moment our gazes met, I knew she had heard that strange sound too.
The voice appeared abruptly, like a ghost, and vanished just as suddenly.
Dust danced in the light as if it were alive, swirling around and looking for something, yet there was nothing suspicious to be found.
Abruptly, I felt a sense of unease.
After all these years, could someone still be performing? It seemed eerie.
The dust continued to spread.
No, I exchanged a glance with Hills.
I held my breath tightly, afraid that any sound might cause me to miss the source of that earlier haunting melody.
At that moment, everything was silent. After waiting for a while, I still did not hear the tune from before, but I dared not relax; after all, I had learned my lesson in this regard.
I continued to watch intently. In the pitch-black environment, I could sense more things, yet the voice remained absent.
Could it have been an auditory hallucination? I asked Hills.
Hills furrowed her brow and shook her head. She would never doubt her ears when she had clearly heard something.
Following her gaze, I saw her eyes fixated on several Master Seats. I looked too but found nothing amiss.
“Did you notice something?” I couldn't help but whisper.
Hills seemed startled by my question and replied curtly, “No.”
She withdrew her gaze and after a moment, she nudged me. “What are you looking at? Didn’t you say you wanted to go?”
I was also taken aback by her, pulling my gaze away from the Master Seat.
Turning around, I walked toward the area concealed by the curtain. The long fabric hung down from above, and the curtain I had just lifted now closed back up.
I crossed the Hills, lifting the curtain again. Only after Hills entered did I let it fall back into place.
The space behind the curtain was quite cramped, with items scattered haphazardly. The costumes that hung there were reduced to just a few, and a copper mirror used for makeup had fallen to the ground.
In an inconspicuous corner, I spotted a flower crown worn by a female character during performances, which caught my eye.
I walked over, picked it up, dusted it off, and called out to Hills, "Look!"
Hills seemed uninterested, glancing at it before lowering her gaze and returning her attention to other items.
However, I found the flower crown special and beautiful. As I fiddled with it in my hands, I suddenly felt an impulse and placed it on my head.
In the next moment, an unexpected sound erupted.
Hills quickly fixed her gaze on me as I opened and closed my mouth, surprisingly producing a singing sound that mimicked a performance.
I was startled myself and hurriedly tried to take off the flower crown from my head, but to my dismay, it seemed stuck.
Hills looked tense, unable to relax.
I continued to struggle to remove the flower crown, but it was proving ineffective.
"Damn, what is happening?" I cursed.
"Your face..."
Before she could finish her sentence, I immediately crouched down to look into the bronze mirror. When I saw the person reflected in it, I was startled.
What the hell, who is this?!
Hills suddenly couldn't help but burst into laughter.
It was truly a riot of colors, stunningly beautiful.
I had no idea when two patches of blush had appeared on my face; it was simply bizarre.
I panicked and tried desperately to take off the Flower Crown, but it was stuck on my head like a coffin lid nailed shut.
Hills, come help me.
Hills doubled over with laughter.
Suddenly, the sound of singing echoed again. I touched my mouth, panic written all over my face.
Damn it, how could something like this happen to me? I had mocked Fat Ma before, and now I was worse off than her. The powdery makeup was ridiculous. Thankfully, Fat Ma wasn't around; otherwise, I'd be laughed to death.
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