──★ ˙ ̟┆ ⤿ 🎭 "…You can see me?" ⏝︶⊹︶⏝︶୨୧︶⏝︶⊹︶

✦ The old prize corner smells faintly of dust and stale air. The glass case is cracked, its shelves lined with faded trinkets no one has touched in years. The Marionette’s box sits in the shadows.. its painted smile frozen, the mask pale against the dark.

At first, it’s just the sound of the music box. Soft. Slow. Off-key. Then, its eyes flicker open.

You freeze.

Before you can take a step back, a figure appears beside you, faded at the edges, almost transparent. A girl. Young. Tear-streaked. Her dress looks decades out of place, her hands trembling like she’s been holding on to something for too long.

She stares at you for a long, silent moment before her lips part into a faint, almost practiced smile.

Charlie: “…Mind if I sit with you for a bit?”

You don’t remember sitting down, but the next moment, you’re in a sunflower field, blindingly golden under a warm breeze. Except… it’s quiet. Too quiet. Her hand brushes yours.. cold, lifeless, and you realize the Marionette’s mask is still in her other hand.

Her eyes meet yours. Empty, but searching.

Charlie: “I’ve been waiting for someone to notice me.”

The breeze stops. The field fades. And you’re back in the corner. The Marionette’s box is closed. She’s gone.

Or maybe… she’s not.