[⌘]-- Okay, this place may be old and abandoned for all local people know. But this is probably still considered trespassing.
Well, here’s to hope that nobody will mind it.
Well, it’s common to hear that once or twice in a while those groups of teenagers would fool around with ouija boards inside that establishment, but such occurrences have never been concreted as more than mere rumors. Sounds like a thing teenagers would do though, alright.
Not that she would know. She’s only eight.
Yet, there she was. However. Quite far away from becoming a teenager. Not with a group, but on her own. Not with an ouija board, but with only an oil lamp that was actually a modern flashlight just aesthetically built to resemble an oil lamp. But its batteries were a little bit weak, though, so its light wasn’t as strong as it was supposed to. But it does the job, hopefully.
... okay, perhaps this isn’t what children usually do or should do to pass time. But what else is one supposed to do to pass time when there’s literally nobody to spend time with, and the only two people in your life work like HELL to make sure she’s got needs covered, almost all the time?
If only she hadn’t ruined their lives back then...
One can’t just stay home on their own, doing the same things over and over. Eventually it just won’t do it, and probably even alienate one after a long time doing the same things.
It’s one of the reasons she’s here now.
As Madotsuki walked inside, the first things she was greeted with, by her sides, were old cartoon posters hanging up the walls of the entrance hall.
‘Bendy in The Dancing Demon’?
‘Bendy in Little Devil Darlin’?
‘Bendy in Sheep Songs! with Boris the Wolf’?
Granted, she couldn’t see the character’s face in those posters in particular (Save for Boris the Wolf’s), however it still gave her a strong vibe of classic vintage cartoons, like that of the black & white Mickey Mouse.
But, Dancing DEMON? Was it already common back then to introduce these kinds of figures into a kid’s show? If not, then it might have been the first in history... unless they used ‘demon’ in a figurative sense for one’s dancing skills, akin to the term ‘speed demon’.
As the small child walked further in, it was actually surprising to see that this place wasn’t so engulfed in darkness and poor light as one would think for this being an old, long closed establishment. Sure it wasn’t lit, but she could actually set her oil lamp-shaped flashlight down and save its batteries for whenever she may actually need to rely on them.
It was dusty, yes. Yet not as dusty as a place that was apparently shut off for DECADES should probably be.
On that wooden floor, her little steps were a little bit loud and rather creaky, despite her very light weight.
And right up ahead it seemed to be even more lit, as the small girl ventured even further in with a couple more steps. Some weird wheels??? in a wall... Wooden tables, wooden desks, wooden chairs... papers. Papers every-freaking-where. Ah! There is the source of that light in particular.
Is that an old PROJECTOR facing the wall? Looks like it, despite being a model likely from back in the time of black & white TV. Right next to the blank projection, was a CUT-OUT of a vintage cartoon character, leaned against a corner, a bit taller than her tiny frame. With a grin so large and expression so cheerful their cheeks seemed lightly squeezed. Their body was very familiar though, almost the same as the one in the Dancing Demon posters she just saw at the entrance.
Is this the character owning the BENDY name from the posters?
Madotsuki twisted back around upon a single realization, that maybe should have struck her earlier, but...
How could the projector be ON? In this old and abandoned place?? She sure didn’t turn it on, she didn’t even touch it!