“The Witch Academy—what a wonderful place. Study knowledge, explore mysteries, grasp the truth, find friendship, and gain power.”
Seeing that she still didn’t move, the monster stopped speaking. Its footsteps gradually faded toward the door.
After a long while, the girl peeked with one eye. Through the liquid and the curved glass, she saw the collection room was empty, save for the rows of wooden shelves holding hundreds of jars.
Loneliness grew like weeds in her heart. Perhaps it’s time to go out and pull some weeds, she thought.
Medeili slid out of the jar like an eel. She hit the floor with a wet splat, splashing water everywhere. She wiggled on the ground for a moment before remembering she had legs.
Holding onto the shelf partitions, she forced herself to stand. Her two pale little legs were bowed inward, shaking uncontrollably. Having slept for half a year, she was as weak as a newborn infant.
She pushed the door open to find a small, long-neglected garden that had become as desolate as a graveyard.
The gate had collapsed, the filigree fence was eaten away by rust, the pond was dry, and the ground was cracked, leaving only thin, tough withered branches.
The night was deep, a single lamp flickering like a bean. The monster sat under the old wooden porch.
Hearing the door hinge, the massive, pitch-black body rose like a mountain.
He held the candle high. A wind rose, brushing away the dead leaves and accumulated dust, revealing a clean path stretching straight into the darkness.
–
Eerie mist billowed and turbid waves surged. A black iron bridge pierced through the thick fog, pointing toward a Gothic castle built into the mountainside.
The castle was towering and magnificent. The boulders forming the walls were ash-gray rocks over two meters long. It was unclear what great power had carved them into perfect rectangles and stacked them into hundred-meter-high towers and spires without a single gap.
Wind and rain had etched tiny pits into the vertical walls. Moss and ferns grew from the accumulated dust, and ivy meandered along the base of the walls.
A warm yellow light emanated from the castle windows, and melodious music floated through the air.
On the second floor, a maid tilted a basin of warm water out the window. The water fell from the height, smashing to pieces on the rocks below, though the sound was drowned out by the crashing waves.
The humid sea breeze blew into the room. Lulu’anna, lying on a large bed, woke up.
She extended her soft, white fingers and rubbed her eyes, a smile blooming in her half-awake state.
She was a happy little girl, a happy little girl living in a Gothic castle.
She was the mistress of the castle, both princess and empress; everything here had to obey her.
She threw back the soft blankets and jumped off the bed, which was layered with twenty mattresses. Her small feet sank softly into the crimson carpet.
On tiptoes, she skipped and hopped down the long hallway.
The oil paintings hanging on the walls were all her own work—thick layers of black and red woven into swirling dance skirts, the paint splattered outward to form eerie walls and floors.
Lulu’anna ran quickly down the red-carpeted spiral staircase. In the main hall, an orchestra had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing their mistress arrive, the musicians wearing powdered wigs grinned widely. They played accordions, swaying their heads and singing happily:
“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!”
Clap! Clap!
The maids stood in line, rhythmically keeping time. Happy smiles bloomed on their faces, their eyes smiling too, and a flush like apple skin rose on their cheeks.
“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!”
Clap! Clap!
“If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it!”
Clap! Clap!
Lulu’anna hummed along, spinning in a circle as she danced through the middle of the orchestra.
A large golden retriever wagged its tail, spinning in circles just like its mistress.
“If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet!”
Stomp! Stomp!
“If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet!”
Stomp! Stomp!
“If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it!”
Stomp! Stomp!
“Hahahaha!”
Lulu’anna let out a string of laughter like scattered pearls. Holding up her nightgown, she sprinted through the magnificent hall.
As she ran past the dining table, her fingertips brushed the dessert tower. She snatched a warm cream puff, skidded to a stop, took a small hop, and took a massive bite. Cream overflowed from her lips, staining the tip of her nose. The sweet, happy taste filled her mouth.
She chewed the puff, nodding her head to the rhythm and humming along for two more verses. Suddenly, she remembered something. She stopped moving and her smile vanished.
“Today is the day Balor Academy opens, isn’t it? Good. I’m bored of playing anyway.”
It was as if an ice-cold wind had swept through the hall. The lights went out, and the music cut off abruptly.
The musicians collapsed to the floor as if their world had ended. Their accordions fell to the side as they clawed at their wigs, wailing hysterically!
The maids slumped over, weeping uncontrollably. Fake eyeballs fell out with their tears, hitting the floor with a thud. White streaks dissolved on their cheeks, revealing a celluloid texture beneath, looking like dolls painted with cheap pigment. Their maid outfits turned to sodden paper, clinging wetly to their bodies.
“Whimper…”
The big dog tucked its tail and let out a mournful cry, crawling on the ground as if begging its mistress to change her mind.
Lulu’anna ignored them completely. Her heart had already grown wings and flown to the Witch Academy.
“Happiness is always in the future!”
She pushed the door open and left without a single look back.
–
In a small room, Lulu’anna stood before a desk piled with drawing tools. She picked up a pop-up card depicting waves, a castle, the night, and a crescent moon. She crushed it flat and tossed it into the fireplace.
The flames surged, and the cardstock curled into ash. Amidst the flying sparks, the faint sounds of weeping and screaming could be heard.
