He Who Pulls the Strings Weeps Behind the Scene

"Theo?!" Cherry raised her voice. "What's the matter?!"

The electrical red glow continued to flood Theodore's sockets. Unlike last time, it lasted much longer, and a surge of static danced ominously through the edges of his masked cheeks.

Just when she was about to get up, the storyteller snapped his book shut. "And that’s how the Potato twins met the Bird family, became the best of friends, and lived happily ever after! The end!" said Theodore with a bow.

Now standing, the listener merely gawked. "What? Wait, hold on a minute,” she said. “What was that just now?!"

"Hmm? What was what?"

"What do you mean 'what was what?!'" She pointed at him. "You spaced out just a moment ago! And your eyes were flashing red!"

He tilted his head. “What are you talking about?”

She twitched her finger.

Was he seriously not aware of that? What was wrong with him? No, rather, what was wrong with everyone here? What were these masks doing to them? If they weren’t even aware of it, then how could she get answers from them?

Cherry lowered her arm and slumped her shoulders. “Sorry, I think I’m getting tired now,” she mumbled.

Theodore glanced at the clock striking nine in the evening. “Oh, I guess it’s getting dark. Okay, we can call it a day then! I’ll lead you back to your room.”

“After you.”

With that, Theodore escorted her back to her room, yet before he left, he asked, “Say, Cherry?”

“Yeah?”

He rubbed his head. “Do you… seriously not remember anything?”

Cherry frowned. “I guess not.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

He slanted his head. “Then what do you think of us?” he asked.

She mimicked him. “You guys? Well…” She tapped her chin. “I guess you guys are pretty nice.”

“That’s… all?”

“Yeah? We barely met.”

“...But what if we didn’t?”

“Eh?”

“Hypothetically speaking, of course. What if you realize that we were friends before?”

A small knot twisted in her stomach. “Were we?” she asked.

“Hah, if that’s true, then fate’s literally toying with us by making all of us forget each other.”

“But why are you asking me that? Were we friends?”

He shrugged. “I had a weird sense of déjà vu after seeing you this morning. I’m only curious, that’s all.”

Cherry scratched her head. “But I didn’t get any.”

God only knew what Theodore’s expression was behind that expressionless mask. He only looked down at the floor and stroked his chin. “I see,” he murmured. “Sucks to be you then.”

Cherry pouted and folded her arms. “Speak for yourself! Sucks to be you with those masks!”

“Hah! Touché!” He shrugged. “Well, I’m sure it’ll break soon anyway.”

Cherry tilted her head. “‘Break?’ What do you mean?”

He cleared his throat, turned around, and waved a hand. “It’s nothing. I’m just talking nonsense again. Anyway, good night, Cherry! It’s been fun today!”

“Eh? Wait a moment! Can I ask you something first?”

“Hm?” He glanced over his shoulders.

Cherry glanced at the arched windows framing the moonlight. “I’ve been wondering about it for a while. Why are we in the middle of nowhere?”

Theodore slanted his head. “You can tell?”

She shrugged. “I see nothing but trees out there, and it’s pretty quiet. There’s no steam or smoke in the sky, no airships, and no roads.”

“...You’re pretty observant.” He scratched his head. “Well, you’re right. We’re on the outskirts of Theatreux, but I also don't know why.”

She slanted her head. “Theatreux?”

“Wow, you know less than me?”

She frowned. “I was serious when I said I have amnesia.”

“Right, right. Well, our kingdom’s basically the shining beacon of spectacles. King Carmin is obsessed with drama and all that’s theatrical, so our kingdom is filled with a crap ton of different entertainment shows.”

“I see…” If he doesn’t know either, then I shouldn’t ask further. “Thanks for answering.”

“No problem! Good night!” He walked away with a wave of his hand.

“Good night…” She only nodded and waved back, still confused by it all. With a sigh, she entered her room, stopping for a moment as she gazed at the balcony with the flowing white curtains.

She approached it and leaned on it, staring at the starless, night sky and the endless horizon of trees. A gust of wind swept by, causing her to shudder.

For a mansion occupied by only four residents, Cherry couldn’t help but conclude that their lives felt… bland, depressing, and lonely. Was this why Theodore acted so eccentrically? Was this why Dorothy was so excited to see her?

And not to mention, what was up with those masks?! Why did they have to wear them? What were they doing to them?!

For some reason, her heart itched the more questions she had. It almost drove her to help them deal with whatever hidden problems they had even though they were strangers.

…Or were they?

…Wait, could that be why she woke up near this house? Because her old self hoped that her friends could help her somehow? But did she expect that they had forgotten about her or not? No, more importantly, what even happened to her before she got here?

“Ugh, what’s with all these mysteries?” she grumbled to herself, scratching her head. “Forget this!”

She slumped over the railing, her chin on her palm and her elbows on the railings.

So much had already happened in such a short time. One moment, she woke up in the forest lost and alone, and the next, she found herself here. What else should she expect?

A soft violin snapped Cherry out of her reverie, and her heart skipped a beat.

Oh, it was Clover playing the violin as Theodore mentioned earlier today!

She leaned against the railing and closed her eyes, listening quietly as a strange sense of nostalgia fluttered inside her chest. Did she hear this song before?

Wait, nostalgia? Did she actually remember this before?

She widened her eyes as the truth dawned on her.

So, was it true after all? Did she truly know them before? Then, how did they all end up like this? Why did everyone forget each other?

Cherry clutched her head as more questions stormed in her mind, but all she could do was swallow.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she’d figure things out.

With a nod to herself, she closed her eyes again and listened until the song finished. So too did a peculiarly large raven listen right above her, perching silently as it observed the oblivious guest beneath it.

✦☆✦

The moment Clover’s violin flooded the hallways, Theodore paused and looked around.

Heh, now that he was all alone, now was the perfect time!

He raised a leg, extended his arms, and hummed a harmonic tune as he slowly drifted his feet, his pace as slow as a snail.

Waltzing alone and across the hallways was an eccentric in blue, dancing to a melancholic tune of violin. Would dancing be more enjoyable if he had a partner? Would Cherry be comfortable with someone like him by any chance? Should he surprise her when he randomly offered his hand? Oh, to see Cherry’s flustered expressions would be hilarious.

After all, a long time had passed since he saw any natural faces. He acted dramatically solely to see Cherry's colorful reactions ever since the moment she woke up this morning.

He recalled the collection of Cherry’s expressions he had seen so far: her sleeping face, her concerned face, her gleeful face, her curious face, her shocked face, and her unamused face. Now all that was left was the look of absolute flushing embarrassment, the face he saved for last. Maybe he could do that tomorrow. Surely it’d be fun!

The dancer performed a little spin, his long ponytail with the spiral end flowing along. He swayed his arms around, taking hold of his invisible partner. He began to tiptoe, raising his arms high, and hopped around. Theodore spun and swayed as he passed through the red corridors, dancing alone with his thoughts.

Eight months. It had been eight months since they lived in this quiet mansion with these masks, and after all this time, not a damn thing happened. He could swear that he could’ve died from boredom.

Ever since Cherry showed up, it felt like her voice gave color to these walls. At the same time, though, Clover had been acting more unnerved than usual.

Now, what was his brother up to? Time to find out!

Theodore performed one last, dramatic twirl as he made his way to his brother’s office, reaching his door right at the moment the music finished. Wasting no time, he knocked.

“Come in,” said Clover.

Theodore opened the door and stood on the threshold.

Covering the green, floral-patterned walls were small bookshelves neatly aligned, and at the center of the room were two couches with a rectangular table in between. Across the room, massive bay windows framed the night sky and trees. There Clover stood, still holding a violin. He glanced over his shoulders and asked, “Are you here to tell me to shut up?”

“Yeah,” Theodore bluntly said.

“Hmph, I already finished playing anyway.”

“Sure. Anyway, I’m also here to tell you that Cherry seriously has amnesia.”

He slumped his shoulders. “And you learned nothing new?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“...I see. A shame then. You can go then.”

“Now hold on a moment. Do you know something about her that we don’t?”

Clover slanted his head. “Why do you ask about that?”

Theodore rubbed his ears. “Your heart rate was beating super fast that morning, you know.”

Clover nodded, red static surging through his sockets. “So it did,” he mumbled, eye holes flickering red. “I wonder why…”

Forget.

Someone whispered through Theodore’s ear, and a hot spark shot through his head. He groaned and clutched his head as his sockets flashed pure red. Clover too, stood still as static wrapped around his mask, twitching all the while.

A moment later, the brothers slumped their shoulders, heads devoid of thoughts.

“What was I doing here again?” asked Theodore.

“You… wanted me to shut up,” said Clover.

“Oh, yeah, right. Do shut up, please.”

“I already got the message.”

“I just wanted to make that clear. Anyway, see ya.”

With that said, he spun his heels, kicked a trash can over, farted, and shut the door.