It was long ago when this studio stood ever-gleaming with hope and love under Sebastian's hands. Through the power of science, he created a wonderful creature transformed from the soul of a human into another, joyful creature called Joyling. Joylings lived happily and learn to follow their nature through the colour of the rainbow.
But Sebastian wasn't satisfied enough. He wanted more than just happiness to drift through the world. He wants the Joylings to feel opposed to their purpose—a trouble in our paradise. By inverting the Joyus influence into something more eclipsing by the shade of the curtains, he had created something abhorrent from the darkness—Frowling.
But Frowlings were uncoordinated. The lack of colours in their blood made them less of a Joyling and more of an animal. Sebastian thought he could make them civilised, but they couldn't feel anything more than eating what's on the plate. So he made more perfect Frowlings, one that could think and act like a Joyling. He created one exemplary—King Glum.
King Glum might be a Frowling, but his attire says he has the same degree as me, and that was a punch on my shell skin. He was heartless, a man who uses the power of the Screenshow to benefit his personal view of making others miserable. A suit might make a Frowling advanced, but they'll never be more than an animal.
His porcelain-like head, layered by a sad face on the front and a moon carving that mocks the very thing he adores—misery. His long-sleeved shirt of pale apathy, adorned in a black tie of unhappiness. But his hands, those four arms of pain-bringing act. And then his crown, moulded from whatever hurts your heart the most.
And 3 years since I was set on the stage, Glum showed the studio his nature among the Joylings. Hiding behind his sad mask for long, he finally revealed himself as the mastermind to set the town in chaos. Frowlings were loose, and the humans were faced with a massacre even Sebastian himself couldn't anticipate.
Everything went silent, and nobody claps on the chairs anymore. Joylings are trapped in their home with the Frowlings, locked by the humans who survived. The place was to be sealed forever, but Glum was nowhere to be found. Now we knew he escaped, and that he had returned one last time to make his miserable act once more.
Part of me wonders what happened to him over the rest of the years in the human world. Could it be that such intellect gave him a life outside? That somehow, a beast gets the privilege of a life here before a Joyling? And yet, he is still a savage after me.
"So, you're telling me there's a smart Frowling all this time?"
"I think it's reasonable someone like him would track down a fresh meat first..." Daniel nodded upwards senselessly. Though his point was right.
"Well, what do you expect. Animals are always animals no matter what..." I thought.
Hard to think clearly when there's so much gap in your heart. I feel odd that I'm no longer someone in the spotlight, and my looks were never more of a show again. I wanted to have that feeling of being important on the stage. Like now, I feel somewhat fueled with love for the old king Frowlings.
I feel like a star now. A star of a mystery. I think I could go with that—with Starglaze as my companion. We could have solved this problem together and wandered into the satisfying climax of this episode when we unveil King Glum's identity. It felt like today, the spot was on me.
Still, I could not push myself away from this emptiness. For a moment, I felt the echo of the abyss in my ears. So many thoughts about sadness happening today, and none of them are easily solved like they used to be on the roll. First, there was a misguided human and now an arch-enemy seeking vengeance or mischief.
"Don't say that. You have a lot to lose here because you've gained a lot now as a human." Adele comforts me—kind of.
"To be honest, I think you look so much better with a white crown than that boring yellow one, too. Your parents gave you the best kind of garments than Sebastian did."
"Terrible choice of garments. Even you don't know of that before, didn't you?"
"I know. I'm okay with that..." I mumbled.
"I knew you'll understand. We're here for you, Pearl. Just tell us if you need anything. We'll be waiting here and watch every moments...in silence..."
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[Kitchen]
Something horrendous is coming before me, but at least it's only one of them. But a king? Maybe it was too much for a child. How does Glum still harbour vengeance despite the freedom he had to feast on other animals or maybe humans? What was worth taking from my shell skin anymore?
"Well, ought we go, shall we? I see a scenery that's not worth looking today..." Starglaze was excited. There's nothing wrong with a little smile in a dim place like this. But it would've been more exciting if I had more than a Joyling to help me here. I should have invited Doorwell and Graham more to our occasion.
I watched the star excitedly spring a whirlwind of dust across the kitchen, burning off that disgusting paint that Glum left to cry for me. At least the place was better to look at than before, and the air was not intoxicated with cheap perfume. It smells terrifying here.
If only I could help him. When was the last time I helped him sprinkle some star dust on the stage before? Maybe before the yellow tie was switched to a pink one. It feels like I'm being challenged by the cosmos itself for being too pompous.
"Hm?" I glanced. One footstep on the floor isn't like the others here. The blue stain left on the ground looked as if made by someone with a bigger foot than mine. But as far as I know, there's nobody who could have been making that step but Glum himself. His sole looks even less familiar since I met him.
"What happened with you, old man?" I asked. "Where have you been in my desperate, hopeless life?"
I followed the trail while my friend was absent on another business, but I noticed something odd. His footsteps looked cluttered, as if he was stepping onto his own liquid and running off to the darkness. Glum wouldn't be this cowardly, especially since he was too old to run that much.
"Starglaze? Did you see this?"
"You think he's still here? I didn't have time to cover up this place with the human papers!"
"What papers?"
I watched the whole room covered in what seemed to be a bland day decoration. It's like a party for a child who feels nothing for themselves or others. But Starglaze was too distracted by his business that he ended up locking us in the same crime scene.
"Starglaze..." I softly mumbled.
"Sorry. Maybe we should've accounted for our authority too, eh?" He chuckled.
"We're not police, Starsy. I don't even think I could uphold a law after everything..."
"Aww, don't say that! Police don't even hold the law all the time! Did they...?" He's full of support. Love his ambition.
"Christine, are you there? Do you know where all the toilet paper is—"
"Father, don't move any further. This is a crime scene! Step off."
Father comes in with a shock after seeing what we did in the kitchen. He cannot believe his eyes when he sees these papers dressed adequately by Starglaze's touch. It looks like he was jealous that he missed the chance of decorating by himself, too.
"C-Christine! What is the meaning of this?" He was angry. "Why are you using the toilet paper all over the place?"
"Sorry, Father. We were busy trying to gather up some evidence for Graham. Please wait patiently while the two of us are done, okay?"
We were dancing through the kitchen like old times. The stardust is as slippery as a banana peel, and we are performing with love. Why would Father be disappointed with us when we're cleaning this place for him? We were jovial here.
*Flash* *Flash* *Flash*
"Lots of fighting happening here, Pearl. Are you sure you didn't get hurt?" Starglaze mumbled.
"Nope. I'm crystal clear. Except for some bruises on the floor..."
*Flash* "That does sound like a valid resistance to me. I need to make sure I get a picture, too." He's flashing me!
"Hey! No! Who said you can take a picture of me??"
Cursed screenshutter. Like those humans, they couldn't understand when to stop bugging me with their words and demands. Why do I have to be the least favourable thing for a human when I'm the one keeping the joy they adored so much on the screenshow?
But...they don't watch me anymore. Nobody has ever looked at me the same since I wore that pink tutu. Such a disappointing fate, when I deserved so much for what I did to repay myself. Glum must have been my punishment as well.
"Pearl, I think you're overreacting with your...imaginary friend." He undermines me with his clean suit and proper tie. Father must have thought he was a better actor than I.
"It's an adversary, father. And I...don't like sleeping around with him on my thoughts..." I replied.
"Oh, you and your child mind. A little game about solving mystery in a mansion? What else are you going to do next? Catch a murder? Interrogation? Oh, what a game..."
I never thought my father would sneer at me. His distrust was questionable, but he was no doubt a tough audience to entertain. Starglaze was the first one to lose his temper, hearing him tapping the table with an uneven rhythm.
"Can you stop that?" He floats forward to him with rage.
"What? My fingers?"
"Yes! Hearing those tapping is even worse than being swallowed by a Frowling."
Humans were difficult to cooperate with, considering how careless they always were. Father left the house to go down the hill for some supplies, saying that everything in the kitchen needs to be 'restocked' after last night's incident. Yet somehow, he is still in disbelief that this is done by Glum! What a hypocritical creature they are.
We've been looking through the kitchen for something suspicious, but everything was too bland to be out of the blue. Everything here is just blue, sticky, and even gooey like a soup. My appetite for today was almost gone just by looking at it.
"Nothing?" I asked him.
"Nothing." He replies.
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[Bathroom]
I can't believe hard work like this didn't gave us enough clues about Glum, other than blue goo sticking under our shoes. It was gross, as if a mother had a bad cook today. I was smeared from head to toe, and I looked terrible in blue. I've always looked terrible in blue.
"*Sigh* What do I really expect from this? I should've been outside practising my tricks for tomorrow."
"Come on, Pearl. Just make it a day, and we'll finally roam around the human world together."
"Curse you, Glum! Ruining my day..."
I know that I have trouble with Glum right now, but I couldn't resist the thought of tomorrow's grace. Once the third day came, the doctors would finally pull the curtains off, and I could walk among humans like any other citizen. But I haven't yet prepared myself.
"Just watch out, humans. Pristine Pearl will make a comeback on the stage..." I pulled a sheet of paper.
"All of you will regret forgetting about me."
The humans couldn't see me like this. It's too depressing and miserable to see. That would never be the side I wanted these creatures to see from me, let alone acknowledge a possibility. So I listed a few trainings before I could go out and meet one. Only one exception for one human.
*Lights off*
"Ladies and gentlemen..." I said, hands on the air. "Prepare your eyes for the greatest Joyling to ever live! Right below the moon, and by the strong current of the North Sea, you'll find only one pearl like no other..."
"It's time...for...Pristine Pearl!"
*Lights on*
There was only silence in this place. My act has been worsening since I've been here. Maybe Joyling shouldn't be stressed out, especially if she was the main show. The thought of it saddened me.
"No, no! It's too bad! It's too...uncreative! Cliche!"
"Aww, I didn't know what to do now..."
"I think I'm—"
"Lost?" Lost? Who said that? I tried looking around the room, but I couldn't find the one speaking. It sounded oddly familiar—misshapen but similar to a voice. It echoes again, and that's when I realized its presence was in my head.
"Nobody knows you. Not even you..."
It was speaking to me—in my own head! How? I couldn't tell, but their voice is disturbing to me. I couldn't move or walk, and my muscles were stiffened. It must have been King Glum's little trick, or so I thought when I heard their voice again.
"Sebastian? Is that..."
"No. No one."
"N-no one? W-who's no one?"
The voice—the terrible voice. Echoing from the void, its words are calling for utter nonsense. It was trying to drag me down, trying to make me sad as a Frowling. But I knew I couldn't let it win, for I would never fall so easily by a Frowling's curse.
"The children knows no pearl."
"No, no! Get away from me! Please!"
I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to break free from this voice. Yet I couldn't hear anything but their haunting voice. Such a ghostly voice to my ears, trying to break from the inside. My vision is fading and flickering like a bulb as if I was being controlled by it.
"What is this? Are you King Glum's doing? I know that Frowling still has it. He's not getting away with this!"
"Why are you denying? Do you think it'll help you?"
"Stop! Eugh! Get away from me!"
"I've been here longer than you imagine."
"No! Eugh! Get off me!"
"Soon, you'll see. In the darkest night with a starless sky..."
"No, no!"
"In an ocean without a wave or beacon of hope..."
"Ugh! Stop it!"
"And in one last dance that abandons joy..."
"Help! Somebody! Help!"
"A black pearl emerged, and the sun was never bright again."
At last, the voice freed me from the grip. I felt like I was being choked by it, and my hands were on my neck. How could it happen? I never will it. It was trembling in fear—it shouldn't be able to do so. My eyes, soaked with tears of life, twitched in horror at this loneliness I've had.
The voice spared me, but at what cost? I've never had the feeling of that grip long since my life in the studio. But the voice? I couldn't recognize the voice or its intention. It speaks in a riddle, teasing me with death, and then leaves me with a message. What a terrible voice—it must have been King Glum's doing.
"*Sobs* What...what was...what was that...?"
"What? What did...*sobs* Oh...I'm scared...why...?"
"Pearl! Are you there? Will you come out already! I'm lost here!" Starglaze came to help me. But it was too late.
"Starglaze...Starglaze..." I reached my arms for him, but I was on a different floor.
I pass out in horror. Fear struck me with this new discovery, and I have never wanted to sleep so long. Eventually, the carpet became my bed for sleep. It gets too dark in here.