God I am so sorry. I had this idea a few months ago when I was half-asleep and now that it's written, I just . . . ugh. I'm sorry.

Mother and Father are somewhere else in the gallery. I go up to the front desk and look at the notebook. I can see a lot of people's names there. I ask the man behind the desk if I can write my own name there, and he smiles and says yes, of course you can.

I pick up the pen and write my name.

Something's wrong. Everyone's gone, the lights are off, the doors and windows are locked—strange things keep happening. A fruit falls out of a painting. A cat meows when there is no cat. Someone behind me coughs, but I look and no one's there.

There are stairs that weren't there before. They're going into a painting. Maybe everyone else is down there.

This is a strange place. The lights keep flickering. The statues and paintings are chasing me.

The Lady in Red finally catches me when I'm out of breath. I watch as my rose loses its petals.

When the last petal falls, everything goes black.

What's going on . . . ?

I open my eyes to the notebook in front of me. I just finished writing my name. The man behind the desk asks me if everything's okay, and I say yes, it is. I put down the pen and walk away.

Was it all a dream?

It's all happening again. This time, before I go through the green door, I write my name in the little book on the table.

The Lady in Red catches me again (same stupid mistake, I was cornered). Everything goes black as my rose's petals fall off.

When I open my eyes this time, I'm in front of the little book by the green door.

It takes me a few tries to get past the Lady in Red. I finally find the key lying on the ground and I run away through the door.

After I read a strange book, the other door opens and I go through.

I see you for the first time. You're face-down on the ground, and you're not moving. I try to help, but you're in too much pain to see me.

I take the key from your hand (sorry) and I go through another door. The Lady in Blue is taking the petals off of a blue rose.

I watch as she takes the last petal off.

Everything goes dark. Why . . . ? My rose is safe—!

I open my eyes in front of the little book by the green door again.

This time, I save the blue rose. I put it in the vase and I take it to you. You're all better now. You thank me for getting your rose back.

Your rose. I understand. Everything goes dark if I lose all my petals, and everything goes dark if you lose all your petals. But I don't tell you.

We introduce ourselves. You tell me your name.

Before we keep going, I go back to the little book by the blue vase to write my name and your name. You ask why, and I say it's because I want to. You wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth, right?

We meet Mary. She's very friendly. I don't remember seeing her in the gallery before, but I guess I just didn't notice her.

We're separated. Mary and I explore one place while you explore another. I accidentally break a bunch of stuff, but no one yells at me.

Finally we get downstairs. I hear you talking. We go into a door and see you.

What happened to you? You don't seem like yourself . . .

I remember what I've seen in movies and I slap you twice. You wake up and we leave.

Mary tries to attack you. You knock her out and you tell me the truth about her. I feel sorry for her, but you say we have to keep moving.

This place smells like crayons, I say. You nod but you don't say anything.

Mary pushes us into the Toy Box. I lose my rose. You want to help me look for it, but Mary has it.

You trade your rose for mine.

As soon as Mary runs away with your rose, the things in here start moving. Dolls, mannequins—everything. We escape.

Loves me.

You stumble.

Loves me not.

You slow down.

Loves me.

You tell me to wait as I see blue petals scattered along the ground. I'm sorry, you say, but Ib, can you go ahead? I promise I'll catch up. (You lied.)

I believe you, so I leave you there. I go up some stairs and I see Mary. She's plucking the last petal off of your rose.

Loves me, she says, throwing away the stalk. She runs out of the room.

I look at the broken rose.

Why isn't everything going black? Why don't we get another try?

I hope you'll catch up soon, because you really are taking your time. (You never caught up with me.)

I go back and I use the key to go back to the gallery after I sign my name in a little book. I jump into the painting . . .

I open my eyes.

What was I doing?

I go downstairs. Mother, Father, and my little sister Mary are there. Mary's asking about food already. She sees me and pulls me down. We all decide to go.

As we leave, Mary sees something in my pocket. It's candy.

I see it.

The candy you gave me.

I remember!

No—!

She isn't my sister! Mary, that isn't your candy!

Where are you? You said you would catch up!

Everything fades to black as Mary promises we'll always be together . . .

I open my eyes. Mother, Father, and I are entering the Guertena exhibition.

Why? Why am I back here? At the beginning of all this . . . ? Am I caught in a loop?

You're surprised I know your name. I tell you what happened—that we're caught in a loop, that you never came back with me—but you laugh and say I'm imagining things.

When I get separated, I make sure to go with you this time. But when I go over there, everything goes dark.

Why?

I don't tell you this time around. You wouldn't believe me. When we get separated, I go with Mary.

As soon as we go into the room, I tell Mary that I know about her. She's quiet. Then she says she likes me, but since I know . . .

The last thing I see before everything goes dark is a palette knife coming towards me.

Finally, we're back here. The Toy Box. Mary takes all your petals and runs away.

I go back to you. You're sleeping against the wall. Oh, so that's why you never caught up. You were just too tired.

I try to wake you, but you won't wake. I try to drag you with me, but you're too heavy.

Please wake up . . .

(He won't wake.)

I find out you have a lighter. I take it and I eat the candy you gave me.

I go back up and burn the thorns covering the staircase. Mary comes in and chases me. In a second, I decide what to do.

She disappears in a pile of ashes.

I go back. Back to the gallery.

Hey, what was I doing again . . . ?

I go around the corner and I see a painting of a sleeping man. The title is Forgotten Portrait.

I feel something in my pocket and take out a lighter.

The lighter.

Your lighter.

You . . . ! The painting . . . !

Why . . . ?

Everything goes black.

I don't know how many times this is. Every time I try to keep you and me alive, but you keep falling asleep.

The last time . . . you and me made it out alive. Just like before, I forgot what happened. I saw you next to the rose sculpture, but you didn't remember me.

I didn't remember you, but then I found the candy.

Wait! I wanted to say. It's me!

But my voice was gone, and you were gone too.

This time, I'll do better.

When I read some of the titles aloud, you're impressed that I know so many big words.

You don't remember that it was you who taught them to me.

We burned Mary. She disappeared.

I notice a cut on your hand as you ask me if I'm okay. I get an idea and give you my handkerchief.

We go back to the gallery.

What was I doing again . . . ?

I go downstairs and I see you in front of a rose sculpture. We talk, and you say my name.

You're confused and you try to walk away, but you find my handkerchief. You wonder how you got it, and then—

You remember.

You remember me.

You ask me if I remember, and I say no. But then I find the candy.

I remember . . . I remember you!

I remember everything that happened!

You tell me we'll meet again. I say yes, we will.

And when we do, I will tell you everything.