Trickster

OPEN WOUND HOUSE. (continued):

"The only way out is down, by the way."

That voice definitely came from Caroline, no doubt about that, and we had a lot to talk about. She wore a different dress this time and it was rather long, like a sort of evening gown. I stopped to have a peek at what she was doing as she laid on the floor, apparently putting together some sort of puzzle.

"There you are...why didn´t you tell me you were an artist?"

"Me, why, I never said I was, just like I never said I was a psychic! It´s just one of my many talents..."

"So that´s why you´re after me all the time, you´re not leaving me until you get what you want!"

"True. Now I will tell you a little secret. Edward K, does that ring a bell?"

"The previous owner? What about him?"

"I´m his daughter..."

You´ve got to be fucking kidding me...

"So are you or not dead?"

Caroline laughed effusively for about a minute and then smiled cynically gazing at me, "You still haven´t learned anything, have you? I did have a past life, which was the child you see now. Yet, this isn´t the real me, I´m grown up, that´s why I talk differently. I´m a woman..."

"Are you even alive?"

"Perhaps, I dare you to come down and find me but you´ll have to figure out what I look like in real life."

"Oh, but that´s so easy, let me just go ahead and search you online..."

"Silly rabbit..."

"So why did you choose this shape anyway?"

"I didn´t! I eventually turned into her."

"Does you father even know about this?"

"Aha, I bet you haven´t been paying enough attention to the quirky buyers you have, Adrian. Two words, RI- TUAL..."

"You mean Ritual...wait."

I climbed up the staircase in my old studio and the answer to her sort of riddle was right there in front of me; she was building a puzzle of the Tree Of Life I painted, but what about the two rabbits?

"This means you were looking at this painting all the time. The Jewish guy, Edward K., fuck! Why didn´t I see this before, the one that started it all! That explains why you were able to show up here after it got sold. But on the other hand, how come the other buyers are still not able to get in?"

"The impact is much, much less on them than it is on me or that French girl over there, tell me, did you find her attractive?"

I felt the huge need to throw something at her now, "Why are you doing this, torture, drive me mad? You´re getting there very quickly, but then what, do you actually know more about the Occult than anybody else?"

"No, the first time I landed here was by accident. Then I found the child and she embraced me. Sometimes I see things too but I don´t question them because I have a great deal of respect for the dead. Don´t forget I was here before you came along."

"Did you know the ghost was here already?"

"She was inside me as soon as I left. I wanted to follow Dad´s footsteps so badly but he won´t let me. So I´m his agent for now."

"I´m confused, wasn´t I the one supposed to help her, the whole little story about the factory that burned to the ground?"

"YES! That´s all true, but I couldn´t do that because I´m no psychic, in fact she wasn´t either but there´s someone who is,The Rabbit Of The Infinite Strength. It shows us things."

"Whoa, you said exactly the same thing as Vainilla..."

"Oh, how clever you are, Adrian! I´ve visited her too. These paintings are indeed marvelous gateways to actual places, except for Lisa´s, of course, that was the past."

"Ok, a simple question, who or what made me paint this?!"

"Who else but me, I´m just a little girl..."

"I´m sorry?"

"Me, it´s me, Adrian, remember?"

"What´s your real name if it ain´t Caroline? Speak!!!"

"NO, I don´t want to! But I know who you are," she giggled. "You´re...you´re The White Rabbit..."

"Yeah...right, look your riddles are starting to give me a bad headache. I have to go now."

"The only way out is down..."

Dammit, I tripped and fell down the stairs...

(continued)...