S I X - A Little Nightmares Story

Chapter Two - The Mask

Six kept her eyes closed for a moment. Though she didn't want to open them, just wanted to sleep then and there, she had to open them. She needed to stay awake and see what was in the mysterious lighthouse. Six picked herself up from the sleepy feeling that she longed for, looking around. The inside of the lighthouse had brown-and-red striped walls. There was a staircase that swirled against the round walls of the lighthouse, turning up to the top. The stairs were a white color, the railing on it red. Six was close to the staircase, approaching them.

Curiosity seemed to be pulling on Six's sleeve, wanting her to walk up the stairs into the safe room at the top. Six slowly began to walk up the staircase as she noticed a few frames pictures on the walls. The frames were mostly round, a few of the images paintings on rectangular canvases. One of the images depicted the Lady, her mask on, as usual. Even though Six had battled the creature before, she still had no idea why the Lady always had a mask on. Maybe they were ashamed. Or maybe it was a symbol of power. Whatever it was, Six didn't know. All she knew was that it was most likely for important reasons.

Six noticed another one of the frames photos that practically begged for her attention. It was a small girl with a yellow raincoat, almost exactly, if not the same one that Six had. The raincoat no longer fit Six, so she ended up sneaking into the Maw to find scraps of clothing and threads. It looked a bit similar to the clothes that her old friend, Mono, once had. Six had turned the scraps into a dark-brown dark jacket that went down to her knees. It was more like a dress, in a way.

The picture of the girl intrigued Six, because the girl looked a bit like Six. But there was no possible way that it was Six. This girl had a dark brown hair color while Six's hair was black. It couldn't be the girl that Six received the raincoat from. That girl had different facial features than this one. This one looked like Six in a few ways, but in others, looked like someone similar. But Six couldn't point it out.

Six diverted her attention away from the picture of the girl and back to making her way up the swirling staircase to the top of the lighthouse. She noticed several other pictures, some of the Lady, some of that same girl with the raincoat, and one other that seemed to catch Six's attention. It was a picture of a shadow. This picture seemed very out-of-focus, but there had to be some reason that the image was framed up on the wall. The shadow image was of a tall figure that appeared to have something, presumably it's hair or a hat, on its head. Six was unsure of what it was, it being a blurred image. But it still made Six think. This place seemed to be the Lady's sanctuary, or a second home of sorts. So the photo had to be important in some way.

Six's footsteps didn't seem to be loud on the marble stairs beneath her, which she was thankful for. She didn't want anyone hearing her inside of the safe place, just to come barging in and killing her. Her footsteps weren't loud since she was on her bare feet, so her footsteps were quite soft, the sounds weak. Six traced her fingertips along the red railing. She took in the clear air of the lighthouse. It seemed to be the only place connected to the Maw that didn't smell like a dead rat. The air actually smelled fresh, as if no one had been there in years. Which made Six wonder even more about what exactly this place was. Why had no one been there for so long?

Six tiredly made her way up to the top of the lighthouse, only a few steps away. She was sweating, panting, exhausted from walking up the flight of stairs. She breathed deeply as she walked up the last step onto the top floor of the lighthouse. Light emitted through the multiple windows that were side by side on the round-shaped wall. It practically blinded Six. She covered her eyes with her hands, and her brown hood helped a bit. Her eyes became adjusted to the lighting in the room as she looked around.

To the right of Six, there was some type of memorial for someone. Images were scrawled throughout the floor and under the window on the wall behind it. It was a person that seemed to be a friend of the Lady. It was only a shadow. It seemed to be the same shadow as the thin, tall one in the picture frame she had seen before. It appeared to be a hat on his head, along with a suit-like outfit on. But Six was unable to see the face. It confused her.

To the left of Six, there was a small yellow raincoat on the floor, not like it, but the exact same one that Six used to have. It confused Six. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her small yellow raincoat. She put it next to the raincoat on the floor and realized that they were the same raincoat. They had the exact same smudge marks and blood marks. Confusion washed over Six like a waterfall. She didn't understand the logic of it all. It didn't seem to make any sense. Six shrugged a bit, giving up on trying to find the answer, and put her raincoat back in her pocket.

Then Six looked in front of her to find one of the most confusing pieces of material in the room. It was a wooden chair pulled up to a wooden table. On the wooden table lied a mask. And not just any mask, but the Lady's mask. The one that had broken and shattered whenever Six battled and killed the Lady. So now, Six was one of the most confused beings on the face of the Earth.

She slowly walked towards the table, examining it. It didn't look old, worn, or torn apart in any way. In fact, it looked brand new. In Six's perspective, it was even more confusing than the raincoat deal. Six touched her fingertips to the mask, tracing the face of it gently. She was greatly confused.

Six picked up the mask from its spot on the table, turning it and lifting it to her face. She lifted the mask over her face, her breathing becoming more and more shaky. As she put the mask on, she realized that there was an outfit that the Lady used to have in the corner of the room. If Six grew just a bit more, each item would be a perfect fit.