Wonderer's Wish World: An Empty Land

Something's Cooking...

Coraline was getting a little bored of this. Not that checking every single painting in the room (which was in the hundreds, Coraline noticed) wasn't barrels of fun, but she'd like to move this along. But by the time they were a third through the room, everyone else would be done with their floors. That'd be embarrassing.

Coraline finally decided to speak up. "Are you really planning to check every painting in here?"

Tulip looked over at her. "...Not all of them, I guess."

"Isn't there any way we could speed up this process?" Coraline asked. "What exactly are you looking for anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Tulip admitted. She glanced towards the uncovered hole; her eyes narrowed. "All I know is that that thing is really suspicious, and I have a hunch it's important somehow."

"Do you really think it's a grave?" Coraline wondered. "I mean, it's pretty morbid, but that's what I thought of when I saw it. I didn't want to say it, though."

"No, I was thinking that, too," Tulip replied. Suddenly, her frown deepened as a thought occurred to her. "You know, there might actually be a way to make this go faster, now that I think about it."

Coraline was relieved. "Really? How?"

Tulip reached up, taking a hold on one of an edge of one of the paintings depicting an older, but still very dignified lady. "Here, help me with this."

Coraline, a little confused, still did as she was told, taking hold of the other side, and together, they lifted up the painting, setting it down on the floor. Obviously, the painting was a painting, and it couldn't feel anything, but Coraline could practically feel how unimpressed the painting was with them. She shivered, and stopped herself from checking if its eyes were following her as well.

Tulip ran a hand over the place where the painting had hung, a myriad of emotions crossing over her face before Coraline could decipher them.

"Fine anything?" Coraline asked her. Tulip bit the inside of her cheek.

"Maybe. Just a second."

Tulip stepped away, going over to the side and picking up the base of the wooden sign Kipo had tossed away earlier. Coraline watched her, eyebrows drawn together in confusion as Tulip came back to the part of the wall they had uncovered, lifting the long piece of wood like a spear.

Before Coraline could ask her what on earth she was doing, Tulip rammed the end of her makeshift spear into the wall, making Coraline flinch. The wall broke under the force as easily as if it was paper, probably because it was. When Tulip drew the spear back, there was a neat little hole in the wall, and she dropped the wood to tear the paper away, revealing a hole that looked almost identical to the one behind the previous painting.

"Oh," Coraline said. Tulip nodded, looking surprised herself.

Curiously, Coraline peered into the hole. And immediately regretted it. She jumped away, gagging. Tulip blinked at her, before turning to the hole herself. Coraline saw her go white.

"Oh," Tulip whispered. "Oh no."

"They... They ARE graves," Coraline realized, and felt her stomach drop again at the realization of what that meant. Both she and Tulip glanced around at the other paintings, piled high all around them.

"Maybe, maybe not," Tulip replied, her voice strained. She backed away from the hole, scrunching up her nose, but it didn't help. The stink from the hole was even floating over to where Coraline was standing, and she was a fair bit away, near the door to get out of this place. "We haven't checked."

Coraline nearly laughed at that. "You want to?"

Tulip winced, looking equal parts irritated and horrified. "I guess not."