!!warnings!!: cursing, illness, blood, memory loss, depersonalization, mentions of death, mentions of torture and characters having trauma/ptsd
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Names:
Paintbrush • Grey Pinceau
Lightbulb • Petra Ampoule
Test tube • Maria Provetta
Fan • Ray Ventilateur
Silver spoon • Henry D'argento
Candle • Serenity Kerze
Yin Yang • Cosmo Pínghéng
Yang • Blake
Yin • Robert
Bow • Pembe Heeobou
Baxter • Baxter
Microphone • Mikayla (Mic) Mikrofon
Soap • Sofia Gallúnach
Cabby • Gabby Arkivskap
Mepad • Andy Meeple
Ballpoint Pen • Sebastian Kugelschreiber
Steve Cobs • Steve Cobs
Tissues • Dan Tessuti
Trophy • Bradley Bikar
Paper • Peter Bumaga
Paper's alters: Ky and Pete, both not II, and Evan("evil paper")
Dr Fizz • Doctor Michael Fizz (Doctor Fizz)
Toilet • Nurse Logan Treegrip (Nurse T)
Bot • Bow/BowBot/Bot
OJ • Otto James "OJ" Apelsinjuice
Cheesy • Joey Keso
Taco • Isabella Taco
Dough • Dave Teig Heeobou
Marshmallow • Maddie Malvavisco
Apple • Ava Manzana
Goo • Gregory Schmiere
Baseball • Brian Yakyū
Nickel • Nick Münze
Suitcase • Susie Koffer
Balloon • Kevin Palloncino
Egg/Baby shimmer • Ethan (called "egg" by most characters) Shimmer
Clover • Claudia T̴͘͜͡r͞͏́͘͞é̀͝͠b̷͘͡o̷̡̕͞͞ĺ̢͝͏̴
Mephone4S • Manny Meeple
Blueberry • Devan Arándano
Salt • Sarah Salitu
The Floor • Fredrick Boden
Knife • Cole Messer
Pickle • Dylan Pepinillo
Bomb • Tristan Sprengstoff
Lifering • Logan Reddingsboei
Tea Kettle • Teresa Tetera
Pepper • Patty Poivre
Box • Ben
Cherries • Chris Kirschen
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Quote from chapter:
[QUOTE FAILED TO LOAD]
[DATABASE FOUND UNKNOWN OBJECT TAPPING INTO CODE]
[EXTERMINATING PEST]
[EXTERMINATION FAILED]
[PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER]
[CODE: PROJECT: 01010100 01101001 01110011 01110011 01110101 01100101 01110011 01011111 01010010 01100101 01110110 01101001 01110110 01100001 01101100]
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[TIME: UNKNOWN]
[POV: UNKNOWN]
[PROJECT: 01010100 01101001 01110011 01110011 01110101 01100101 01110011 01011111 01010010 01100101 01110110 01101001 01110110 01100001 01101100 IS SET IN MOTION]
I do not contain any thoughts, currently. I turn on a recorder, listening to the log it contained... it seemed recent.
———LOG ONE———
Hello? Can you he_r me?
Oh! It se_ms to be cutting ou_... let me fix it...
Hello? Is this better?
As you can see, or hear, I managed to discover old tapes from a friend group 9 or so years ago. They made these tapes... I have their legal names.
...
That sounds ominous.
But I don't mean any harm! I mean, it's a public vending machine that happens to have an underground secret lab.
I'm positive that you don't know me, so I'll introduce myself.
My name is something you mere object wouldn't even be able to comprehend, but my owner Fredrick insists on calling me "Tootsy Wootsy."
And he even considers me a pet! Can you believe that?! I'm more powerful than him, that face on a floor.
Back on track, I found tapes from a friend group inside a lab under a vending machine.
Since my owner left to fight come corn man, I've been exploring the lab and came across this tapes.
This friend group consisted of Grey Pinceau, Petra Ampoule, Maria Provetta and Ray Ventilateur. And for a few months, it had another person, but we'll get to that later.
The friendship between the remaining four of them was officially ended 9 years ago, due to that corn man... ew.
The friendship... they titled themselves "the bright lights..." isn't that cute?
No? Oh whatever...
"BARK!"
STOP, SPRINKLES! BACK OFF! I NEED TO RECORD THIS!
"BARK BARK!"
*THUD*
Good riddance... they're cute and all, but extremely destructive...
Where was I... oh yes, the bright lights...
Next to this "recorder" are the tapes I have resurfaced.
———END LOG———
I turn off the recorder, then taking the first tape.
I put it into the dvd player.
A video comes to life.
"Hi folks, is this thing on?"
"OMGA!!! Hi!!!!!"
"Oh Jeepers! Hi!"
"Hmph..."
I smile like a child, watching the children on video.
"Maria, look. Let's make this a show! Let's call it Fan's Fantastic Features! Because I'm a fan!" A red fan laughs. He wears a dark hoodie and has glasses that are too big for his face.
"That's Ray, he's into filmmaking and he's super smart!" The person holding the camera giggles.
"Not as smart as Maria here!" Ray puts an arm around a test tube who also has huge glasses. The test tube blushes and fixes her collar.
"That's Maria! She likes science and is like- super duper smart." The person holding the camera giggles once again.
"Awh, thanks!" Maria chuckles.
"And then there's Grey! Say hi Grey!"
"Hi..." a Paintbrush puts their head in their arms, pulling a hoodie over their head too to hide their face. "I don't like cameras..."
"You look so sad, Grey! Cheer up!" The person holding the camera extends their hand to pat Grey. "Anyway, That's Grey. He- oops. I mean they are an amazing painter! We all love them! They came out as non-binary this week as we're all supportive! I always try my best!"
The camera then moves to a lightbulb. She bounces up and down, trying to balance a can of pumpkin on her head.
"And this is Petra! She always makes us laugh! She's the fastest track player in the school! Say hi, Petra!" The camera moves closer to the lightbulb.
"HI!!! OMGA!! IM ON CAMERA!!" Petra jumps to her feet, knocking the can of pumpkin over, and jumping up and down. "Oh! I'm so excited- wanna see my pet crab, Baxter? I got him last month!!"
"I think we can save Baxter for the next tape." The person holding the camera laughs.
"Oh, oh, now introduce yourself!" Petra exclaims.
"Oh, alright!" The person holding the camera turns it around to face them. "Hello, my name is-"
Just as the camera begins to show them, the footage distorts and the name cannot be heard...
I sit, wondering who the person could be.
I frown because the show is over, but I smile once I see two more tapes.
I take out the first tape and I put the second one in.
"Alright... this is the second tape..." The person holding the camera speaks, but their voice sounds more nasally.
"You sure you're okay to film, ___?" Grey asks but the name is glitched out.
"Yeah... I'm fine- ACHOO-" The camera shakes as the person holding it sneezes.
"I think you're catching a cold..." Ray nervously states, "You should probably go."
"He's right, ____. You should really go... you're annoy- I mean you're getting sick." Maria nervously laughs, rubbing her arm.
"Y- you thoink I'm annoiying?!" The person holding the camera asks, their voice rising and also getting more nasally, "You roilly do?!"
"No we don't! We love you, ____! You're our best friend!" Petra exclaims.
"N- no! You obviously don't like- ACHOO!" The camera crashes to the floor, the camera turning dark but the audio still plays.
"No! Don't leave!" Grey gasps, desperate.
"I'M LEAVING YOU GOIYS! YOU OIBVIOSLY DONT WANT ME HERE- ACHOO-" the one who held the camera screams.
"__n! Please!" Ray gasps. That time, the name was poorly cut out.
"Please, ___!" Maria cries out, "I- I didn't mean what I said! I prom- I shouldn't promise... uh..."
"Just don't go, please? For me?" Petra asks.
"NO! OI'M JUST GOING TO... to..." the one who held the camera's voice fades. A thud is heard.
"CUT THE CAMERA! CUT THE CAMERA! HE FAINTED!" Ray screams.
For a split second, the camera is picked up and is on Ray... before the tape ends.
The second tape leaves me in a state of shock for... I'm not sure how long.
When I snap out of it, I hesitantly remove the second tape and place in the third and final tape...
It appears on the screen... I look at the year.
Almost exactly 9 years ago...
"Alroight... is this thoing on- achoo- erm..." The camera is wobbly and shaky, but it finally turns around to show who had been holding the camera this whole time.
"Soirry... thois camera was bloiking out me for some roison..." The person says, but the camera is blotchy where the person should be standing...
It's almost as if they don't want me to figure out who is on it...
"Erm... ACHOO- soirry... that's my consishawn..." the person videoing explains, "that's what oi had in the loist tape..."
This person... the 'condishawn,' was it? Yes... it all sounds familiar but I just can't pinpoint where I heard it...
Wait...
Do I even remember ANYTHING either- oh nevermind, I'll just watch the tape...
"Err... so goiys... oi goit aaaa... B+ in moi- errr... moi speech class- ACHOO- but oi... uhhh... yeah... oi'm proud of that..." the person says, clearly thinking highly of themself.
"Anywois, goiys... yoiah... oi'm not friends with thoise goiys anymoire... but- ACHOO- but thoiy call themselves the bright lights or somethoing..." they explain. "So, uh- GAH! WH- WHO'S THERE?? WHO IS THAT GOIY?!"
A blinding red light flashes across the screen and a large phone with an X on it's face comes into view-
And the tape glitches out.
I stare in shock for a while again before looking down at the recorder. There is another log.
I then speak, somehow knowing how to, "Woit... thoirs another one-" I immediately cover my mouth... I sound Just like the guy on the video... but I can't be him! I don't remember any of that...
I turn on the next log on the recorder... thing...
———LOG TWO———
I will assume by now that you have watched the tapes, yes?
And I assume that you did not see the person filming it or hear their name, yes?
That is because... I know who is watching these tapes and hearing these logs... and it would be too painful for you. So I blotched out the person to make it less painful for you.
Ah... now what was I going to say? Oh yes...
My logs will mean nothing to you now... I assume someone brought you back- I mean brought you here... so they should be able to explain the rest to you.
The last thing I will say is... because I assume someone brought you back...
Enjoy your stay, back from the dead.
———END LOG———
I stare, astonished and dumbfounded, at the recorder... I can't believe what I heard...
Me? Back from the dead?
T- this isn't possible! Revival isn't possible... is it?
...
...
...
"NO! NO! DID HE DIE AGAIN?!"
My eyes snap open in... some sort of workshop...?
I Look ahead of me and... I can't tell if this is one person or two people...
"HE'S ALIVE! I TOLD YOU CHRISSY!"
"Oh! You're right, CC!"
My eyes focus and I look at the two people ahead of me... two cherries...?
"Hi! I'm Chrissy and that's CC! If you're referring to both of us, then just say Chris!" The left cherry, Chrissy, explains.
"Oh... oi see-" I cover my mouth again, alarmed by my voice.
"Wait- did you see the video?" The right cherry, CC, asks to which I nod. "And the tapes?" CC asks to which I nod too...
"Do you know who you are, then?" They both ask in unison.
I... shake my head...
"Well," Chrissy extends his hand to me, "Welcome back, Dan Tessuti! You're the lucky winner out of many!"
...
"Woit... Woit... oi'm called... what?!" I ask, my voice nasally and trembling. "A- and oi'm a loicky winner?! Of what?"
"Well, we tried this with a few people... we tried you, Pembe Heeobou, Isabella Taco, some others... but you were the lucky one!" CC smiles shyly.
"No- no! Oit shouldn't have been me... oi-" I pause abruptly because I feel like I'm going to... sneeze... but no sneeze comes?
"Oh yeah! You're still sounding nasally, but your condishawn was removed. Um... the thing we used to bring someone back was some of Maria Provetta's green liquid that was inside her before she was shot and exploded!" Chrissy explains calmly, "there was only enough to revive one person! Cobs is disgusting, nobody trusted Ray, and Maria was beyond repair... so we got requests to revive somebody! And, well, the only one that actually worked was yours..."
I Look to the side, processing what they said.
I Look down at my hands, watching them carefully like they're about to do something I don't like. So... I am Dan Tessuti? I look toward a mirror in the corner of the room, gasping at what stared back.
A... a rectangular turquoise tissue box..? But this box has a large patch on it's head and it has bandages all over it's legs and arms. The bandages are fraying, and the patch looks old. This tissue box looks dead, with parts ripped off and blood crusted and dried in multiple areas. One of it's eyes is black like Chris' eyes. But the other is a vibrant and neon green, and it is "leaking" something that resembles tears.
I reach a hand up to my face, and the person in the mirror does the same. I wipe my eyes and I look down at my arm, seeing frayed bandages now soaked in neon liquid...
That cannot be me, staring back in that mirror... it can't. It just can't.
I- I'd have to be something like... a lantern! Or a lime! Or even a nacho! Anything! But a tissue box? I didn't expect this... I didn't expect to be... whatever that is that looks back at me from the crusted and old mirror.
That dead-looking thing that stares back at me from the mirror... I wouldn't have thought it was me... but there is so much proof...
I want to smash that mirror to bits... I know it's unlucky, but I don't care... anything to stop this uneasy feeling I get when I see myself.
If I had a life before this, if you can even call this a life, I had definitely acted different than I do now... it's like whatever sense of self I had was diminished...
And I'm now an entirely different person.
"Dan?" CC asks cautiously.
"Oi'm not Dan. Oi noiver will be." I shake my head as I say this, standing up and walking toward a door. My movements don't even feel like mine.
"But- but we all worked so hard!" Chrissy cries out, "Maria died, and Gabby suggested that we should use what was left of Maria's body- the liquid- to bring someone back! And we did! And you were the only safe one to choose, honestly!"
I hesitate to answer before eventually saying, "Oi'm not the same... thois," I point to my neon green eye, "thois hoippened because of that 'Maria' or whoitever... and oit PROVES oi am doifferent... OI DONT EVEN RECOGNOIZE MOISELF OIN THE MOIRROR!"
"D- dan- then- then WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU UNGRATEFUL A##HOLE?!" Chrissy snaps, "YOU AREN'T DEAD! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST APPRECIATE THAT?!"
I yell back, "BECOISE OI'M NOT THE SAME ANYMOIRE! AND OI NOIVER WILL BE!"
The room goes quiet.
"Oh... so... so you... you lost all of who you were...?" CC asks, his voice hesitant.
I nod, not wanting to hear that cringeworthy sound that is my voice... hell, I barely even recognize my own voice for that matter! I'd rather just die again... anything is better than being like this...
Chris- Chrissy and CC- shake their heads sadly, "We're sorry... we didn't know it would bring so much pain to you... but you see, people lost lives today. People lost limbs today. Maria, Ray, and Cobs... I know you don't know them, but they all died. Cobs wasn't nice at all, but his death lead to Maria and Ray's death..."
"Oh... oi see..." I hug myself, "oi'm soirry..."
"No! No! It isn't your fault..." CC says, "It's Cobs' fault... he's the one who started this... aw man, so many people lost limbs today too... Teresa, Cosmo, Mic, Sofia, Fredrick-"
"Fredrick didn't even HAVE limbs in the first place." Chrissy rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, but now he's missing an eye," CC explains fearfully, "poor guy..."
"Anyway, CC, we've gotta show Dan to everyone else!" Chrissy reminds us before he turns toward me, "Oh... do you still wanna be called Dan?"
I shake my head, "oi'd roither..."
I think for a minute, "oi doinno... but can we goit a bandoige for moi eye? Oi dont loike the color green..." I motion to one of my eyes, the one that was 'leaking' a neon green color.
"Oh, sure thing!" CC and Chrissy grab an bandage and they help wrap it over the leaking, neon green eye, "does that help?"
"Yeah... thanks goiys..." I fold my arms, "oi'll thoink of a name soon..."
"OKAY THEN! LET'S SHOW YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE!" Chrissy and CC grab my arms and the pull me... out the door and into somewhere.
A dark red sky... the ground is all stones... there are dark grey and ash colored clouds in the sky...
And in-front of me is a large group of people, all in a circle with a Candle leading them. "Everyone, they have returned, now we can all return home." She smiles and everyone's heads turn towards me and the two cherries.
A tall one, a tall and golden one... he looks a bit familiar. He stares at me, his eyes wide open. "D- Dan...?" His breathing is heavy and he takes a cigarette out of his mouth, "n- no... Maria's liquid couldn't have brought HIM back... there's no way... I thought he was dead forever- Revival is impossible... I'm probably hallucinating-"
"You're not! We managed to bring Dan back- oh! But it's important that you know something," CC explains nervously, "Dan... would rather be called something else but he hasn't decided yet. He... doesn't really have any memories..."
"Yeah. And moi eye is green and oi doint loike oit... But oit's coivered, so oit's foine..." I fold my arms and the tall golden object smiles and rushes toward me.
He wraps me in a hug and says, "I don't give a f##k if you don't remember, I'll help you remember all the good times... I'm just glad to have you back after 9 f###ing years, you annoying condishawn a##!" Despite his crude language and the name he called me, I can tell he's trying to be genuinely nice. I have a feeling he's never this kind.
"Well, thoink you too, stroinger," I return the hug to the unknown golden object who I had called a stranger.
"The name's Bradley." He lets go of the hug and he stands back up, turning toward everyone, "YO A-HOLES! LET'S GET MOVING! DON'T JUST STARE AT US, LET'S GET BACK HOME!"
A few giggles are heard and then people resume getting into a circle. I follow Bradley to the group and I notice something.
I notice some people in the group are knocked unconscious. A clover, a paintbrush, a glass of orange juice, a block of cheese, and a suitcase. "Oimmm... why are thoiy uncoinscious?" I ask Bradley.
"Oh. They were mindless zombies or whatever so we had to knock them out so we can bring them back home and cure them or some other odd s### that Gabby said," Bradley scoffs and he puts one hand on the unconscious block of cheese and he puts his other hand on mine. I put my other hand on a filing cabinet's hand, and thus, completing the circle.
The filing cabinet looks to me with a smile, "Hey little one! How was your- *COUGH* -revival? How was... death? I've always been- *COUGH* -curious about life after death because of someone I once loved who- *COUGH* -diEd..." Her voice cracks. I can't tell if it's from the sickness(that doesn't seem to spread, thank goodness! I hope to be done with sickness since the 'condishawn' I had when I lived my life before) that she seems to have or if it's because she's mentioning a dead loved one. She says after another cough, "I'm Gabby, by the way. I'm the one who figured out that Maria's liquid could- *COUGH* -bring people back and I'm the one who found out that we should knock the mindless zombies unconscious- *COUGH* -so we can bring them home and cure them."
I take a minute to process the information before I respond with, "oh... uhhhh... thoinks... for all thoit... uhh... and revival ois scary. Oi doint loike oit... but death? Death ois... uhh... oi doin't remoimber... soirry, Goibby."
"Hey, hey! It's okay... 'no name for now!' It's- *COUGH* -it's all fine!" Gabby smiles and coughs. But we all try and quiet down when the Candle speaks.
"Alright everyone, everyone here?" She asks to which there are some whispers in the crowd, "Is EVERYONE but Maria, Ray, and 'you-know-who' here? Is everyone here who isn't dead- that's an odd question."
Everyone nods.
"That's good," The Candle smiles, "everyone, chant with me that you want to go home. Say, 'I want to go home.' And say it faster and louder each time. Then, I can take you all home... begin."
Choruses of 'I want to go home' rise gradually throughout the crowd and eventually I join in. Through the loud noise, I can hear the Candle's voice.
"We'll be home in three...!"
The wind blows harsh.
"Two!"
The wind blows so hard that it blocks out almost all sound.
"One!"
And the wind blows harsh... and a large jerk forward... and I fall-
"Owwww..." I slowly sit up, my head spinning. I had fallen face first onto... green... nature... this- this is grass? Grass?!
I burry my face in the soft material again before somebody lifts me up. I hear choruses of 'home! We're finally home! The war is over!'
And I can't help but think, What home? What war?
"Yo Twerp!" I hear Bradley's voice, "If you don't remember anything, i doubt this place would hurt you to look at. It hurts me but again, who gives a s### about me- anyway... If you're really alive then open your f###ing eyes!"
My eyes slowly open and I move my bandaged hands to cover them, "too broight... way too broight out here... someboidy turn off the sun..."
"Hey, hey, the guy hasn't seen sunlight in so long! Get his hands off his face!" CC- or Chrissy, I can't really tell- exclaims and somebody lifts my hands off my face.
When my eyes finally adjust, I see something that I thought I had forgotten.
Something I thought I would never see again.... Something that I was ABSOLUTELY sure that I had forgotten...
The old Meeple Headquarters, where I had been tortured until my last breath 9 years ago.
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a/n:
Sorry that the updates are a bit slow, but I hope all of you had/are having a good time during the holidays and I hope you all have a wonderful new year!!! :)
If you all have any questions about this book, then please ask!! If it's too big of a spoiler(like for example; basically anything involving paintbrush in the future is a spoiler) then I'll just let you know it's a spoiler... so what I basically mean is that if you have a question about something that already happened in this story then I'll be happy to answer!! :)
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3840 words
December 26, 2022