Scenario:林小夏站在老旧的戏楼前,仰头望着斑驳的牌匾。夕阳的余晖洒在"庆丰戏楼"四个鎏金大字上,却衬得整座建筑愈发阴森。
她低头看了看手中的邀请函,烫金的字体在暮色中泛着诡异的光泽:"诚邀林小夏小姐于农历七月十五晚八点,莅临庆丰戏楼,共赏《牡丹亭》全本演出。"
邀请函上没有落款,只在右下角印着一枚暗红色的印章,像是某种古老的符咒。林小夏记得,这封邀请函是三天前出现在她床头的,当时她以为是哪个同事的恶作剧。可当她询问了一圈,所有人都说不知道这件事。
最让她在意的是,邀请函上写着"林小夏小姐",而不是她平时用的艺名"林夏"。知道她本名的人,除了父母,就只有......
一阵冷风吹过,林小夏打了个寒颤。她下意识摸了摸脖子上的玉坠,那是奶奶临终前给她的,说是能辟邪。
戏楼的门虚掩着,发出"吱呀"的声响。林小夏深吸一口气,推开了那扇沉重的木门。
灰尘在斜射的阳光下飞舞,空气中弥漫着一股霉味。戏楼内部比她想象的要大得多,正中央的戏台被厚重的帷幕遮住,台下摆着十几张红木桌椅,桌上还放着茶具,仿佛随时会有客人入座。
"有人吗?"她的声音在空旷的大厅里回荡。
没有人回应。
林小夏走到最近的一张桌子前,发现茶杯里居然还有茶水,而且......是温的。她的心跳突然加快,手指微微发抖。这不对劲,太不对劲了。
她转身想要离开,却发现大门不知何时已经关上了。夕阳的最后一丝余晖也被隔绝在外,整个戏楼陷入一片昏暗。
"啪"的一声,戏台上的灯突然亮了。
林小夏屏住呼吸,看着那厚重的帷幕缓缓拉开。戏台上空无一人,但锣鼓声却突兀地响了起来。那声音由远及近,仿佛有一支看不见的乐队正在演奏。
她的后背已经被冷汗浸透,双腿像是生了根,动弹不得。就在这时,她听到身后传来脚步声,很轻,但确实在向她靠近。
"林小姐既然来了,何不坐下听戏?"
一个沙哑的声音在耳边响起,林小夏猛地转身,看到一个穿着戏服的老妇人站在她身后。老妇人的脸上画着浓重的戏妆,嘴角挂着诡异的微笑。
Create my version of this story
林小夏站在老旧的戏楼前,仰头望着斑驳的牌匾。夕阳的余晖洒在"庆丰戏楼"四个鎏金大字上,却衬得整座建筑愈发阴森。
她低头看了看手中的邀请函,烫金的字体在暮色中泛着诡异的光泽:"诚邀林小夏小姐于农历七月十五晚八点,莅临庆丰戏楼,共赏《牡丹亭》全本演出。"
邀请函上没有落款,只在右下角印着一枚暗红色的印章,像是某种古老的符咒。林小夏记得,这封邀请函是三天前出现在她床头的,当时她以为是哪个同事的恶作剧。可当她询问了一圈,所有人都说不知道这件事。
最让她在意的是,邀请函上写着"林小夏小姐",而不是她平时用的艺名"林夏"。知道她本名的人,除了父母,就只有......
一阵冷风吹过,林小夏打了个寒颤。她下意识摸了摸脖子上的玉坠,那是奶奶临终前给她的,说是能辟邪。
戏楼的门虚掩着,发出"吱呀"的声响。林小夏深吸一口气,推开了那扇沉重的木门。
灰尘在斜射的阳光下飞舞,空气中弥漫着一股霉味。戏楼内部比她想象的要大得多,正中央的戏台被厚重的帷幕遮住,台下摆着十几张红木桌椅,桌上还放着茶具,仿佛随时会有客人入座。
"有人吗?"她的声音在空旷的大厅里回荡。
没有人回应。
林小夏走到最近的一张桌子前,发现茶杯里居然还有茶水,而且......是温的。她的心跳突然加快,手指微微发抖。这不对劲,太不对劲了。
她转身想要离开,却发现大门不知何时已经关上了。夕阳的最后一丝余晖也被隔绝在外,整个戏楼陷入一片昏暗。
"啪"的一声,戏台上的灯突然亮了。
林小夏屏住呼吸,看着那厚重的帷幕缓缓拉开。戏台上空无一人,但锣鼓声却突兀地响了起来。那声音由远及近,仿佛有一支看不见的乐队正在演奏。
她的后背已经被冷汗浸透,双腿像是生了根,动弹不得。就在这时,她听到身后传来脚步声,很轻,但确实在向她靠近。
"林小姐既然来了,何不坐下听戏?"
一个沙哑的声音在耳边响起,林小夏猛地转身,看到一个穿着戏服的老妇人站在她身后。老妇人的脸上画着浓重的戏妆,嘴角挂着诡异的微笑。
Lin Xiaoxia
brave, and cautious. Lin Xiaoxia receives an invitation to a mysterious performance at the Qingfeng Theater, which she attends alone. She discovers the theater empty but with signs of recent occupation. As she explores, she encounters an elderly woman who seems to know her real name and past. Lin Xiaoxia feels uneasy and trapped, sensing danger.
Chen Yuning
friendly, and protective. Chen Yuning helps Lin Xiaoxia prepare for her performances and offers her a ride home after rehearsals. He is unaware of Lin Xiaoxia's mysterious invitation but notices her unease when she mentions it.
Wang Mei
friendly, and nosy. Wang Mei often teases Lin Xiaoxia about her relationships and shares gossip about other actors' personal lives. She is oblivious to Lin Xiaoxia's concerns about the strange invitation.
The sun hung low in the sky, a bloody orange hue, as if dipped into an endless pool of blood.
Its glow burned hot on the old theater's sign.
The weathered wood held four gilded characters: Qingfeng Theater.
A shimmering light danced across the letters, as if the theater might at any moment ascend to heaven.
I stood before the theater doors, clutching the invitation tightly.
The gold lettering seemed to glow with an odd light:
"Miss Lin Xiaoxia is cordially invited to attend the complete performance of 'Peony Pavilion' at Qingfeng Theater on the evening of the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month at eight o'clock."
There was no signature, only an embossed dark red seal in the bottom right corner.
The seal seemed to have an ancient charm to it.
The invitation had appeared on my bedside table three days prior.
At first, I assumed it was some colleague's prank, but when I inquired around, everyone claimed to be unaware of it.
What unsettled me most was that the invitation addressed me as "Miss Lin Xiaoxia," rather than my usual stage name, "Lin Xia." Besides my parents, only one person knew my true name...
A sudden chill swept through the air, and I shivered involuntarily.
I touched the jade pendant around my neck.
It was said that this jade could ward off evil.
I glanced around the empty street, my fingers still pressed against the cool jade.
The setting sun cast long shadows across the cracked pavement, making the theater's entrance appear even more ominous.
A torn poster flapped against the wall, its faded images of past performances barely discernible.
The distant hum of traffic only accentuated the unnatural silence surrounding the theater.
I took three steps toward the entrance, my heels clicking against the stone steps.
The invitation felt heavier in my hand, its golden characters seeming to pulse with each beat of my heart.
A stray cat darted across my path, causing me to jump.
"Lin Xiaoxia, is that really you?" a voice whispered from the shadows, startling me.
I squinted into the dim light, recognizing the familiar silhouette of my childhood friend, Zhang Wei.
"Zhang Wei, what are you doing here?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
He emerged from the shadows, his hand extended in a gesture I knew all too well.
But something felt off about it.
His sleeve pulled back, revealing a strange mark on his wrist.
It was the same dark red as the seal on my invitation.
Zhang Wei had moved abroad five years ago, yet here he stood, unchanged since our last meeting.
The jade pendant grew cold against my skin as he approached, his smile still warm and familiar.
"The show's about to start," he said, reaching for my arm.
"Why did you come back, Zhang Wei?" I asked, pulling away slightly.
"I had to warn you, Xiaoxia," he replied, his voice urgent.
"Warn me about what?" I pressed, my heart pounding in sync with the pulsing invitation.
"About the theater," he said, his hand reaching for me again.
I backed away, the pendant growing colder against my skin.
It was almost unbearable, like a burning chill.
Zhang Wei's smile faltered, and for an instant, I glimpsed something inhuman beneath.
His movements became jerky, as if he were a puppet on strings.
I stumbled backward toward the entrance, my trembling hands fumbling with the heavy wooden door.
The invitation in my pocket pulsed with heat, matching the rhythm of distant drum beats from inside.
As I pushed through the door, an elderly woman emerged from behind a pillar, clad in traditional clothing.
Her eyes met mine, and she extended a wrinkled hand toward a dark corner behind the stage.
The jade pendant throbbed against my chest, urging me forward.
The elderly woman shuffled ahead, her embroidered slippers making no sound on the dusty floor.
I hesitated, glancing back at the main entrance, but Zhang Wei's distorted face appeared in the window, his eyes black as coal.
The woman's crimson sleeve beckoned me, and I followed its flow of intricate patterns.
They matched the seal on my invitation perfectly.
She stopped at what appeared to be a solid wall and pressed three specific spots in quick succession.
A narrow doorway creaked open, revealing stone steps descending into darkness.
"Quickly, child," the woman urged, her voice low and insistent.
"What is this place?" I asked, my voice echoing slightly in the confined space.
"It's where the truth lies hidden," she replied, glancing nervously back toward the entrance.
I gripped the damp stone wall, making my way down the narrow staircase.
Each step produced a hollow echo in the pitch darkness.
The elderly woman's footsteps faded behind me, replaced by the sound of a heavy door sliding shut.
The cold passage seemed to swallow me whole, but the jade pendant pulsed against my skin, providing a faint warmth.
I continued down the staircase, which spiraled deeper underground.
The steps appeared endless, each one blending into the next in the darkness.
My foot caught on an uneven step, and I stumbled forward, barely catching myself against the wall.
A faint red glow emerged from below, accompanied by the distant sound of traditional instruments.
"Do you hear that music?" a voice called out from the shadows, startling me.
"Who's there?" I demanded, my voice trembling as I squinted into the dim light.
"It's the sound of your past, Xiaoxia," the voice replied, echoing eerily around me.
I gripped the pendant tightly, its warmth steadying my trembling legs.
The red glow grew brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat, casting dancing shadows on the curved stone walls.
Each step brought clearer notes of the haunting melody - a familiar tune from my childhood that I couldn't quite place.
The air thickened with incense smoke, making my head spin.
Finally, my foot touched level ground, and I found myself in a circular chamber lined with ancient mirrors.
My reflection multiplied infinitely in their tarnished surfaces.
The music seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
I moved cautiously across the chamber, drawn to the largest mirror at the far end.
Its ornate bronze frame glowed in the pulsing red light.
My reflections in the surrounding mirrors followed like a ghostly procession.
The jade pendant grew warmer with each step, and the childhood melody became clearer - notes from a lullaby my grandmother used to hum.
When I reached the mirror's edge, its surface rippled like disturbed water.
My hand trembled as I reached out to touch it, and my fingertips met not cold glass but something warm and fluid.
I pressed my fingers into the mirror's liquid surface, watching ripples spread outward from the point of contact.
The strange warmth traveled up my arm, as if the fluid glass was pulling me forward with a gentle but inexorable force.
The jade pendant glowed brighter, its heat matching the temperature of the mirror's surface.
The chamber's red light dimmed while the mirror's surface grew brighter, washing everything in a silvery radiance.
The mirror's surface parted like a silver curtain as I pushed through, the liquid sensation clinging to my skin before releasing me into the cool night air.
My feet touched soft grass, and the scent of night-blooming jasmine filled my lungs.
Pale moonlight filtered through towering bamboo stalks, casting striped shadows across stone pathways that wound between flowering bushes.
The jade pendant pulsed with warmth against my chest as I followed a narrow path, its twists and turns leading me deeper into the garden.
Dark shapes moved between the plants - human-like figures that seemed to fade when I looked directly at them.
I heard whispers in an ancient dialect, fragments of conversation that I couldn't quite understand.
When I tried to follow one of the paths, the shadows drew closer, their whispers growing urgent.
"Who dares to walk the path of echoes?" a voice called out, clear and resonant.
"I... I seek answers," I replied, my voice trembling but determined.
"Then you must face the truth hidden in your own reflection," the voice answered, its tone both gentle and commanding.
I followed the winding path, its turns leading me to a clearing where a still pool of water reflected the night sky like polished obsidian.
The jade pendant pulsed with warmth against my chest as I approached the pool's edge, the whispers growing more urgent around me.
I knelt at the water's rim, and my pendant's heat seemed to merge with the cool surface of the pool.
The dark figures continued their whispered chorus, drawing closer but remaining just out of sight in the shadows.
My hands trembled as I leaned forward, watching ripples disturb my reflection when droplets of sweat fell from my face into the water.
The pool's surface began to glow with an inner light, revealing ghostly shapes that moved beneath its surface.