Ghosts at the Museum 🏛️ [On-Hold]

She was normal—absolutely normal. Well, that was until she thought she was going to die...

How? When? Where?

Let’s start with who she is first.

She is Laura Samantha Mae T. Javier—Laura Javier, for short—an ordinary art management graduate from a small university in Ilora City who had long dreamed of working at a museum.

After months of juggling smaller gallery jobs—and even customer service and call center work just to get by—she finally got her chance to work at the city’s largest and most prestigious art institution: the Ilora City Art Museum…

So there she was!

Laura adjusted the sleeve of her neatly ironed dark-blue blazer as she stepped into the museum for the first time. Her dark-brown hair was tied into a high bun, revealing the graceful line of her neck. A teal blouse added a gentle splash of color beneath the dark layers, while her fitted pencil skirt and black ivory heels completed the look of someone trying very hard to appear composed. Yet, the moment her heels echoed across the marble halls, that composure nearly vanished.

The museum opened before her like a dream made real—grand, elegant, alive with art and stories. Her breath caught in her throat. It felt unreal. She stood there quietly, overwhelmed and overjoyed all at once, blinking back tears.

“I can’t believe I’m actually here. Finally…” Laura murmured to herself as excitement and nerves fogged up her oval-shaped glasses, making her chestnut-brown eyes barely visible behind them.

Just as Laura looked around, completely mesmerized by the interior, she felt an unexpected chill coming from behind. Almost like a gust of wind had passed by.

“Huh? What was that?” she uttered, about to turn around.

But then... someone suddenly called out her name, quickly stealing her attention.

“Ms. Javier?”

A kind and gentle woman with long, black hair, brown almond eyes, and a morena complexion called out to her. Her name? Layla Mendoza. A hardworking woman, a mother, and one of the admins of the Ilora City Art Museum.

With that, Laura quickly forgot about the strange gust of wind and focused entirely on Layla. Her fears almost washed away the moment she saw her smile. Laura was relieved that the first person she met wasn’t nearly as intimidating as most of her friends had made the museum sound. Thankfully.

“You must be Laura Samantha... Mae Javier, correct? The new admin assistant from Augustus Community College?” Layla smiled as she took in Laura’s appearance. It was as if she were studying her, checking her against the résumé in her hand.

“Y-Yes, ma’am! That’s me! And, please, just call me Laura. Nice to meet you!” Laura blurted out a little too enthusiastically, holding up her freshly issued museum ID from Human Resources. She was clearly quite happy about it.

“I see. Good.” Layla smiled again at Laura’s enthusiasm and offered her hand for a handshake. “Shall we begin, then?” she asked, gesturing for Laura to follow.

And so, they began a quick tour of the museum.

“First off, I am Layla, the museum’s operations associate.” Layla started proudly, “And welcome to the Ilora City Art Museum.”

The two women, Laura and Layla, began the tour, entering the great hall, which was filled with sculptures and dangling installations that made the ceiling look absolutely stunning. Layla generally introduced the different museum spaces—the galleries, facilities, and more.

“So, the museum has been here for five decades and has housed the biggest collection of historical to contemporary artworks in Ilora City.”

Layla gestured to each room and structure.

“We have four wings—the north, the south, the east, and the west. The north wing is where you’ll find most of the historical and cultural pieces; in the south, you’ll find those from the modern period. As for the east and west wings, you’ll find more contemporary art pieces.”

Laura listened intently as Layla went on and on. She was overwhelmed—no, ecstatic by the beauty and extravagance of the place; and the fact that she had the opportunity to see all of this every day was exciting.

“Here, on the top-most floor, you will find our office,” Layla said as she guided her.

It wasn’t much different from an ordinary office, but it was filled with paintings and sculptures, making it feel almost like a gallery of its own.

“This will be your desk.” Layla gestured to the space prepared for Laura as she placed the folder down.

Laura felt excitement bubbling up again. Her own table, her own files, her own office chair. She could have screamed, but she held it in and tried to compose herself.

“And,” Layla added, pointing across the room, “the offices over there are for our main admin staff.”

Across the room stood a row of offices with frosted glass, revealing only the silhouettes of four figures at their desks. Each door bore an old, golden-plated sign.

For some reason, the atmosphere felt different as Laura stared at them. It was quiet—too quiet. Only the faint sounds of typing and muffled whispers drifted from inside, as if the people there existed in another world entirely.

And just like that... a slight tension crept into Laura’s shoulders. She felt as though she were suddenly running out of breath until Layla’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Our head admins seldom come out due to the constant meetings and events they have to handle, but they do mingle. Sometimes. From time to time,” Layla explained.

“Oh, I see...” Laura nodded in understanding. However, despite her efforts to listen to Layla, she couldn’t quite understand what that feeling was as she stared at the doors. But one thing was for sure—it felt... heavy.

Laura began to space out again, her eyes lingering on the frosted glass, until Layla gently brought her back to reality. Deciding not to dwell on it, Laura pushed the strange feeling aside for now.

“Don’t worry, though,” Layla said as she settled at her desk. Her voice was reassuring. “You’ll meet them soon enough. So, for now, if you’ve got questions, don’t hesitate to ask me, okay?”

Layla offered Laura another handshake, officially welcoming her.

“So... welcome to the team, Laura.”

With a nod and a return of that same handshake, Laura finally sat in her chair, her breath deepening as if she had been holding it for too long. The place felt overwhelming, but deep in her heart, she knew she would make it…

Or so she thought...

Because despite her earlier excitement, she felt an undeniably strange feeling in the air...

It was thick... cold... and unseen.

Like something...

... or someone...

... was watching.