An Entry Noted Without Commentary
An Entry Noted Without Commentary
Portraits are expected to remain consistent.
This is not a rule so much as an assumption — that a likeness, once completed, will continue to resemble itself. Variations in light are anticipated. Dust is accounted for. Frames are adjusted as needed.
Expressions, however, are not meant to shift.
The first notice was dismissed as fatigue. The second as a trick of reflection. A third was recorded only because it occurred under conditions that made such errors unlikely: midday light, two witnesses, and a portrait that had been cleaned less than an hour prior.
The change was subtle.
A mouth set differently than before.
An eye that appeared less inclined toward patience.
A posture that suggested the sitter had grown tired of the arrangement.
No damage was observed.
No alterations to paint or surface could be identified.
The frame remained secure.
Housekeeping returned the portrait to its position.
Later that week, a similar observation was made elsewhere. Then another. Not frequently, and not predictably. The changes did not progress. They did not resolve. They simply… occurred.
It is worth noting that no two reports described the same adjustment.
Some portraits appeared more amused.
Others more distant.
One was described, briefly and without elaboration, as displeased.
The matter was recorded.
Housekeeping does not speculate on cause. No attempt has been made to reproduce the effect. Requests to relocate affected portraits were denied on the grounds that they had not been made by the portraits themselves.
Guests occasionally remark that certain rooms feel more attentive than others.
Housekeeping acknowledges the comment and proceeds as usual.
This entry contains no conclusions.
If the portraits are changing, they are doing so infrequently, without coordination, and with no apparent regard for observation. Whether this behavior began recently or has simply gone unnoticed remains unclear.
The ledger reflects only that the matter has been observed.
Further commentary was deemed unnecessary.
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Filed by Housekeeping