Wednesday 19 October 2011

The Paintbrush

Twenty-two year old Gretel was enjoying a nice sunny morning at her art studio. The smell of paint, the easel, the canvas...everything gave her a sense of peace. She liked nothing better than to express herself on the canvas. Painting was her forte, and she had a variety of brushes. However, there was this one brush she never used. It looked like an ordinary brush, but had the words "Once in a lifetime" engraved on the red handle. Her mother had gifted it to her saying that it would be of use to her someday, but not to use it for her painting.

This morning, that particular brush was emitting a faint red light. it was vibrating, and Gretel was speechless. Magic exists only in books, she reminded herself. I must be hallucinating, she thought. But the brush had plans of it own. It rose a foot above the table, and flew with great speed to the large blank wall of the studio. Gretel was frightened, but being the curious cat she was, walked towards the brush. After two minutes, the brush painted a few words on the wall: You wont get to use me again. Just close your eyes and paint on the wall. Paint will not be required.

Gretel, who was intrigued, did as she was told. She painted over the wall, and realized that the place she pictured in her mind had been recreated on the wall! It was beautiful and reflected her happy and excited mood. She placed her hand on the wall and realized that her hand went through the wall. In a moment of bravery, she tried walking through the wall, and was successful. She entered a world she had created, and was in further control of.

She called the place "Canvas" and moulded it to her imagination. It was a simple small town with simple people. She could control the weather too, unconsciously and consciously. The weather represented her mood. When she was happy it was sunny, and when she was depressed it would be stormy. Her house was a quaint cottage, and she lived there with Bryan, a boy she had created and fell in love with.

5 years had passed in contentment when one day Canvas started crumbling. It resembled the effects of an earthquake, but there were no tremors. Gretel attempted rescuing the people but she couldn't. She has lived in this ideal world for too long, and watched it all disappear. She had no idea of the way back to the real world. Her legs, heart and mind had frozen. All she could do is cry and mourn...

Gretel's cellphone rang. She woke up, startled and spoke to her friend Alice. It was 10 in the morning, and she had fallen asleep on the couch at her studio. After she spoke to Alice she tried recalling the dream she just had. It was one of the best she'd had in a long time, and perhaps she would paint her faint memories of it. It had provided her a muse for the day. She told herself that magic exists only in books, and tried not getting carried away by the dream.

Gretel walked out her studio to go her house which was on the floor below. Just as she walked out, a paintbrush in her studio began glowing with a faint red light...



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