My Inner Demons

I woke up with a huge ass headache. I walked to the bathroom to see that I had terrible bed head. The rest of the morning was the same as always. I showered, got dressed, and then remember I did not have work today. I walked around the house trying to figure out if I had anything to do today. And for once in my 23 years of life, I did not. It was amazing to have a day to myself. I was not used to it. So I figured I would go to the museum. It seemed like a fun thing to do.

At the museum I saw that a tour was about to leave so I ran and caught up with them. I noticed that the tour guide was a guy and he was gorgeous. He had blue eyes that shined, short hair that was brown, and a smile that was kind and sweet. He was talking very lividly about the displays. He never once sounded unhappy. He had a smile the whole time. I spent most of the time watching him and not looking at the exhibits.

His name is Ethan, a voice in my head said. Try not to let him see you. That will cause some problems.

I thought I was going crazy and left the group. I was about half way to the front door when I looked back. Someone had been staring at me. It was Ethan. He looked confused.

With the sun shinning and the wind blowing softly today looked like it was going to be perfect. I walked to the park and spent a good hour walking around there. I stopped and petted some dogs as they passed. The owners were very chatty. I was sitting at a bench resting when I saw an old woman, painting. I walked over to talk to her.

“Hello.” She said before I even made it to her.

I was shocked, “Hi. May I ask what you are painting?”

“I am painting that bench over there. After I am done with this I wish to draw you.” She did not state it like a question but like it was going to happen no matter what I said.

I shrugged and watched her. The way her hand moved with the brush it was almost like the two were one. Like the woman was born with the brush in her hand. As if they would not be whole without the other. It was beautiful. The painting was finished within seconds of my arrival.

“My name is Sara.” I said after she sat down on the grass and patted a spot next to her.

“Mine is Ivy.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a sketchbook and some pencils. “Hold very still please I will sketch your head then you lips and eyes so you may blink and talk more.”

“Ok?” I didn’t move once she started to move the pencils. I was surprised at how I did not move. I was known for having shaky hands and not being able to sit still for hours when I was in high school.

She was smiling brightly as her head looked up at me then down at the book.

“I have finished the eyes and lips. You may speak.” She looked at me for a second.

“Thank you. May I ask why you speak like that?” I tried not to move more then my lips and eyes.

“I am old that is how I grew up speaking. Many people find it funny.” Pressing her lips together she stared at me for a good minute then went back to drawing.

We spent a good half-hour like that. Her drawing and answering my questions, me sitting and asking questions. When she showed me the picture I was so shocked. It looked nothing like me. It was too beautiful to have been me.

“That is beautiful… It can’t be me. I look nothing like that.” I could hear the wonder in my own voice.

“It is you. You may not see yourself that way but this, this right here is the way the world sees you. They see you as the beauty you are. But they also see the power in your eyes that say you are not afraid.” She wrote her name on the sketch then ripped it out of the book.

“You must learn to see yourself this way,” She handed me the picture, “You may need to rely on your beauty some day soon.”

With that she got up and walked away. She only took her bag with her. She left her painting and the painting supplies. I turned to call after her and was surprised to see that she was gone. I picked up everything and took it home.

“I will learn to paint.” I told myself. With that I sat down at the computer and looked up a lot of tutorials. I had my computer on and was painting away when there was a knock at my door.

I opened the door to see a postal man. He held out a letter to me.

“This was to be hand delivered.” He walked away before I could say thanks.

I threw the letter on the desk and went back to my painting. I didn’t even look at the name.

After an hour or two I had finished my painting. I looked at it for a minute. It was a wolf. It had thick brown fur and eyes so blue that they looked white. The animal was a beast but he was beautiful. There was another knock at the door. I looked at the clock it read 6:40. I had not eaten lunch, breakfast or dinner yet and the hunger was just now getting to me.
I opened the door and saw Derek. He smiled at me.

“Hey.” He said

“Um… Hi? Can I help you?” I was confused beyond all life.

“I came to um… see if you wanted to… I don’t know catch a movie with me?” He looked shy and embarrassed. It was actually kinda cute.