Guardian Angel

The lion stood up as she walked by, its eyes watching her every move. It began to walk toward her, slowly. She looked at it, straight into its eyes, into its soul. The lion bowed its head while keeping eye contact. A few more moments of staring and it laid down, resting its head on its paws as it watched her walk away.

Only one person caught the interaction, the person sketching the lions on the other side of their cage. The zoo was packed, but it was clear who the lion was looking at, who it was submitting to.

The artist started anew, drawing what had just played out before those artistic eyes. It seemed strange, a mystery, but that’s what made it worth capturing.

The girl continued on with the rest of her senior class, admiring the animals and watching their reactions. Monkeys screeched and penguins hid in their environments. They noticed themselves as her prey, but were unable to flee as their instincts demanded.

X X X

The artist ripped the sketch in half, it wouldn’t work. None of the pieces the artist had created since watching the girl and the lion had been any good. The ideas weren’t bad, they just didn’t have any depth, any meaning. It was as if that one piece built a dam in the artist’s soul, not allowing it to flow into the artwork.

The artist sighed and walked away from the desk. Looking out of the window, the artist observed the people and cars below. They looked so at ease with their lives, not having a care in the world, while the artist’s life slowly fell apart.