Ars Gratia Artis

In his lifetime, a young man by the name of Lewis Peterson would make a fool out of himself three times. Well, no, of course he’d feel foolish more than three times in his life. In fact, he had always maintained a tendency to humiliate himself in some of the least graceful ways possible. Luckily for Lewis, most of these encounters would leave a positive impression on him despite causing him deep embarrassment. Unluckily for Lewis, his sister would be present at all of them in some way or another. Thanks to his sister’s vigilance, he would never be allowed to forget his blunders. Lewis would never be able to brush aside these traumatizing mistakes. His sister simply wouldn’t have allowed it.

Lewis’ sister was named Fidelis Peterson, which was often shortened to Fiddle. She was mute, unable to speak. Having always been that way, she didn’t really see it as a downfall or a hindrance. Although Fiddle didn’t see her inability to speak as a problem, she did get rather irritable when it came to Lewis’ ignorance. As a sibling, everything she saw Lewis do she assumed was an act of stupidity. Even though Fiddle was rather brutal towards her brother at times, she constantly sought out his approval, which he typically gave. The two of them were remarkably close.

Lewis and Fiddle, despite getting along well, had other conflicts in their lives. The biggest problem they struggled with could be attributed to Lewis’ first major mistake. It’s a story that may sound familiar. Parts of it should sound familiar, like how the siblings looked. Lewis had oddly colored hair, not exactly red, closer to orange. It was fair to call him a ginger, as many of his friends liked to do. He had freckles dusted over his nose, cheeks, chest, and back, but they were nearly invisible unless seen up close. His eyes were a deep brown, his irises being glossy. He had pointed ears, like an elf’s. He was rather short too, which didn’t help with the whole elf thing. Due to his first devastating mistake, he wore no colors. Black, white, and the occasional gray were all that graced his wardrobe. Even his house was painted in all monochromatic colors, save for Fiddle’s bedroom.

Fiddle, on the other hand, had platinum blonde hair. Her eyes were a deep ocean blue, and her ears lacked the point that her brother had. Remarkably, she was even shorter than her brother. Because of her inability to speak, she hardly opened her mouth. She tended to express herself with body language. Her wardrobe also consisted of more festive colors than her brother’s. Dresses were her favorite, that is, until a young and persistent man named Oswald started telling her to wear them. Once he demanded she dress nicely, she lost all interest in formal clothing, but that comes later.

One mistake can end an existence, as Lewis and Fidelis would soon find. Three mistakes can ruin one’s self-worth. Lewis would discover this. His cheeks would become red on multiple occasions, and the burning sensation that came with it would stick with him for quite some time. This would be the story of all the windows Lewis Peterson has climbed through, and yes. It should sound familiar. The only difference, is that this is the right story.