A Picture Changed My Life Forever
And he painted a picture with his love.
I felt my finger trace every line of his drawing. It was me… lost in a dark world. It was beautiful in the darkest of ways.
She was standing on a cliff, on the very edge, standing proud with clenched fists, as if she was ready for battle. The Sam in the drawing had jet black torn and frayed bat wings sticking out of her back gracefully. She faced the world ahead of her, but you could only see her backside and half of her face. Her hair was dark and beautifully shaded with care. Even though it was in the rain, you could see tears that were carefully shaded; they looked real. Her lips curled into a pout, and her eyes were wide. It was obvious that her eyes have seen things that girls her age shouldn’t be seeing; they were wise beyond age and they looked like she was about to leave everything she knew to start a new life ahead of her.
The place she had her back turned to was a very dark place; probably the home of all evil. That was when I noticed that her skin had some cuts, too. No blood was dripping from it, but it looked like it hurt. She had her head held high and she looked at the place ahead of her, which was lighter than the place she came from. It looked like she was about to leave her old life, where she was tortured and beat up, and restart a new one in a new life--- a life with light, no matter how much she had to sacrifice.
That drawing just summarized my life. I didn’t know what to say. It was beautiful; me in a dark alternate reality.
I continued to trace the drawing with my index finger, mumbling, “It’s beautiful” multiple times. I mumbled a little too softly, though. I don’t think Gerard heard me.
I looked at Gerard with my mouth open. “How could you---"
His face fell. “You don’t like it?”
I gaped at him. “Like it? Gerard Arthur freaking Way, I LOVE IT!”
His lips once again curled into a smile.
I searched his eyes for the true meaning, or what he thought of his own drawing, and found myself drowning in his beautiful hazel orbs. I tore my eyes away from his and back to the drawing that was still on my lap. “How’d you know I felt like that, Gee?” I looked at him again. “You don’t know how much this drawing means to me.”
He smiled at me. “Want me to tell you the story behind it?”
I nodded slowly, even though I already knew the story. Unless I thought wrongly…
“Well, once upon a time, I knew this pretty little girl. Her name was Sam. She brightened up my life and made things easier for me, even when I knew the world had gone to shenanigans. We got closer to the point of her telling me a secret she never even told her own best friend. She used to be abused, by her own brother. I thought her brother was the worst person in the world and I wondered why he would want to do that to such a nice girl like Sam. I knew she could’ve told someone about it, to help her get away from her brother, but her brother threatened her. She could’ve ran away and yet still tell someone, but she was being pulled behind. She couldn’t use her wings to fly away and save herself. She was stuck in a dark world she didn’t want to be in.
“Until she realized that she had a choice. She faced a few trials in her life to help her discover that little fact, including a kidnapping and being stabbed with a Swiss knife, even though seeing her suffer hurt me a lot. So she turned away from the dark world to face a new one. One with more light shed on it. A place where her wings could heal so she could use them again.” Gee looked deep into my eyes, trying to register if I understood the story or not.
I stared at him. I wonder how he knew exactly how I felt even without me telling him.
Then he grinned at me. “I don’t know about you, but I think she sounds a lot like you.” He laughed a bit. “You do know she is you, right?”
”Of course, Gee,” I said. I chuckled a bit. “How’d you know I felt like that?”
“Yours eyes say it all, m’dear.”
“But… your drawing seems so real. I can feel myself in there; in that place where she is.” I touched the small of my back where the Me In An Alternate World had wings sticking out. “I can even feel the wings.”
He laughed softly. “I’m glad you like it. You could keep it if you want.”
“Really? I could?” I asked, clutching the drawing to my chest.
He nodded and licked his lips. “You know, we could have Art now, if you want. Also if you’re not tired because the nurses said---”
I grinned and cut him off. He cared so much about me. “I would love to have Art now.”
She was standing on a cliff, on the very edge, standing proud with clenched fists, as if she was ready for battle. The Sam in the drawing had jet black torn and frayed bat wings sticking out of her back gracefully. She faced the world ahead of her, but you could only see her backside and half of her face. Her hair was dark and beautifully shaded with care. Even though it was in the rain, you could see tears that were carefully shaded; they looked real. Her lips curled into a pout, and her eyes were wide. It was obvious that her eyes have seen things that girls her age shouldn’t be seeing; they were wise beyond age and they looked like she was about to leave everything she knew to start a new life ahead of her.
The place she had her back turned to was a very dark place; probably the home of all evil. That was when I noticed that her skin had some cuts, too. No blood was dripping from it, but it looked like it hurt. She had her head held high and she looked at the place ahead of her, which was lighter than the place she came from. It looked like she was about to leave her old life, where she was tortured and beat up, and restart a new one in a new life--- a life with light, no matter how much she had to sacrifice.
That drawing just summarized my life. I didn’t know what to say. It was beautiful; me in a dark alternate reality.
I continued to trace the drawing with my index finger, mumbling, “It’s beautiful” multiple times. I mumbled a little too softly, though. I don’t think Gerard heard me.
I looked at Gerard with my mouth open. “How could you---"
His face fell. “You don’t like it?”
I gaped at him. “Like it? Gerard Arthur freaking Way, I LOVE IT!”
His lips once again curled into a smile.
I searched his eyes for the true meaning, or what he thought of his own drawing, and found myself drowning in his beautiful hazel orbs. I tore my eyes away from his and back to the drawing that was still on my lap. “How’d you know I felt like that, Gee?” I looked at him again. “You don’t know how much this drawing means to me.”
He smiled at me. “Want me to tell you the story behind it?”
I nodded slowly, even though I already knew the story. Unless I thought wrongly…
“Well, once upon a time, I knew this pretty little girl. Her name was Sam. She brightened up my life and made things easier for me, even when I knew the world had gone to shenanigans. We got closer to the point of her telling me a secret she never even told her own best friend. She used to be abused, by her own brother. I thought her brother was the worst person in the world and I wondered why he would want to do that to such a nice girl like Sam. I knew she could’ve told someone about it, to help her get away from her brother, but her brother threatened her. She could’ve ran away and yet still tell someone, but she was being pulled behind. She couldn’t use her wings to fly away and save herself. She was stuck in a dark world she didn’t want to be in.
“Until she realized that she had a choice. She faced a few trials in her life to help her discover that little fact, including a kidnapping and being stabbed with a Swiss knife, even though seeing her suffer hurt me a lot. So she turned away from the dark world to face a new one. One with more light shed on it. A place where her wings could heal so she could use them again.” Gee looked deep into my eyes, trying to register if I understood the story or not.
I stared at him. I wonder how he knew exactly how I felt even without me telling him.
Then he grinned at me. “I don’t know about you, but I think she sounds a lot like you.” He laughed a bit. “You do know she is you, right?”
”Of course, Gee,” I said. I chuckled a bit. “How’d you know I felt like that?”
“Yours eyes say it all, m’dear.”
“But… your drawing seems so real. I can feel myself in there; in that place where she is.” I touched the small of my back where the Me In An Alternate World had wings sticking out. “I can even feel the wings.”
He laughed softly. “I’m glad you like it. You could keep it if you want.”
“Really? I could?” I asked, clutching the drawing to my chest.
He nodded and licked his lips. “You know, we could have Art now, if you want. Also if you’re not tired because the nurses said---”
I grinned and cut him off. He cared so much about me. “I would love to have Art now.”