Ode to a Willow (CA - Willowman)
Quote from Adriana on September 2, 2020, 6:44 pmAmelia's shoulders slouched a bit,
“Five years.” she sighed, then rested her eyes on the photos on the nightstand.
”That’s the question, I guess. I mean, we’re dead to the world, Lowry, they’ve run our obituaries. Either way we have to start over.”
She swallowed a hard lump and crossed her arms lightly. “So.. what comes next?”
Amelia's shoulders slouched a bit,
“Five years.” she sighed, then rested her eyes on the photos on the nightstand.
”That’s the question, I guess. I mean, we’re dead to the world, Lowry, they’ve run our obituaries. Either way we have to start over.”
She swallowed a hard lump and crossed her arms lightly. “So.. what comes next?”
Quote from Indy on September 2, 2020, 7:07 pm"There's no one looking for me," Willowman said after a pause, toying with a loose fiber on his pants, "My father passed a few years ago. I don't... didn't... have many friends. Work - maybe, but... I'm not sure I could go back, even if I wanted to".
He exhaled harshly, "I still want to go back. And I don't even know why".
He turned his head up, his eyes soulful as he looked at rich, painted colors of Amelia's scenery, "Could I, if I wanted to? Would... would anyone stop me?"
"There's no one looking for me," Willowman said after a pause, toying with a loose fiber on his pants, "My father passed a few years ago. I don't... didn't... have many friends. Work - maybe, but... I'm not sure I could go back, even if I wanted to".
He exhaled harshly, "I still want to go back. And I don't even know why".
He turned his head up, his eyes soulful as he looked at rich, painted colors of Amelia's scenery, "Could I, if I wanted to? Would... would anyone stop me?"
Quote from Adriana on September 4, 2020, 11:34 amAmelia's lips curled into a frown at the corners, "Not yet, no... but, eventually yes. You just... need a little more time. Others have come and gone, so don't worry about that. Just, focus on getting through each day, alright?"
Amelia's lips curled into a frown at the corners, "Not yet, no... but, eventually yes. You just... need a little more time. Others have come and gone, so don't worry about that. Just, focus on getting through each day, alright?"
Quote from Indy on September 4, 2020, 7:20 pmWillowman sighed wearily, running his fingers along his brown hair and rumpling it until it stuck out at strange angles. Like a deflated balloon he sagged in his seat, bracing his elbows on his knees that were curled up at his chest.
"I don't..." he glanced away to the painting again as his courage failed him and he started again, "Amelia... I don't want to be a prisoner anymore".
He hesitated, "And... I'm running out of books".
Willowman sighed wearily, running his fingers along his brown hair and rumpling it until it stuck out at strange angles. Like a deflated balloon he sagged in his seat, bracing his elbows on his knees that were curled up at his chest.
"I don't..." he glanced away to the painting again as his courage failed him and he started again, "Amelia... I don't want to be a prisoner anymore".
He hesitated, "And... I'm running out of books".
Quote from Adriana on September 5, 2020, 3:04 pmAmelia looked at the man for a long time in silence. If it were just him, there would be no doubt-his freedom, however compromising to his own well being, should be his. She curled and uncurled her fingers in her lap, then ran a hand through her thick black locks, holding it there in a bundle of hair.
”I don’t... I mean... what about her? Is she... going to tell you to hurt anyone else?”
Amelia looked at the man for a long time in silence. If it were just him, there would be no doubt-his freedom, however compromising to his own well being, should be his. She curled and uncurled her fingers in her lap, then ran a hand through her thick black locks, holding it there in a bundle of hair.
”I don’t... I mean... what about her? Is she... going to tell you to hurt anyone else?”
Quote from Indy on September 5, 2020, 10:34 pm"I..."
Willowman shrank in on himself at the mention, purposefully looking away. He couldn't say no. He still heard her voice. Even just this morning, that fraction of a moment that he'd stared in his teacup, he'd heard a whisper. A tiny whisper really. He hadn't thought anything of it, but it had been there all the same. Urging him to do it.
He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing only the sound of his rapid breath and the thud of his heart. A wave of panic washed over him, but he let the wave flow over and past him. Like a man that had drowned before, he knew how to find the lifeboat and wait until the swell of the wave had died down. The moment passed and he swallowed, glancing up.
"I don't... think... she'll ever be gone," he managed at last, "I just wanted to see the sun again".
"My father used to take me camping, when I was young," he said softly, "We'd start hiking in the morning and make camp in the afternoon into the evening. The sunsets.... I remember thinking how beautiful they were. But I can't remember them anymore. The color, the clouds. It's all been washed out".
"I'll never be free, will I?"
"I..."
Willowman shrank in on himself at the mention, purposefully looking away. He couldn't say no. He still heard her voice. Even just this morning, that fraction of a moment that he'd stared in his teacup, he'd heard a whisper. A tiny whisper really. He hadn't thought anything of it, but it had been there all the same. Urging him to do it.
He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing only the sound of his rapid breath and the thud of his heart. A wave of panic washed over him, but he let the wave flow over and past him. Like a man that had drowned before, he knew how to find the lifeboat and wait until the swell of the wave had died down. The moment passed and he swallowed, glancing up.
"I don't... think... she'll ever be gone," he managed at last, "I just wanted to see the sun again".
"My father used to take me camping, when I was young," he said softly, "We'd start hiking in the morning and make camp in the afternoon into the evening. The sunsets.... I remember thinking how beautiful they were. But I can't remember them anymore. The color, the clouds. It's all been washed out".
"I'll never be free, will I?"
Quote from Adriana on September 6, 2020, 11:19 pmAmelia continued to watch him, but her usual mild disposition was quietly overcome by an inner storm that would soon break out. She didn’t know the answer to his question. She felt as though he was her sole responsibility, and he seemed to reciprocate the thought-yet she didn’t want to give him an answer to the question he proposed.
”I’m sorry, I don’t know. I don’t know,” she repeated, hands in tight fists on her lap, her knuckles turning white. She inhaled through her nose and out through her mouth, a tremble present.
“Please, I didn’t put you here, I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you. I want you to be happy, someone deserves to be happy. I can try, I don’t know how, but-“ she covered her eyes with her hands, “Please, if I can get you out, please don’t hurt anybody. Please, I couldn’t... I don’t have much to hold onto, either...” her voice was a hoarse whisper as she finished.
Amelia continued to watch him, but her usual mild disposition was quietly overcome by an inner storm that would soon break out. She didn’t know the answer to his question. She felt as though he was her sole responsibility, and he seemed to reciprocate the thought-yet she didn’t want to give him an answer to the question he proposed.
”I’m sorry, I don’t know. I don’t know,” she repeated, hands in tight fists on her lap, her knuckles turning white. She inhaled through her nose and out through her mouth, a tremble present.
“Please, I didn’t put you here, I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you. I want you to be happy, someone deserves to be happy. I can try, I don’t know how, but-“ she covered her eyes with her hands, “Please, if I can get you out, please don’t hurt anybody. Please, I couldn’t... I don’t have much to hold onto, either...” her voice was a hoarse whisper as she finished.
Quote from Indy on September 7, 2020, 3:09 pmThe break in Amelia's composure, more than anything else, brought a calm to the man's features. All at once he saw the faint tremble in her hands, the wobble to her voice, and her hands to her eyes. Willowman unfurled himself like an oragami structure, his feet touching the floor while he let out a stiff exhale. He looked again to the blond girls in the photograph - for a moment a word seemed to take him, but the moment passed as easily as a summer's breeze.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I forget... there's no guarantees, in any of it".
"You're right," Willowman replied after a moment, summoning the barest skeleton of a smile, "I wouldn't want... to hurt anyone. Least of all you".
He turned towards the painting, "How long did it take you to learn how to do that? I was always garbage in school at art".
The break in Amelia's composure, more than anything else, brought a calm to the man's features. All at once he saw the faint tremble in her hands, the wobble to her voice, and her hands to her eyes. Willowman unfurled himself like an oragami structure, his feet touching the floor while he let out a stiff exhale. He looked again to the blond girls in the photograph - for a moment a word seemed to take him, but the moment passed as easily as a summer's breeze.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I forget... there's no guarantees, in any of it".
"You're right," Willowman replied after a moment, summoning the barest skeleton of a smile, "I wouldn't want... to hurt anyone. Least of all you".
He turned towards the painting, "How long did it take you to learn how to do that? I was always garbage in school at art".
Quote from Adriana on September 9, 2020, 10:59 amAmelia was quiet for a while, before coming out of her shell again.
She stared at the painting for a long time.
"I can teach you."
Amelia was quiet for a while, before coming out of her shell again.
She stared at the painting for a long time.
"I can teach you."
Quote from Indy on September 10, 2020, 1:30 pmConcluding post
Light broke along a red sky like a scar, tawny and gold. The waves of a fierce ocean yawned upward to meet it, the tips of the froth more like fingers than water. The beach was rocky, harsh dots of blacks, grays, and reddish-browns. He could almost imagine the salt in the air, the damp air clinging to flush cheeks, and the cries of distant seagulls as they retreated from the chaos of the day. The artist pulled away in a sigh.
In all honesty it looked nothing like a beach, an ocean, or a sunset. It was a mess of pigment on a canvas. His fingers reached towards the sun, a lopsided red-orb, as if to imagine its radiant heat. If he closed his eyes he could imagine it, standing on that beach, feeling the dying embers of sunlight that washed over his skin. How strange the world was, an alien place unlike any found on Earth, a place that existed only in his mind.
It's not real, she said in the salty breeze.
"I know," he murmured back, pulling himself out of the reverie from the process, "And nor are you".
He set aside the wet canvas to dry, wiping the paint off his fingers on a damp paint-rag. Someday it would look like a proper place - but for now, it was close enough.
Concluding post
Light broke along a red sky like a scar, tawny and gold. The waves of a fierce ocean yawned upward to meet it, the tips of the froth more like fingers than water. The beach was rocky, harsh dots of blacks, grays, and reddish-browns. He could almost imagine the salt in the air, the damp air clinging to flush cheeks, and the cries of distant seagulls as they retreated from the chaos of the day. The artist pulled away in a sigh.
In all honesty it looked nothing like a beach, an ocean, or a sunset. It was a mess of pigment on a canvas. His fingers reached towards the sun, a lopsided red-orb, as if to imagine its radiant heat. If he closed his eyes he could imagine it, standing on that beach, feeling the dying embers of sunlight that washed over his skin. How strange the world was, an alien place unlike any found on Earth, a place that existed only in his mind.
It's not real, she said in the salty breeze.
"I know," he murmured back, pulling himself out of the reverie from the process, "And nor are you".
He set aside the wet canvas to dry, wiping the paint off his fingers on a damp paint-rag. Someday it would look like a proper place - but for now, it was close enough.
