Worth 1000 Words (SinxKyxter)

[AkitoSin]

They say a picture says a thousand words. (Character 1) never understood that. His pictures were just that pictures. They didn’t speak. (Character 1) found it stupid when someone told him that his paintings spoke to them. They don’t speak they sit there pretty and let you stare at them. They appeal to the eyes in a way that makes you want to keep staring or even buy them. (Character 1) is an Art Major in his last year of school. Top of his graduating class. The teacher say he is talented and could even go on to someday have paintings in some prestigious galleries. That is till his final semester and one of the painters he looks up to becomes his new instructor. (Character 1) thinks that this is his chance to impress someone he respects. (Character 1) wants criticism so that he can grow and be better than he already is. Still (Character 1) is not prepared for what he hears when he turns in his first assignment, a simple scenery of where you grew up. “The strokes are good and the colors complement each other well. It is a good painting all around. That’s it though. It is a good painting. I do not feel anything from it. B for effort and exemplary techniques.” The instructor moved on to the next paintings. The only small victory (Character 1) took from this all was that he seemed to be the highest grade. “Oh this is really nice. Your strokes are a bit shaky and it seems you messed up here and tried to scrape it off. Still this is a nice painting. It is warm and tells the story of how close you hold this place and since that was what the assignment was, A- but please work on the strokes on your next assignment you won’t get off easy next time.” He praised and smiled waiting for the student to reply. Still (Character 2) just stared blankly back at the instructor. “I’m sorry Sir. He is deaf. He can read lips but since you have a mustache it is sort of confusing him right now.” Said a girl from the front of the class. The instructor looked back at the boy and wrote down his comments on a notepad and showed them to the boy. (Character 2) nodded and smiled bowing.

 

(Character 1) could not believe it. His frustration grew as he looked at the mediocre painting that beat his masterpiece. Who was (Character 2) how come he had never heard of him before and what did his painting have that his did not?

 

 

(Character 1) could not believe this. He was used to every teacher singing praise with his name and here was his idol telling his painting was average. He was furious. He put all his time into this painting. He wanted to impress him so bad. He had 2 others before he trashed because they did not come out right.

[Kyxter]

Name: Silas Harris

Age: 23

Height: 5 feet 4 inches

Weight: 130 lbs

Likes: Painting, listening to music, sweet things, mornings, and reading.

Dislikes: Loud noises, being ignored, mocking, bullies, and cats.

[AkitoSin]

 

Name: Jason Stein

 

Age: 26

 

Height: 5'11

 

Weight: 150

 

Likes: Music, Reading, Skating, staying up late, Nature preserves, painting, singing

 

Dislike: Dogs, losing, fish (Food), dancing, overly sweet food, Heights

[AkitoSin]

Jason put both hands firmly on his desk shooting himself upwards angrily looking at the other boy's art work. He couldn't wrap his mind around how this middle class piece of art could receive such praise. He tried to understand the ideas, the so called feelings behind it. but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't help but find the mistakes, what story was there to tell it was a picture thats it.

 

"What story could this possibly tell, its art, just art!" He exclaimed in frustration " I put what feels like hours into every piece I do, making sure each stroke of the brush is perfect, each color blends seamlessly, going through one draft after the next " Jason let out an exhausted huff . "But somehow this better than mine because it has more feeling, what am I suppose to feel what exactly" Grabbing the unknown boys art work from in front of him "Am I suppose to feel at home, Is it suppose to make me feel warm? Safe?" Placing it back down "No it's a picture we do our best to make sure our line work is the best, we do our best to make something flawless, but all it ever will be is a picture something you either sell or hang on a wall, that's it period!. " he looked down to the other man in front of him with glare quickly grabbing a scrap piece of paper his hand swept across it. What does this picture make you feel? slamming the paper down on the boy desk. Jason couldn't help but continue fuming unnoticed to himself he had crumbled his own art work in his fist

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.

[Kyxter]

Silas was proud of himself. This was only a high-level elective for him so he was happy that a renowned painter liked his piece. He wanted to be a painter once upon a time in a distant childish fantasy but his parents quickly steered him away from that.

 

“There is no money in the Arts. It is all about Law, Medicine, and Engineering. You must get a good job Silas. Dad and I won’t always be here to take care of you. Your hearing throws out allot of options for you. So, you must try harder than other kids in your field. Do not disappoint us son. We gave up allot to make sure you got into good schools.” His mom’s warning echoed in his voice and he made his way back to his seat with his painting. Silas smile slowly faded as he kept going through those words in his head. Still he should be grateful he was an A-Student Engineer Major. He always had everything he needed. It was okay that he couldn’t pursue his fantasy. He owed his parents allot more.

 

Silas sat at his chair and stared at his painting thinking and was frightened when a classmate made his way to his painting and started to wave it around. He seemed frustrated and upset at it. He looked like he was screaming at it. Silas could not understand what exactly the boy was frustrated by since he kept on storming around. Watching as he lifted his painting up Silas prepared himself for the boy to destroy his hard work. Instead he was surprised when the boy put it down and started to scribble on a piece of paper in front of him. Silas was accustomed since Sign Language was not a common thing. He looked down at the paper and started to read.

 

What does this picture make you feel?

 

Silas looked up at boy not understanding. Did he mean what his painting was trying to convey to his audience? Silas noticed that the boy’s own painting was crushed in his fist. How could someone do something like that to such a beautiful piece. Silas sighed and decided that he better not anger the boy anymore or he might end up like his painting. He took the paper and started to write.

 

“I cannot hear the world around me and because of that my speech is not as smooth as others and I stutter allot. So, I got bullied allot in schools. I never got to play with other kids and I couldn’t exactly tell the teachers.” Silas face became softer as he kept writing. He started to remember when he was teased for trying to say the ABC’s in kindergarten. The kids laugh and when they went outside for recess cornered him by the water fountains to taunt him. He couldn’t understand what they said. He just remembers them pushing him around in the circle and laughing pointing him as he started to tell them to stop. Silas snapped out of the memory and kept on writing. “So I would run away to here. It was a small forest behind my old school. The kids could not find me there and I was happy. It was safe for me there. I was trying to convey that. Safety and warmth.” Silas turned the paper around to the boy and looked away not wanting to meet the boy’s glare. He decided it was best for him to just leave while the boy was reading the note. He grabbed his painting quickly and made his way out the door.

Silas stopped when he got outside of the building and took a breath. The harsh cold met his skin as a hard reminder that he had bolted out of the classroom without collecting his coat or scarf. He contemplated on maybe going back to see if the boy had left so he could retrieve them but decided against it. He did not want to confront the anger that might be awaiting him in that classroom. He placed his painting under his arm and his book bag on his back as he started to make his way to the library. They had a cafe in there so he could get a hot chocolate before he had to study for his Bio-mechanics and Neural Control class. Maybe his mother was right taking this class might have not been the best of ideas. He should’ve just taken another mathematics or science class.

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.

[AkitoSin]

Jason read slowly over the writing Silas had given him, taking it back to his desk he had not noticed anyone leaving. But upon looking up he found the room now empty devoid of students or teacher. He sighed letting go of some of the anger that had taken him earlier, it wasn't until he finished reading that he had realized his own art stood crumbled in his hand. He placed it on the table smoothing out the crinkled edges of his work . He stared at it like there would be a way if he gazed at it long enough he would find whatever he was supposedly missing. But alas nothing came all he could see was a picture a ruined picture that apparently wasn't good enough. He returned his art to its crumbled states and threw it away in the near by waste basket.

 

He understood the idea that what happened too Silas was an unfair situation he had no control over. But his mind would not let him associate that with art. It wasn't that he didn't love art he took it very seriously but maybe it was part of his problem. It wasn't something life threatening experience that made him start painting. No to be truthful he was never good at it to even begin. He could remember in middle school he was stuck with it as an elective , He watched the kids around him that all seemed so talented, painting pictures of toys, home, loved ones. Jason could barley get a single stroke straight and at the end of the class his art was simply a scribbled mess.

 

He could remember the more talented individuals in that class making these beautiful elaborate pieces, how the colors would meld, blend, and compliment one another, how the teacher would praise them on the job they had done. How for some reason they always looked so proud, and while they felt pride all he could feel was an inadequacy . He wanted the attention they were receiving he wanted to make something beautiful like they did , Something someone would put on there wall. Home is where he would stay at for hours at time watching one video after another, copying strokes after the next . Paper after paper until he had perfected it, but it wasn't enough to perfect it he had to be better to make sure he was noticed above the original. A work ethic that strives only for perfection lost something he hadn't even realized and still had yet too.

 

He stood up from his chair stretching his arms above his head with a soft yawn, noticing the boy had left his jacket and scarf behind on the table. He grabbed it gently thinking of the boys artwork once again trying to find in his mind anything that the boy or the teacher had spoken of , but to Jason it was still just a picture. But... it seemed important to him for some reason. He tucked the boy's jacket and scarf into his bag planning on returning it if he ever got the chance. He had a computer graphic class to attend next but he thought he might as well stop by the schools cafe for something to drink as he prepared for the upcoming class. Which in all honesty would be his weakest subject , he was good with the hand on work but once you took the brush from his hand or the clay from his fingertips, he just couldn't quite understand anymore part of it felt impersonal. Why let something do the work you can do on your own but he dismissed the thought with a shrug.

 

As Jason made his way through the cold, he lit a cigarette, a nasty habit he had picked up from a friend. But it calmed him and made him come back down to reality. as he sat against the wall to the library he stared up at the sky letting a puff of smoke escape his lips . Discarding what was left of his nicotine under his shoe he made his way towards the cafe asking for a particularly strong cup of espresso.

 

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.

[Kyxter]

Silas stood in line looking at his phone trying to distract himself from the events that just took place. He was listening to the lecture he had recorded from his engineering classes previously. He did not want to stay stuck on the day's events.

 

When he got to the front of the line he smiled at the young lady and started to type on his phone.

 

"Hello. I know you may think I am being rude but I am deaf and I can't really speak. So may I please have a cup of hot chocolate and a muffin? If you have banana nut muffins I will take that if not I wish to have a blueberry one. Thank you very much for understanding. "

 

Silas smiled and waited till the lady was done reading his texts. He liked the café allot. It always was warm and smelled like a bakery since the culinary students would volunteer to do the cooking for extra credit and work study programs. Today it smelled allot like banana. That is why he asked for that certain type of muffin. Since he was born deaf his other senses had always been extraordinary. He first noticed it when he was at home and he smelled something burning and he started to tug his mother's dress and point at the door. It turned out that dad had not realized he had left something in the oven and did not keep a eye on it. No one ever really knew though how Silas was able to smell it from all the way upstairs when his mom and dad had not even noticed it.

 

As Silas reminisced he stopped paying attention to the world around him. So when his hot chocolate was ready he was startled to feel someone's slender hand on his shoulder. He looked back and it was the young lady from earlier. She jumped back a little and bowed apologizing. She pointed to his hot chocolate and banana muffin on the counter and smiled warmly. Silas became red and signed the symbol for sorry and bowed paying the young girl for his items. He couldn't believed he had just done that. It was really embarrassing when that happened.

 

As he was making his way to a chair to enjoy his hot chocolate his faced twitched in disgust. He knew that smell all to well. His grandfather would always smoke when he would babysit him. He was once a great man. One you hold up on a podium and admired but as he was aging his mind began to degenerate and soon the man he knew disappeared and the pungent odor of a cold cigarette became more and more frequent. Silas looked around to try and identify the source. He then froze as he saw something he did not want.

 

At the counter trying to sweet talk the young lady who served him was the boy that had lost his temper in his previous class. Silas started to shrink in his chair. Had he been following him? Was he still mad? Silas mind began to race with all the possible scenarios and most ended with the boy yelling at him again. He groan inwardly and started to sip at his hot chocolate. Silas did his best to try and finish fast at one point burning the roof of his mouth wincing a bit he frowned at himself.

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.

[AkitoSin]

Jason smiled at the barista in front of him making small talk as his espresso was worked on , talking about work, school life and such. He brushed hair away from his face as his espresso arrived "Hey you know what a be really cool! We could exchange number and maybe talk to each other when we had some free time?" . His flirtatious attempts failed the barista politely refused he laughed lightly giving a light shrug of his shoulder "well you can't blame a man for trying after all, thank you for the coffee" he nodded to the other taking his first sip of the hot bitter drink. He sighed feeling the chocolate brown liquid warming his body from the inside out, coffee always seemed to fill him with a sense of calm .

 

Jason stepped out of the way of the oncoming customer behind him , leaning back against the counter of the café. He watched quietly from behind his cup the ebb and flow of the students moving about the building. Those who were tardy raced across the library, stressed students with there nose pressed into books, friend catching up on old times. It was a society of its own with its own titles , priority's, and rules. Jason continued to scan the crowd as he seemed to spot a familiar face he believed the boy from his class. This is the perfect time to return his things, but should I say something or well write something. He rubbed the back of his head lost in his thought momentarily, finally he decided to pull a pencil and piece of paper from his bag. Jason hand raced across the paper as he began to write his note to the other.

 

I wanted to apologize for my sudden out burst earlier, you see I'm very completive, I suppose I always have been since a young age. I don't know what exactly to put here but... I wanted you to know you shouldn't count on the praise of our instructor forever. Because I plan on painting something a million times better than you art work next time. That a challenge, I still don't understand what they meant by the feeling you put into your painting . But that makes no difference I will find a way to best you , and I will win next time! But more importantly you left these behind and with the weather as cold as it is currently I couldn't imagine you wanting to be away from them for long

 

- Your new rival Jason Stein

 

He walked over the to the shorter male slowly a light smile across his face, he pulled the other clothing from his bag setting them on the table with the note allowing the other time to read. He crossed his arms resting his head on them refusing to look at the other as he read.

 

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.