The Unknown Artist - Part 4

Author's Note:

If you have not read the first three parts to this story, then please be sure to read them first for context. This is a collaborative story!

Part 1, written by Sibley Shamra, follow the link below:

Part 2, written by Rowan Finley, follow the link below:

Part 3, written by Sibley Shamra, follow the link below:

Shiloh still felt tremendously overwhelmed and overstimulated by the situation. Talking aloud, mostly to herself, she repeated what she knew…

“I can choose to join this obscurity artist and his saga... or walk away… Who are you? It feels as if I’ve known you in another life or something. Please don’t say it depends! Just spill the truth! I’m just really trying to make sense of all this!”

He smiled a slick calculated smile. His demeanor made her a bit nervous and weak in the knees at the same time.

“Okay - one hint then… they used to call me Wobble in middle school.”

Shiloh scrunched her brow in a confused expression. Racking her brain for ten seconds, it all came back to her.

“Eddie Wisenbach? Nicknamed Wobble… Not sure why they called you that but… You were in my middle school art class? Wow, you grew up! Gosh, when did you get to be so…”

She blushed and sat down on the floor in amazement.

“I started a disciplined workout routine in high school and college because I was sick of being made fun of for being chubby and easy to knock down in dodge ball, hence the name Wobble. But honestly... I hate working out most of the time and I hate attention from people about my physique because I’d rather focus on art and I’d rather people admire that above anything else!”

“Why can’t they admire both?”

She half-giggled.

He rolled his eyes. Looking down at her, he added,

“Sorry, did I disclose too much here?”

She paused for moment and then answered him.

"Umm, no, not at all..."

He nodded and pulled out a blank canvas and some paint brushes that appeared to be well-loved.

"In that case..."

He pulled out some acrylic paints.

"You've been my obsession ever since middle school and I could never tell you how I felt because I knew you weren’t interested. I admired the way you drew and painted then, but I knew you wouldn't like someone like me who was fat and not athletic at the time."

He squirted some of the paint onto the palette and continued to not look her in the eyes. Mixing some of the paints, he began to brush wide paint strokes. Continuing, he said,

"Now, have I disclosed too much?"

Shiloh looked down and hugged her knees to her chest. She was still sitting on the floor. Nervously, she answered,

"It's a lot. I'm still unsure how I'm here and how you knew I would come here though..."

He smiled, but his back was still towards her.

"We have similar souls, Shiloh. I always knew it. When we paint, it's magic because our hearts are pouring out through the vessels of the paintbrushes, onto the receiving portals of the canvases. That's why the hand in my painting pulled you in, because it couldn't resist you anymore... The more you continue to paint, the more you'll begin to see the magical element in your art."

"How did you learn all this or figure it all out?"

She asked, still trying to bid her time and process what he'd said previously. He continued painting and simply stated,

"Some of it's a painter's intuition..."

"So... you're saying I'm not intuitive?"

"No... Not at all! Have you decided what you're going to do? Will you stay and paint here with me or will you walk away as I dissolve into thin air?"

She still was very intrigued by his mysterious manner, but unsure if he was legitimate or sincere.

"I really don't know you at all... I mean we're not in middle school anymore."

"Thank God!"

She laughed nervously. Thinking for a second, she quickly said,

"I'll stay. As long as you promise you're not an ax murderer..."

He turned around.

"Great! You're turn..."

He handed her the paintbrush he was using. He stepped aside.

"I'm not an ax murderer... or at least I've never used an ax for killing anyone before..."

They both laughed. Shiloh confidently took the paintbrush and started adding to his November 15 obscurity piece.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

To read part 5, written by Sibley Shamra, follow the link below: