A Brush With Death

Light flooded the room, disturbing my peaceful slumber. Restraints tightened around my body just moments before I was plunged into cold, immersive water. I struggled to focus on my surroundings, but everything beyond the glass was distorted. As soon as the dunking started, it was over, and I was free of the icy depths. I felt like I was flying through the air. Splat! This acrylic colour stained my once perfect hair just seconds before my head thumped against a white surface. Then I was falling. I struggled to catch my breath before I descended into the murky, icy depths and everything went black.

Sometime later, I blinked through the droplets that coated my eyes. I found myself lying on a ratty cloth, overwhelmed by the scent of turpentine and stale coffee. As the room came into focus, I recognised Leo and Vince lying next to me. They looked as horrendous as I felt. We greeted each other with a nod, words impossible to form. For the first time ever, Mike wasn’t there to make a quip and lighten the situation. The four of us had shared many adventures around the world outside. Mike always had this unnatural tinge to his body, the only evidence of his colourful past. The last time we saw him his hair was badly matted, and a pool of red surrounded his feet.

“Beware of Baby,” he gasped.

“Th-this has gotta be the B-baby th-that Mike warned us about,” said Leo, breaking the silence.

We all shuddered at the thought of facing the same fate as Mike. Whilst bravado flowed through our veins, none of us were strong enough to fight Baby.

“Wh-where’s Lady?” Vince’s voice was barely above a whisper, “Why isn’t she here to protect us?”

Was Lady in danger? Is that why Baby had entered her sanctuary? Baby was never allowed around us without Lady. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind and the walls groaned, echoing our collective despair. Would we ever see Lady again?

“How did Baby find us?” Vince was the one brave enough to voice what we’d all been thinking. The silence that followed was deafening.

Unlike Lady's restraints, which we barely felt, Baby had these pudgy restraints that caused some serious damage. Lady always handled us gently and knew how to control us in order to produce beautiful, intricate work. Even when she led us to the world outside, it was enjoyable. The open space, the pillars of shade, the clear air, the untainted colours…

I was shaken out of this memory by a sudden movement. The beams above me tilted and before I could brace myself, I was plunged back into the icy depths. Splash. Thunk. Swish. The pattern of torture continued. I grimaced in pain as my shoulder hit the edge of the torture vessel. Baby attempted to grind my hair into the white surface, leaving a trail of red behind me.

“Hahahaha!” A rapid noise was the only warning I received before I was flung through the air and landed forcefully on top of the ratty cloth. I rolled precariously close to the edge and closed my eyes. I didn’t want Baby’s face to be the last thing I remembered. Was I going to meet my end by falling off the edge?

Before I could find a nicer memory to focus on, good ole’ Leo quickly used his weight and pushed me back to more steady ground. The customary nod of his head assured me that he’d heard my unspoken thanks above the pounding of my heart. Blobs of colour seemed to be splattered over every surface I could see. I imagined Lady’s response that would accompany her classic head-shake to the current scene, “What a mess. What an absolute mess!”

Baby suddenly grabbed Vince and Leo together and proceeded to thump their heads against the white surface. I wanted to move. I wanted to save Leo and Vince just as they’d saved me.

“Hahahaha!” boomed Baby, before Leo and Vince were flung through the air again. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t move fast enough. I couldn’t reach the edge and grasp onto them before they fell. There was no way down to them and no way for them to get back up.

“Farewell my friend,” said Leo, his eyes staring into my soul. I was afraid that it would all be gone if I blinked. I stared at their bodies below me… a million miles away. How many more friends did I have to lose before someone did something about Baby?

My restraints tightened once again and through my bleary eyes I noticed the pristine, white surface was now completely smeared with patches of red, brown and grey. It looked completely different to the beautiful projects we’d all created with Lady. These beautiful projects lined the walls and taunted me with pleasant memories of better times. Perhaps this was all just a dream. A. Very. Bad. Nightmarish. Dream.

“Baby. Baaaybee!” A voice yelled. Footsteps thundered and every surface in the room shook. The pudgy restraints around me loosened and I fell into the murky depths. As I hit the water, the footsteps seemed to grow louder, and the shaking intensified. Everything tilted and I felt myself falling… again. This time there was no Leo there to stop my fall. As glass shattered around me one thought raced through my mind. Would Lady be able to find more paintbrushes to replace us? I closed my eyes and waited for the end to come...

Another cry from Baby echoed around the room. I opened my eyes one by one and was greeted with kind, familiar eyes. Was I really still alive? My silent question was answered as Lady picked me up off the floor and placed me back in her paintbrush case beside Mick and Leo and Vince. Reunited at last.