cocoa: just a oneshot fantasy...:)
THE HOUSE ON HER CANVAS
Hagu opened her eyes and saw nothing.
She groped for the alarm clock.
5:25. in the morning.
She sat up and stretched, realising that she had a good sleep. Softly exhaling slowly, Hagu continued to sit and stare into the darkness. She didn't have any dreams that night.
5:27.
Hagu lay back, closed her eyes and tried to sleep. It was a vain attempt for she was soon propping herself up with her elbows. She couldn't sleep. Now that her eyes were used to the dark environment, Hagu caught sight of a paintbrush. Then the tubes of paints. Then her vision traveled to the large piece of canvas her uncle had just bought her for her birthday. It was at least twice her height.
It was the most beautiful thing Hagu had ever laid her eyes on.
Its uniqueness could almost be felt pouring out from it, compelling her to draw close. She made her way across towards it inquisitively. It was a precious moment to behold, as Hagu gently ran her fingers over its seemingly flawless body. She took a huge whiff of the smell, the rugged but gentle taste it had.
And it was blank.
Hagu stared at it for a while.
Impulsively, she grabbed her painting materials and got them ready. She picked up the largest brush and dipped it in the light pink colour. She stroked the canvas with careful strength.
For many people, they feel the adrenaline when they are doing athletic activities. It was obviously different for Hagu, whose velocity, joy, love, life was bursting through her art pieces.
6:25.
She was done. It was a picture of a path leading to a house.
Exhausted but satisfied, Hagu plopped backward.
Suddenly, she discovered that there were many angles in the image that made it look realistic.
Hagu hypnotically stretched forward. Her hand dissolved into it, but she was not the least bit shocked, for it was so enchanting that she nearly expected that to occur. Mesmerised, she continued to step in, finally her entire being was inside another realm. Hagu had entered her canvas.
--
Her eyes dilated with curiousity and awe, as she took in the splendour of the scenery. The rest of the path seemed like a flowing silver thread, as if welcoming her, and showing her the way.
--
The roof of the house was a smooth white colour of whipped cream, the walls in faint pink and the door and windowsills were in a nice, cosy shade of brown. Hagu sighed wistfully, knowing that her wish of having a home similar to that which was in front of her was impossible to fulfill. She walked forward and to her surprise, there was no doorbell whatsoever. She resorted to knocking, only to receive a void response.
She continued to tap at it with her knuckles repeatedly, and just as she was about to give up, the door swung open, revealing a lady in her early-thirties. She had blond, slightly curly hair like Hagu, only it was up to her shoulders. Hagu gathered her courage to stutter, "I… I just wanted to come visit." Which was a really silly thing to say, because she didn't know anybody in the house.
The lady's face broke into a smile, bringing a wave of relief to Hagu. "Please, come in." She gestured into the house, "We've been waiting for you."
--
Inside the house was most peculiar. There were antique and urban furniture, both of which was pleasantly set in the precise corners of a room. Hagu could hardly remember that she was in a picture, a drawing she drew.
The lady smiled as she watched Hagu observe the interior with a mix of curiosity and amazement. "Make yourself comfortable, sit down." She said in a home-y tone, gesturing towards the sofa. Hagu obeyed, not taking her eyes off the four walls. "You wait here, I'll go and get some tea." The lady said before heading into the kitchen.
It seemed to be only a few seconds when the lady appeared back into the living room with a tray of two teacups and a teapot. She waited patiently for Hagu to finish gaping at the furnishing and start to acknowledge her presence. Hagu finally focused at the lady and noticed that she was watching her. Embarrassed, she said, "Sorry, the house's interior is really.. nice."
The lady continued to smile in a understanding and friendly way. "My husband designed it." She handed Hagu a cup of tea and introduced, "You can call me Hana, by the way." At her introduction, Hagu felt like she needed to do something, but just somehow cannot recall what it was.
Hana interrupted her daze, the welcoming beam still plastered on her face as she asked, "So, how did you chance upon this house?"
Hagu was silent for a moment, thinking about how she could come up with an answer to such a difficult question, despite seeming simple on the surface. "Um, it is the only house in this area." She mumbled, remembering that only she drew one house.
"Yes, but how did you come here?"
Silence enveloped the two of them as Hagu mentally frantically searched for a plausible answer. I painted this house, and stepped into the canvas..? It was too ridiculous.
"I… I walked here." Hagu was glad she finally said something to break the awkward silence. She looked up, expecting to see Hana smiling at her, it was almost like her trademark. However, her expression was a mixture of surprise and unbelief. It made Hagu wonder if she said anything odd. Self-consciously, she tugged at the edge of her dress, which she realised was her night-gown. She stifled a gasp so that Hana wouldn't hear.
"That must have a really long walk wasn't it?" Hana asked, breaking Hagu's chain of thoughts. She seemed oblivious of Hagu's inappropriate clothes. Hagu temporarily put aside her undetected embarrassment and concentrated on gathering a new answer that would be believable.
Before she could speak, the front door opened. In stepped a man dressed in casual clothes. Hagu noticed that he had a paintbrush sticking out from his pocket. "You're back!" Hana's face immediately lit up at his arrival as she went to give him a light kiss. Hagu figured that he was her husband.
The man then noted Hagu's presence and gave both her and Hana an inquiring look. "Oh, she came just a while ago." Hana explained, gesturing in her direction.
The man took the initiative and held out his hand, "My name is Iroji." He introduced, grinning. "Pleased to meet you." He said, shaking her hand. Hagu instantly took liking to this man, for he seemed nice and had a rare handshake; one that wasn't too weak nor too strong.
Then Hagu felt a rather sick blank in her mind, similar to that when Hana introduced herself. She meekly shook her head in attempt to clear whatever her mind was experiencing and she focused her attention on Iroji's appearance as a distraction. The colour of his eyes was a good-looking shade of black, which made Hagu think of her uncle.
Hagu never people she was unfamiliar with, but they made her feel comfortable. So for once, she tried to start the conversation as soon as they settled down. "Where did you go earlier on?"
The couple stopped to stare at her for a moment, as if they knew it wasn't like her to initiate a conversation. However, Iroji smiled like Hana and replied, "Just out to deliver some paintings and materials."
Hagu was immediately fascinated by this, and made no effort to hide her enthrallment, "Is that your job?"
"You can say so. Hana does the designing and painting and I do the touch-up and delivering." He looked at Hana and both of them took a brief minute to smile at one another. Hagu envied them, getting to stay with someone who showers you with smiles you don't get tired of, and even working with that person. Through art.
"That's right. There is this masterpiece we've been waiting for you to see." Iroji told Hagu, with a glint of hope in his eyes.
"Me?" Hagu was surprised. Then she remembered Hana's words when she saw her at the front door. We've been waiting for you. She nodded sincerely, and stood up to follow them as they got up, pointing upstairs. Hagu's heartbeat seemed to increased with the number of stairs she climbed, and somehow, it didn't just feel like excitement. She felt like there was something else, something more, but she was not sure what it was.
The two of them were surprisingly quiet as they ascended up the stairs, as though they were really respecting the significance of this process. Significance? Hagu tried not to think too much. Iroji had already opened the door of the room they were heading to, and Hana politely waited at the side to let Hagu enter before them.
It was quite awkward, and it made her slightly nervous.
However, when she caught sight the painting, her eyes dilated once again. She moved forward as if in a trance. The colours, the contrast, the shadows, everything. It was so lifelike.
It was a picture of her room.
"It's beautiful." She exhaled, and turned to look at them. She saw Hana's gentle smile and Iroji's satisfied grin. She went back to face the drawing. She reached forward, wanting to get closer, nearer. "Bye Hagu." Suddenly she felt herself falling into the drawing, someone had pushed her.
--
7:25 in the morning.
Hagu woke up and found herself in front of her canvas. It was such a weird feeling, like reality in a dream.
7:27.
The house on her canvas was still there.