Before the Vision
Chapter 14: His Vision Completed
For two weeks Shadow had locked himself up inside the furnished attic at the top of the old house. With all of his art supplies inside with him, he worked for long hours, day in and day out on his portrait for Maria. Since he only had one canvas to work on, the hedgehog was very careful and precise with his portrait's accuracy; from the shapes right down to the shades of colors he used. Maria and Gerald were curious as to what Shadow was up to but respected his wishes of not to be disturbed.
"Do you think Shadow is changing grandfather?" Maria asked one morning during breakfast.
"In what way?" Gerald replied before sipping his coffee.
"His attitude. I don't want to jump to conclusions but Shadow's sudden isolation makes me wonder if he's changing again…"
"My guess is that he's just busy with a personal project. People often do small projects for their own personal needs and are usually not meant to be seen by others."
Maria nodded her head agreeing with her grandfather. She could recall a few times in her life where she would do small projects in her room just to relieve some stress or frustration. Perhaps Shadow was doing the same… relieve the pain from his experiences at the institute. It was possible but Maria was not the type who would jump to sudden conclusions. As the two continued to eat their breakfast in silence, Shadow continued to work diligently on his portrait in the attic.
The attic was perhaps the largest room in the house. The attic had the usual excess junk stored inside of it such as boxes of antique decorations, broken furniture, and other decorative knickknacks. There was also an old couch and a small side table that Shadow used to place his supplies on. The hedgehog had set up his canvas near a window facing the front of the house so he could gaze out into the world during his breaks. He spent most of his time working in the early morning hours and evening hours as well. Shadow often found himself working through an entire night without becoming tired.
"I must be changing again." Shadow thought to himself once while working.
After two grueling weeks of slow and accurate painting, Shadow was almost finished with his portrait. A brush filled with a grayish black paint touched down on the canvas surface and the hedgehog gently stirred it in to mix in with the surrounding dark colors. Finally it was complete! Shadow's present to Maria was finished in all of its glory. The hedgehog stepped off of the stool he sat on and took a few steps back to get a complete view of his portrait. He emitted a quiet smirk crossing his arms at the amazing work he had completed in just two weeks! A full portrait of himself and Maria on a dark gray background with vivid details, especially in Maria's golden colored hair. The proportions weren't exact but close enough to look like the work of a professional. Shadow surprised himself with the portrait and somehow couldn't take his eyes off of it. He was sure, without a doubt, that Maria and Gerald would love it just as much.
Setting his supplies off to the side, Shadow decided that it was time to get in touch with the outside world again and left the attic closing the door behind him. Slowly he descended down the dark and narrow staircase and upon emerging out into the hallway, Maria had just reached the top of the stairs from the first floor.
"Shadow!" she cried out running to her friend.
The two embraced each other with a strong hug and Shadow felt as if he had returned from a long journey.
"So you've finally come out of your nest?" Maria asked smiling brightly.
"Well… I guess you can put it that way…" Shadow's voice drifted off with some embarrassment from Maria's comparison. "Are you going in to town later on today?"
"Yeah. Carol and I planned on doing some shopping today, although I'm not sure if you would want to tag along with us."
"That's ok. I'll find something to do. But I do have something to show you and the professor."
"Oh really? What is it?"
Shadow glanced back up the dark staircase leading to the attic.
"I won't say but I'll show it to you two, perhaps tomorrow evening when it's ready."
Maria smiled in return but then looked down and noticed some paint on Shadow's hands. She looked up at the hedgehog and gave him a sly look.
"I think I have an idea of what this surprise is…" she said playfully.
"What!? Well… don't go into the attic ok? I… I made a big mess and I still have some cleaning to do." Shadow replied walking past Maria and down the stairs to the first floor.
It was pretty obvious to the girl that Shadow was lying about the mess but she decided not to say anything about it. The hedgehog himself knew that his lie was terrible and apparent but was too nervous about the surprise being ruined to even care.
The day went by as usual with Maria and her friend, Carol, enjoying some hours together shopping while Shadow wandered around town helping out anyone in need. A new day soon fell upon the town and in the summer house, Shadow was preparing his big surprise that he would unveil that evening. The portrait had dried but Shadow had to find a way to sneak it down into the living room without Gerald or Maria noticing. Soon an idea came to the hedgehog that morning. It was simple and harmless and something that the two family members needed since they were on vacation. A nice afternoon stroll through the town. It would give Shadow plenty of time to set up for the surprise while the two were out.
Early in the afternoon Shadow made the suggestion to Gerald who was in his office.
"You know that does sound like a good idea Shadow." Gerald said turning in his chair to face Shadow. "It's been a few years since Maria and I visited this town. Perhaps there have been some changes made since our last visit."
"So you'll go for a walk?" the hedgehog asked anxiously.
"Of course! You can come along if you like."
"Uh… no thanks. I think I'll just stay here at the house. You two need the time together."
Gerald agreed silently and left the office to find Maria. Shadow approached the doorway and smirked watching Gerald disappear down the steps. Everything was going as planned for him. A few minutes later Maria and Gerald were gone from the house and the black hedgehog wasted no time in preparing the living room. Carefully he brought down his portrait from the attic and placed it on the stand that was set up in the living room. Shadow felt some creativity moving around in his mind ad figured to make the surprise into a special presentation with hors d'oeuvres. He wasn't familiar with the kind of appetizers that were offered at fancy parties, but the hedgehog did his best with a few sandwiches and a pitcher full of fruit punch.
Preparations didn't take too long for Shadow, but Maria and Gerald were gone for quite some time. The sun had slowly made its way across the afternoon sky and was preparing to settle down for the night. Meanwhile, Shadow was busy trying to think of a nice way to greet his family when they came in and how he would present the portrait. The hedgehog scribbled down some ideas on a sheet of paper but none of them 'clicked' as on would say.
Night came rather quickly and soon after the sun had disappeared, Shadow could hear the laughter of Maria and Gerald approaching the house. He slightly panicked and quickly checked to see if everything was in place in the living room. Outside the house, Maria and her grandfather approached the front door and were greeted by Shadow as the door opened up slowly.
"We're back!" Maria cheerfully said with a warm smile.
"Welcome back." Shadow said greeting the two. "I hope you had a nice walk."
"It was very pleasant to enjoy the sights of the town. We even managed to go outside the town into the fields for a while." Gerald commented walking in with Maria. "Sorry we took so long."
"That's ok." Shadow closed the front door. "Although I do have a surprise to show you…"
"A surprise? Where?" Maria asked.
Silently the hedgehog led his family into the living room where two chairs were set up facing the covered portrait in the center of the room. The snacks and drinks had been set up on the coffee table that sat in front of the chairs. Gerald and Maria took their seats while Shadow nervously stood in front of the portrait.
"So what do you have to show us?" Gerald inquired the hedgehog.
It was difficult for Shadow to answer. He was too nervous and excited to say anything about the portrait. He had a small speech prepared but completely forgot about it in all of the excitement he suddenly felt. Shadow twiddled with his thumbs, his face slowly turning red.
"Just take a deep breath." he heard a soft voice say to him.
Shadow looked up to see Maria staring at him with her kind eyes. All of the tension suddenly began to fade away and his hands dropped down to his sides.
"I… well… the weeks I spent up in the attic alone were not in isolation. I was working hard on something for Maria, but I chose to show it to you as well professor."
Gerald nodded his head in compliance.
"Ever since I was… 'born' six months ago, you two have taught me so much about life… and why I should live it to the fullest. I never thought that there could be so much kindness outside of the institute. When we came into this town I was a bit reluctant on how the people here would treat me. But now… now I see that some good can be found in the hearts of others. As a token of my appreciation, Maria… Gerald, here is my present to you for accepting me into your family."
The cover was taken off of the portrait and Maria and Gerald were left speechless at the sight of Shadow's portrait. The young girl was brought to tears and rushed over to her friend throwing her arms around him. Shadow wrapped his arms around Maria patting her on the back as she cried silently out of joy.
"Shadow… I… don't know what to say…" said Maria a few seconds later.
"I think your embrace was more than enough." the hedgehog said for her.
Maria agreed with him wiping the tears from her eyes. She then turned to her grandfather who had also shed a few tears as well. He was so astonished and yet proud of what Shadow, his own creation, had accomplished and learned in such a small amount of time. He was more than just a successful experiment, Shadow was a shining example of the potential everybody has in them. He had been through trials and tribulation in just a matter of a few months but still came out on top shining despite his imperfections. The professor saw no need to speak any words of wisdom for none were needed in such a moment. So the old man stood up, bid Shadow and Maria goodnight, and went off to his room upstairs.
Maria once again pulled Shadow into a hug laughing this time. She then looked at the portrait again in awe.
"This is amazing Shadow." she said in a whisper. "What motivated you to make this picture?"
"You did Maria." Shadow simply answered. "Even though you're ill, you still seem to enjoy life as if you were as healthy as your friends. I don't understand why hardly anyone gives you any presents. You deserve them more than anyone that I know!"
Maria blushed and took Shadow's hands. She knew that she had a strong spirit but very few people had ever spoken to her about it or even complemented her on it.
"I don't try to put myself out there just because I'm sick. I just try to live everyday to the fullest and fight through the hard times like any normal person. Actually Shadow… I never saw myself as a sick person at all when I was growing up. I just saw myself as someone who lives differently than other kids." Maria's words were humble but spoken honestly.
Shadow could relate to Maria to a certain degree. Without a doubt he was different than everyone else around him, but that didn't mean he had to act differently. He just acted normally and was accepted by his peers for being true to himself and not being a poser or egotistical about his abilities. Shadow didn't like to show off much which explains why he was often quiet among his friends and they're ok with it.
Shadow and Maria stayed in the living room for most of the night talking to each other about various things until Maria grew tired. She finally went off to bed after kissing Shadow goodnight on his forehead and went upstairs to her room. The hedgehog turned off the living room light and fell onto the couch sighing heavily. The unveiling of his portrait had brought the family closer to each other than ever. He even felt a bond forming between he and Maria that some how filled in the void that he had inside of him. It was strange and yet astonishing for Shadow to realize how far he's come ever since his humble beginnings at the institute. He remembered reading his first book in the library and even the first word he had spoken to Maria. The hedgehog felt a feeling of accomplishment inside of him… as if he had achieved the status of a legend. But there was so much more he wanted to see… experience… and learn. There was an entire world outside of the small town and Shadow was determined to see it all… even when Maria and Gerald were gone.