Chapter 11: Blank Canvas
Hey there everyone, welcome back to my Terraria story. This one took a while, mostly due to writer's block. I couldn't decide on who exactly to write Chapter 11, before finally deciding on the Painter. And well, I finally got something written. Hopefully you all like it!
I do not own Terraria, that belongs to Re-Logic and Microsoft!
Wyatt slowly approached the house, hand on his sword. Just in case. As he approached the door, he noticed the door was slightly ajar, light from inside bleeding out. Well, that was not a good sign. Clutching his sword slightly tighter, Wyatt slowly pushed at the wooden door and entered the house.
The inside house was covered from ceiling to floor with blotches and splatters of paints, like a rainbow had exploded inside. Paint buckets and brushes littered the floor, and nearly every inch of wall was covered in some painting. And standing towards the back of the house, his back to Wyatt, was Bruno the Painter, a cigarette in his hand and eyes focused on a blank canvas in front of him.
"It's rude to enter a house uninvited, you know." Bruno stated, taking a drag of his cigarette. "What do you want, Wyatt?"
Wyatt was shocked temporarily, but quickly regained his composure.
"Oh I'm sorry Bruno, I just wanted to check up on you." The Player explained. "It's been a while since anyone's heard from you, we wanted to see if everything was alright."
Bruno didn't say anything to that, just let out a tired grunt. He took the cigarette in his hand and dropped it onto the floor, crushing it beneath the heel of his paint-splattered shoe.
An uncomfortable silence quickly filled the room, as Wyatt stood by the door awkwardly. The Painter did not seem like he even had noticed the Player entering his house, with how little he had said so far; he seemed too focused on the blank canvas in front of him, glaring daggers at the white surface. Wyatt felt like an intruder in a way, like he had just walked in on a very private moment.
"Hey um, is everything okay with you Bruno?" Wyatt inquired, breaking the silence. "You seem kind of upset."
"You know one time I got lost in a desert? Must have been one, maybe two weeks." Bruno muttered, seemingly to himself. "The sun burnt my skin to a crisp, the night air nearly froze my toes off, and I had to constantly watch out for creatures ready to pounce at me. I had no food, no water, and I was on the verge of going mad by the time I finally found civilization. That trip still haunts me to this day. Whenever I see sand, my stomach just starts twisting itself into knots as I remember how close to death I was."
"...okay?" Wyatt asked, frowning slightly.
"Well, I wish I was back in that desert right about now, to be rid of this canvas." Bruno muttered, eyes still focused on the blank canvas in front of him. "It's like it's mocking me, for having no ideas."
"Oh I'm...sorry to hear that." Wyatt stated, an unsure tone to his voice. Was that the right thing to say here? He'd never painted before, so he wasn't sure what exactly was appropriate for this situation.
"I'll sound like a bit of a weirdo, but I believe great art comes out of a level of frustration." The Painter continued, eyes still focused on the canvas. "And with how frustrated I am right now, I have to come out with a masterpiece. Or I might just burn down my entire house and everything in it. Either seems likely at this point."
"Well, that's a little extreme." Wyatt admitted. "Couldn't you just, I don't know, work on another project?"
Bruno finally turned at that, as his head whipped over to look at Wyatt. The Player felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge, as he felt Bruno's eyes burrowing right into him. There was such intense anger in those eyes, such fury….but also maybe fear? In a flash, that look suddenly vanished, as the Painter shook his head.
"That is what I'm doing, Wyatt." Bruno stated, gesturing to the canvas next to him. "This is meant to be another project."
"Well, why not work on your original project then?" Wyatt asked. "Or is that giving you creative issues too?"
The Painter hesitated slightly, biting his lower lip, before letting out a tired sigh. He made his way over to canvas covered in a dirty grey cloth, hidden in the corner of the house. Wyatt couldn't explain it, but looking at the covered canvas caused his stomach to twist into knots. It was just a canvas, a simple blank canvas. Right?
"I've been having dreams, recently. Well, not dreams. It feels more like nightmares, really." Bruno explained. "And they...they all had this in them."
Bruno pulled away the cloth, revealing the canvas beneath. The canvas was an inky black, like the bottom of the ocean; Wyatt didn't know you could paint a black that was so dark and devoid of color. Sitting in the centre of the canvas, almost glowing, was a full moon. It was almost unremarkable, in a way. After all, it was just a painting of a moon. And yet…as Wyatt looked on at the painting, his mouth felt as dry as the desert and a small headache was forming. It was just a normal painting….wasn't it?
"It looks finished, Bruno." Wyatt muttered.
"You'd think so, but….well I don't know." Bruno responded, putting the grey cloth back onto the canvas. "Every time I look at it, I get this feeling I need to add more. To add...something else. What that something is, I don't know."
The two men stood there in silence, the covered canvas weighing on their minds heavily. After what seemed like an eternity, Wyatt walked over to Bruno and wrapped an arm around the Painter's shoulders.
"Bruno, I think you need to spend some time away from your house." Wyatt stated. "Maybe it's all the paint fumes, maybe it's lack of ventilation, I'm not sure. But I think you need a change of scenery. Maybe a vacation?"
"A vacation….sounds interesting." Bruno answered slowly. "Might give me some inspiration to paint something new?"
"Okay excellent, we'll arrange for a vacation first thing in the morning." Wyatt said excitedly. "Now let's head over to the Tavernkeep. You look like you're in need of a drink."
And Chapter 11 is done and dusted! I'd like to offer a big thank you to Nanomemes, for all their reviews. It keeps me motivated to keep going! Anyway, I hope to see all of you at Chapter 12.
Love,
The Desert Dancer
