Inx
Lately, I've been going out more. Whether it's some subconscious desire to lead a richer life or just claustrophobia setting in is anyone's guess, but here I am.
In the park.
In public.
Paranoia grips me ever-so-slightly, but I slowly find myself relaxing. I'm under the shade of a tree, of course, away from the numerous park denizens. A quiet little place of my own, without the usual locked door that's become my security blanket.
This...does not feel right...
I swallow hard. I feel too vulnerable out here. Time to-
The wind carries a sheet of paper with it, which I quickly grab. I take a quick look around for anyone who might have lost it, and take a look.
...A unicorn? Not my thing, but the artist certainly has a considerable amount of talent.
...A unicorn? Unless this is the work of a child prodigy, what grown person draws unicorns? I can just imagine there's a socially awkward, hopelessly single woman with thick glasses and a collection of porcelain animals desperately searching for this.
As I stare at this drawing...I frown a bit. In the dark little world I inhabit, whimsical nonsense like unicorns are grossly out of place. It makes me think about a childhood that never was. It makes me look at the children here in the park, and reminds me I was that age, too, in a time long since past...
...A pause.
I turn my attention back outwards, back to the picture of what is basically a mutant horse in my hands.
Then I turn my attention to a blur of pink I see out of the corner of my eye.
...Jinx...
I'm not going to bother asking what she's doing out of jail, but I am curious as to what she's...looking...
...There is no way...
There's a sudden look of dread. She runs to the nearest trashcan and dives in, her stocking legs comically dangling out. She pops back out seconds later, dread replaced with a mix of astonishment and grief.
I tell myself that the former H.I.V.E. valedictorian has been reduced to a bumbling thief, and whatever she stole was lost in some comedy of errors. That seems like the most logical, viable answer.
...Until I see Jinx snatch another piece of paper up from another strong breeze and quickly attend to a leather-bound book overstuffed with loose pages.
It was at that moment that I realized Jinx drew unicorns.
...I had to look back at what I was holding in my hands. Yes, it was a unicorn. Not some hell-spawned, maggot spewing abomination of a beast, but a beautiful, graceful creature out of high fantasy.
And Jinx drew it.
...I...
...I want to rip it. Just tear it in half, with a sick grin on my lips. And right in front of her.
Or what if I pretended to hand it to her, then trample it into the ground?
Or maybe...
A parade of cruel, twisted thoughts plays out in my mind. I know I'm being petty, maybe even childish...but there would be some small measure of karmic retribution in it, right? For all the grief she's caused everyone in this city, a little grief of her own.
...A pause...
...A sting...
...Azur above...she isn't going to cry, is she?
She hangs her head and rubs her eyes. She crosses her arms, only to uncross them the moment another strong breeze kicks up. She clutches her notebook to her chest and takes one last, deep breath.
...This drawing...
I guess you had a childhood too, didn't you?
...I'm going to hate myself for this.
"Hey..."
Her eyes lock onto the piece of paper in my outstretched and she smiles a wide smile. Her hands quickly dart out and pluck it from my grasp, not pausing for a moment to notice just who it was in front of her.
"Oh my God! Thank you so much! You have no idea how hard I-"
Her Cheshire smile drops when she looks up at me.
I blink.
She blinks.
"So...yeah. Thanks."
"Y-Yeah..."
She clutches her body of work tightly to her chest, lithe fingers wrapped around her binder.
A few steps back, and I turn. I bite my lip and...
In a tiny voice, I say...
Nevermind. I feel too vulnerable out here. Time to go home.
I think I might try my hand at painting, again...