Derby came back to our table.
“ Exactly, Mr. Ray! Exactly.
Make it magical. I couldn’t have put it better myself.” He beamed
at Nikko and glanced at his picture. “Ah, I simply love that tree.
Love it! It will look beautiful on our wall!” He waved his hand
with a flourish.
I turned to see a wall filled from top to
bottom with pictures from students. Not a single inch of the wall
showed through, and the pictures were several layers deep as though
instead of removing one to put up another, they were just placed on
top. He glanced at me over his glasses. “I’m hoping Mr. Matthews
will have something to add as well.”
I studied the blank white paper; it matched
the current state of my mind given the task at hand. “I’ll try,” I
said uncertainly. I had never made anything creative in my life.
The Academy frowned on individualism, and any sign of wavering from
the strict studies was swiftly punished. I picked up the charcoal
with the feeling of breaking some unspoken rule.
“ Don’t try, do,” Mr. Derby
said. His enthusiasm was catching and several students around us
grinned. “Do your best and your best is what you will do.” He left
with a nod as though satisfied by his words.
I glanced at Nikko. “Do my best?”
He grinned. “And your best is what you will
do.”
I laughed and twirled the charcoal between
my fingers. The blank paper stared up at me as though daring me to
smudge its perfect whiteness.
I was still staring at it a few minutes
later when Mr. Derby wandered back. “Haven’t found your muse?” he
asked.
I shook my head.
He gave a thoughtful frown and pulled at his
lower lip. “Whenever I have trouble thinking of what to make, I
look through my past for an image that stands out above the rest,
something that defines me even though I may not know why.”
I glanced at him in surprise and he smiled.
“Even art teachers have a serious side.” He winked and walked
away.
I found Nikko staring at me with a confused
look. “I didn’t know he had a serious side,” he whispered.
I stifled a smile and stared down at the
paper. The white purity faded and I saw the Academy gates as I left
them, the silhouetted forms of Galdoni flying over the top,
picketers ringing the fence, and the hulking gray form of the
Academy building standing empty and menacing behind them.
It would be a dead give-away, but perhaps I
could draw something similar. I took a deep breath and began to
sketch an outline of wings. The charcoal glided over the paper
leaving long, stark lines; a faint whisper of satisfaction rose in
my chest.
***
Dr. Ray met us at home that night. “A
successful first day, I gather?” he asked with a glance at all the
books I had spread out on the card table.
I nodded and turned back to my work. He took
the chair opposite me and studied the books thoughtfully. “You
know, I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it. The type of
social situation you’re in at the Academy doesn’t exactly lead to
experience in a normal classroom setting.”
“ In other words, you
thought I’d chicken out?” I surmised.
He nodded with a twinkle in his eyes. “Your
nonchalance in my classroom was either really good acting or a very
quick adaptation to unusual situations, both of which are rare for
someone your age.”
I grinned at him. “Just good acting. I
thought my heart would beat out of my chest. And I had to keep
reminding myself that I couldn’t fly away if things went terribly
wrong.” I rubbed my forehead and tried to put my feelings into
words. “I found myself actually missing the mapped out days at the
Academy; a tight schedule with high security and barely a breath of
free time. The freedom feels almost too good to be true. It makes
me feel scattered, if that makes any sense.”
He gave an answering smile. “One day
successful. Most of human life is spent living one day at a time.
We don’t have every hour mapped out for us. It’s what we do in
“ Exactly, Mr. Ray! Exactly.
Make it magical. I couldn’t have put it better myself.” He beamed
at Nikko and glanced at his picture. “Ah, I simply love that tree.
Love it! It will look beautiful on our wall!” He waved his hand
with a flourish.
I turned to see a wall filled from top to
bottom with pictures from students. Not a single inch of the wall
showed through, and the pictures were several layers deep as though
instead of removing one to put up another, they were just placed on
top. He glanced at me over his glasses. “I’m hoping Mr. Matthews
will have something to add as well.”
I studied the blank white paper; it matched
the current state of my mind given the task at hand. “I’ll try,” I
said uncertainly. I had never made anything creative in my life.
The Academy frowned on individualism, and any sign of wavering from
the strict studies was swiftly punished. I picked up the charcoal
with the feeling of breaking some unspoken rule.
“ Don’t try, do,” Mr. Derby
said. His enthusiasm was catching and several students around us
grinned. “Do your best and your best is what you will do.” He left
with a nod as though satisfied by his words.
I glanced at Nikko. “Do my best?”
He grinned. “And your best is what you will
do.”
I laughed and twirled the charcoal between
my fingers. The blank paper stared up at me as though daring me to
smudge its perfect whiteness.
I was still staring at it a few minutes
later when Mr. Derby wandered back. “Haven’t found your muse?” he
asked.
I shook my head.
He gave a thoughtful frown and pulled at his
lower lip. “Whenever I have trouble thinking of what to make, I
look through my past for an image that stands out above the rest,
something that defines me even though I may not know why.”
I glanced at him in surprise and he smiled.
“Even art teachers have a serious side.” He winked and walked
away.
I found Nikko staring at me with a confused
look. “I didn’t know he had a serious side,” he whispered.
I stifled a smile and stared down at the
paper. The white purity faded and I saw the Academy gates as I left
them, the silhouetted forms of Galdoni flying over the top,
picketers ringing the fence, and the hulking gray form of the
Academy building standing empty and menacing behind them.
It would be a dead give-away, but perhaps I
could draw something similar. I took a deep breath and began to
sketch an outline of wings. The charcoal glided over the paper
leaving long, stark lines; a faint whisper of satisfaction rose in
my chest.
***
Dr. Ray met us at home that night. “A
successful first day, I gather?” he asked with a glance at all the
books I had spread out on the card table.
I nodded and turned back to my work. He took
the chair opposite me and studied the books thoughtfully. “You
know, I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it. The type of
social situation you’re in at the Academy doesn’t exactly lead to
experience in a normal classroom setting.”
“ In other words, you
thought I’d chicken out?” I surmised.
He nodded with a twinkle in his eyes. “Your
nonchalance in my classroom was either really good acting or a very
quick adaptation to unusual situations, both of which are rare for
someone your age.”
I grinned at him. “Just good acting. I
thought my heart would beat out of my chest. And I had to keep
reminding myself that I couldn’t fly away if things went terribly
wrong.” I rubbed my forehead and tried to put my feelings into
words. “I found myself actually missing the mapped out days at the
Academy; a tight schedule with high security and barely a breath of
free time. The freedom feels almost too good to be true. It makes
me feel scattered, if that makes any sense.”
He gave an answering smile. “One day
successful. Most of human life is spent living one day at a time.
We don’t have every hour mapped out for us. It’s what we do in
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