Not A God

Chapter 39 - Falling

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you the most popular guest of the evening, Mr Artus, who is said to have a great treasure to offer, claiming that there is absolutely nothing more precious in the world and that anyone who sees it will fall into an obsession! "

On stage, the white-masked connoisseur greeted Altus as he stepped out of the curtain with an exaggerated tone of voice and comical gestures.

"Oh my God, I'm already in shock and can't wait to be blinded by that precious treasure!" The contrast between the connoisseur's high-pitched voice and the boastful adjectives and Artus's wretched, dirty appearance was so striking that the audience could not help but burst into laughter, already looking forward to the connoisseur's venomous remarks later. It was the first time Artus had been under so many eyes, and even though he was confident in his paintings, he was a little nervous.

He couldn't help but take a step back as his eyes were flashed by the limelight on the stage, and his bruised fingers tightened to protect the painting in his arms. That nervous, cowering gesture excited the audience, whose laughter was undisguised. Everyone looked at the unkempt vagabond, the mockery and contempt behind his mask stabbing the stage like a knife at Artus as they watched him hopefully, anticipating the mad, pathetic ugliness of his shattered pride.

For these high society aristocrats, watching the misery of the underclass made them feel very happy with their lives. No one would believe that this tramp could have any precious treasures, they just got a gloating thrill from Artus that was too much to bear. The connoisseur, who was well aware of the mischievousness of the audience, commented on Artus from head to toe, in a strange tone. More insulting than outright cursing, in order to please the audience even more. He looked at the painting in his hands and when he looked up again, his eyes became bright and his confidence shone through his unkempt appearance.

He would make those who despised him regret it, with the inspiration he had received in his dream and the painting he now held. The connoisseur's sarcastic words were about to escape his lips and he was met with a very different look from Artus, who then saw the vagrant, who had been sullen and silent, slowly untie the strips of cloth from his arms.

The connoisseur's eyes were haughty and critical as he watched the dirty strips of cloth fall to the ground, already thinking of the words he would use to reprimand the wretched vagrant without a word of abuse. Soon the rough canvas frame was revealed and the connoisseur glanced at the mess of colours, the corners of his mouth lifted disdainfully as he spoke with a sneer, "Looks like this one is very similar on the outside and on the inside, both are dirty ......"

Before he could finish his sentence, the connoisseur stopped moving, his eyes dully resting on the humble canvas that showed only half of the image. It was a world never before reached by man, deep in the universe, full of beautiful colours. The moving nebulae contained the embryonic bodies of stars, the blazing celestial bodies in the colours of the painting emitted a temperature that could burn the eyes. and the deepest darkness was hidden in the celestial bodies, so fascinating that one could not look away.

It is as if an incredible dream has been created, where the impossible colours of nature have been so harmoniously blended together to create a world so vast that it cannot be described. It was - in this age of steam - a universe that existed only in human conjecture and had never yet been reached.

As Artus showed the painting in full, the hall, which had been so noisy, suddenly fell silent to the point where a pin drop could be heard. Everyone stared in awe at the painting on the stage, dumbfounded and mesmerised. It was as if they were immersed in an unknown and mysterious world, entering a dream of divine beauty, witnessing all the mysteries and beauty of nature in the mysterious depths beyond human reach, reaching the shores of human immortality.