Vanishing Alley

-5-

     That night, it was hard for me to fall asleep because I found myself wondering about that story again, and if there was any possibility, even the smallest of chances, that it could be true. I know what you're thinking. There I was, about to start university, about to start my Bachelor of Education program and I was wondering if there was any chance that someone could time travel. But I bet you can't sit there, read this story, and honestly say that you've never wondered the same thing, or how cool it would be if it were possible! Anyway, I knew I had to snap myself out of it. I got up, took the watch off of my night table, and put it in the drawer. I know, it's the same thing Helen did when she had the watch. But what else could I do? I had to get some sleep. Putting it in the drawer helped a bit. At least I was able to go to sleep, however I did end up dreaming that I was in the 1800s. Obviously, right? Everyone was dressed so proper and sophisticated. All the men wore suits and hats, and all the women wore long, flowing dresses, and they all carried a small purse with them. It was just big enough to carry a compact mirror and some money. I was fully aware that it was a result of the watch and that story - that story, that I just couldn't help wondering about!

I woke up that morning in a relatively good mood. Still on a bit of a high from the excitement of the day before (I'm a simple person and the little things and simple pleasures in life make me happy). While talking with Sara, I almost told her about the watch, but reminded myself that it would be better, and easier for me, to just tell them, and show them, all at the same time. I didn't really want to repeat the same story 4 times. Until then, I decided to not say anything to any of them.

That day wasn't filled with excitement or activity. It was just a nice, chill and relaxing day. I spent the majority of the afternoon in the backyard, sitting with my sketchbook under my favourite tree — the 50-year-old tree my grandparents had planted. It wasn't the first time I had done this since we'd been there, but it was the first time I spent the whole afternoon there. I felt inspired to try to draw something other than the usual. Maybe it was the watch, or the story, or maybe it was the dream I had the night before, but I felt inspired to try to draw a Victorian Era scene, nothing too complicated to start with. I decided to start with a Victorian garden since I love to draw nature sceneries — from landscapes to gardens, even a simple bench under some trees to a vase with flowers — I thought this was the perfect choice to start with. Although, I didn't really know what a Victorian garden looked like, except for what I had seen in movies and how I imagined them to be. Luckily, I was able to look them up on my laptop to get some ideas. I found so many pictures! Many of them were drawings and paintings, while others were photos of present-day Victorian gardens. The images were just as I had imagined them, and I fell in love with their designs, just like I knew I would. They look so calm and relaxing; I could imagine myself taking a stroll through any one of them.

After looking through so many different images, I decided to save my favourite ones, and take different elements from them to create my own, original drawing. It sounds difficult, but it was really easy! Ok, I'm kidding. It actually took me all afternoon to draw, and I didn't even finish it! By the time supper was almost ready, I still hadn't added many of the details, but I was happy with how it was looking. At the centre of my garden was a section of different coloured flowers arranged in the shape of a heart. At the back corner, I drew a sitting area with a canopy that was covered by flowered vines. Around the heart was a small section of grass, followed by a stone-paved walking path, which had another section of grass around it. This last section of grass, before the border of bushes and pines, had an area of stone-paved walking paths at each corner that lead out to the main lawn area. In the centre of the heart-shaped flower bed, I drew in a sundial. Even though it wasn't finished, my mom had already fallen in love with it and said she was going to hang it up when we got home. Whether she does actually love my artwork, or whether her opinions are biased, she loves hanging my and my sister's artwork, (she takes down one that's been hanging for over a year and changes it up with the new one). I do feel proud of many of the pieces I create, and it makes me proud to have them hanging.

"Hun, are you ready to come in for supper?" My mom had called me around 5:30 to let me know that supper was almost ready.

"I'm coming Mom. I can finish it another time. I still have quite a few elements to add."

"Are you sure? You look very concentrated, and I don't want to break it. You can always eat out here, you know that."

"I know, but it's ok. I'm not going to finish it today anyway. Plus, I think I should stop for the day and put it aside. The more I look at it, the more I wonder if I should change elements, even though I like it so far."

I know how weird that sounds. How can I say I'm happy with it but think about changing elements of it at the same time. Well, when drawing, painting, or even sketching, it's easy to look at it too much that you start to see things that you wonder if you should take out. They say an artists' work is never done, and from my own experience, I can tell you that it's true. I went up to my room to put my laptop, sketchbook and pencils away and cleaned up for supper. I have to say, I welcomed the break, and regretted not taking one sooner. It's just that once I start drawing and I get in a zone, it's hard for me to stop.

What better way to close-out what was a very relaxing day, than with a relaxing evening. After supper, I took the book I was currently reading and went to sit on the swing-bench for about an hour, before heading back inside to watch a bit of TV before bed. I was able to go the entire day without thinking about the story of the watch or wondering if it was true. I really hoped watching TV before bed would help keep my mind on something else. I was, and still am, well aware that thinking this much about a simple watch is a silly, and maybe even childish, thing to do. But how could I help it? I was curious and I have a very, over-active imagination sometimes. I remember when I was younger, I would come up with stories and tell them to my parents. Of course, not to hurt my feelings, they listened to each and every single one and told me how good they all were, but now that I'm older, I know they were probably just being nice and sparing my little feelings. I've always had an active imagination. Come to think of it, maybe I should be a novelist instead of a teacher! Maybe I could write on the side. But I know you're wondering if I'll ever test out the the watch. Well, keep reading, I promise you'll find out.