The Parables

Iman - Precinct Nine

Iman - Precinct Nine

The early morning sun wakes me from my slumber. Bright rays of golden light slither under the doorway and creep up onto the bed towards my face, disturbing my sleep. Wincing in the light, I rub my eyes and sit up. Today is the day we finally arrive in The Commune. Sighing, I haul the duvet off my legs and climb off the bed. Picking my white shirt up off the floor, I slip it on, button it up and head out of my sleeping quarters and into the main area of the carriage.

Crossing over to the dining table, I sit down on the seat closest to the window and pull my painting across the table towards me. Corona has kept the basket of fruit, the knife, the plate and the glass of water where I left it, although judging by the amount of fruit there is in the basket now and there was to begin with, I am almost certain somebody has been eating out of it. That somebody is more than likely to be Alwyn.

Glancing at the painting, I touch it lightly to check it has fully dried then begin to create another batch of brown juice. Using a few drops of grapefruit juice, lemon juice, cranberry juice and blueberry juice, I mix it together to form a juice the colour of pecans. Using my finger, I carefully paint several tree trunks overlapping the horizon line on the picture, producing tall, strong trees. Once I've finished with the trunk, I take a lime and etch a small slit into its skin with the knife. Squeezing out the juice onto an empty space on the plate, I dab my finger into it then begin to create the leaves on the trees.

The greenery on the trees alone takes me a few minutes to do, the gentle strokes and tiny details needing to be carefully depicted else I could spoil everything. Then I would need to start over again and I would never have enough time to do that; my time in The Commune will be filled up with training slots scheduled at ridiculous hours for exhaustive lengths of time. So it looks like this painting for Hydee will be my last ever painting. Ever.

I swallow back a lump in my throat. Glancing out of the window, I gaze at the picturesque landscape erected from rolling hills and vast beds of lush green grass, pockets of blossoming flowers scattered here and there. Looking back to my painting, I check that the juice has dried before adding a little blackberry juice to the lime juice to create a darker green colour. Gingerly, I add tiny details to the leaves of the trees using the dark green juice, enhancing the features so it looks more realistic. I then do the same to the trunks, using a darker brown juice to add texture to the bark.

"You're up early."

Glancing up, I notice Corona standing in the doorway to her room, a satin gown draped over her shoulders, masking part of her black blouse and black pencil skirt.

I smile at her. "I wanted to finish this before we arrived," I explain, as she walks over to the table and sits down opposite me.

"It's looking good so far," Corona remarks, tipping her glasses as she peers at the picture. "I'd definitely buy that to go on one of my walls back home."

"Will I get any spare time during our time at The Commune?"

Corona nods. "Of course. You train with everyone each morning and then the afternoon slots are booked up with personal training time with your Tutors. So you'll have most afternoons free to do whatever you want."

"In that case, I'll try to paint something for you and Alwyn."

Corona smiles at me. "I'd like that. And I think Alwyn would too."

"Do you know if he's been eating out of the fruit basket?"

Corona sighs. "I told him not to," she grumbles. "Blimey, that man could eat for the country. There's nothing he wouldn't sink his teeth into."