The Golden Apple

Six - Jake

Magnolia and I didn't do much during the week. Sure, we talked a lot more and did a few little activities, but that's all, really.

Three days ago, Magnolia managed to find one of her father's old undershirts for me to wear instead of having me in only pants. It was a little loose fitting, but I liked being able to move around in it. It was a little hot in her room as well. Layers were not an option.

We did lots of painting today. I must admit Magnolia is quite the artist. She likes to paint random objects in her room and sometimes trees. I tried drawing a tree on a piece of scrap paper, but it looked more like a scratchy circle perched on top of a stick. Magnolia chuckled at my work and took the ink pen from me. She taught me the proper way to draw plants for a whole half an hour. I didn't get any better at it, but it was worth a few tries.

Later she decided to paint a portrait of my boots sitting side by side on her low dresser. Our conversation was interesting as usual.

"I took your boots," she had told me. "They are on the dresser."

"Why?"

Magnolia smiled. "Because I want to paint them."

I lifted my boots from their spot on the ground and held them up, levelling with her eyes. "I think the boots are already brown for a reason, Magnolia."

"No no!" she insisted. "I want to paint a picture of them, Jake! Gosh, you are so silly."

She opened her dresser drawer. In her hand was a woven basket full of little clay jars and wooden paintbrushes. She set the basket on my lap before going back to the drawer.

"So what am I, your little basket holder?" I asked.

"Temporarily," Magnolia replied as she pulled out a white-coloured board and set it up against the basket on my lap. The jars clinked and rattled together briefly in the basket.

I squirmed a little in my seat on her bed. She took my boots back and turned them to the right on her side table. I coughed and picked up the basket, setting it next to me on the bed. I started to examine the board she had given me.

"So what is this?" I asked curiously. "It's really wide."

Magnolia picked up the basket off the bed. "It is quite common in this town, but rare in Alandia," she explained. "It is used for art. You paint on it."

"Does this painting board have a name?" I asked while holding it out in front of me.

Magnolia opened a jar. I noticed it was a jar of black paint. "If I remember correctly, my father said it is called a canvas."

"Wow," I replied. "Never heard of such a thing."

"Really? It sounds like you have never heard of anything in this town. I would assume that you've seen canvases being sold at a booth," Magnolia stated.

I glared at her. "Well I haven't."

"Well they are new I guess," she went on. "Although I am surprised you hadn't heard of me until now. I take you haven't been attending city gatherings?"

I shook my head. "I haven't always lived in Urbem, you know," I muttered. She was becoming irritable again.

"I see," she replied. "Where have you lived other than Urbem? Alandia?"

"Yeah, I hid out in Alandia for a couple years," I said. "I built a little shack outside the front gates. Any time I needed food or certain resources I would steal from the Alandians."

"Huh," she spoke, a little bit of annoyance present in her tone. I guess she didn't like my response. The Alandians are sort of poor, and I shouldn't have be stealing from them.