INSUPER :: ʟᴜᴄᴀs | ɴᴄᴛ [✓]

,FOURTEEN

FOURTEEN

two months later

johnny left the car keys on the shelf, as he walked towards the living room dragging his feet.
after entering the well saud room, he sat on one of the many sofas, grabbed the tv remote control and turned on the device, looking for a specific channel.

running his hand through his fluffy hair, the male found the show he was searching and made himself comfortable as his eyes intensively concentrated on the large screen.

«welcome everyone to the " so artsy! " show.
let's welcome our guest with a round of claps!»

the middle-aged interviewer exclaimed, as her eyes scanned the lively crowd, which filled the audience. the sound of their clapping hands filling the large studio.

once the camera went back to the stage where she and johnny sat, the female took some papers from the small glass table placed in front of her and smiled at the man who sat in front of her.

«so johnny, your management has recently communicated to the press that you have an announcement for your fans. am i wrong?»

she wondered, trying to make the artist feel as comfortable as possible.

«huh... yes, you're not wrong. i actually have an important thing to say to all my supporters.

trust me when i say that i thought a lot about my future and my career. thanks to my management and lion's art gallery i was able to display my talent and meet many wonderful people.
i have to admit that this has been an unforgettable and amazing experience, but...

but i've come to the conclusion that it's time for me to retire from the art scene-»

loud gasps were heard after the young man confessed his painful choice and the fan's faces showed pure surprise and sadness at the same time.
no one wanted to believe its ears,
everyone wished this was one of the artist's realistic, yet annoying pranks. but unfortunately for them, it wasn't.

«you probably won't agree with my decision, but it's better if i stop painting.
you may laugh at me for saying this, but my works can be really dangerous if care it's not taken...»

he continued saying, laughing bitterly.

seeing the disappointment in people's eyes hurt him a bit: leaving them down was the last thing he wanted to do, although he had no other choice.

he truly was sorry.

johnny attentively stared at his figure on the tv's display, while biting his lower lip as he finally decided to turn off everything.

heavily sighing, the young man stood up heading to his collection room with a slow pace.
he opened the door and quickly looked at his surroundings noticing that everything was in perfect condition, just as he left it.

"the fixing paint really worked" he thought, as his eyes landed on the only large canvas covered by a white cloth.

he approached it and removed the covering, only to meet the imponent image of his characters drew on the rectangular shaped spaces: they all had smiley faces, while chilling with one another.
their features perfectly representing the beauty of their souls, in an era that doesn't seem to exist, in a place that nobody knows.

no nobles, no angry citizens.
no deaths, no revenge.
no riches, no poverty.

this was a whole new level of art even tho it wasn't living

and johnny saw that it was good.

«you seem to have a great time there, guys.»

he whispered to the representation, smiling bitterly.

the former artist then took the painting and took it to the center of the room, where a special installation was set specifically for it.
under the tool, written in gold, was the name of the work and the year in which it was finished.

" INSUPER — 2019 "

he fixed the canvas, making sure not to damage it in any way and slowly stepped back just to take a better look at it.

hot tears started forming at the corner of his dark eyes, his lips pursed tightly and his trembling hands hid in his pants' pockets.
johnny repetitively shook his head trying hard not to cry, while his cheeks became red and his breath heavier.

at the end he had the courage to raise his gaze and stare at his last work

«you're so beautiful...»

he confessed, chuckling right after realizing that he was basically praising himself.

he sighed again, carefully caressing the painting and looking fondly each and every one's face of the characters.
he was happy with the choice he made, proud of himself.
although that wouldn't stop him from feeling lonely and a bit regretful: he lost his friends after all.

but he was an hopeful person and he knew that things were surely going to be fine from that moment

«and i will always keep a part of you, in me.»

THE END

» next: EPILOGUE
[ available on 2019/02/14 ]