My Dear Ordinary Life

CHAPTER 5: THE WINTER PAINTING

At last, we landed back in the bathroom but remained small sized. It was reassuring to be back, even though I knew there was a faceless enemy to fight in my own house, though I wasn't exactly afraid, for I never confronted him. Really quick, the radar of the Carpet notified us of the presence of another figurine. This time, it was in the painting nailed to the wall of my bedroom. As we were on our way, Sporty showed his amazement for anything we passed by.

"Amazing. Amazing! I've missed so many things when I was trapped! Everything in the human world is so amazing!" he exclaimed with sparkling widening eyes. He was very much like a little child being enthusiastic about objects that an adult would see as common. And slowly, I was getting influenced by his way of seeing things.

"Comrades! Prepare yourselves for the cold!" the Carpet cheered, squirming so much that it caused Sporty and I to bounce in turns. Then he took back an alluring and serious voice saying: "Winter is coming."

Finally, we entered into the Painting. Of course, it wasn't like the real world, it remained a world of drawings: we could still see the brushstrokes. It was breathtaking, I owned this painting, but I never actually contemplated the details I could notice now. We saw there was civilization in the Painting unlike the Mirror, but it was freezing cold. It was nonetheless a sheer beautiful scenery all covered with snow, with the smoke of the little wooden houses arising to meet the little clouds of the heavy white sky. The little village was surrounded by trees dancing gracefully to the soft wind. The view was cozy and inviting, just like the season of Christmas and the atmosphere was wonderful.

Then, we saw, in the midst of the scenery, a sturdy-looking woman clothed in very warm attire facing us. She was watching forward in the distance with both hands clasped together pressed on her chest as if she were earnestly waiting for something to come. Her eyes were fierce and truthful like those of a winter wolf. We began to move our legs to walk in her direction but it was as if we were stuck in place: as if an invisible wall was blocking us.

"The more we seem to walk faster, the more she seems farther away. ...And why is it this cold?" I told my traveling companions.

"You're the one who bought this winter painting, John. Why in the world didn't you buy a summer or spring painting?!" the Carpet said.

"Do you really think it once crossed my mind that one fine day I'd find myself inside my own objects?"

I didn't find the strength to speak further because it seemed as my face was literally turning to ice, and my teeth were rattling so actively that I thought they would all fall out any minute. And remember, it was still summer in the normal world: my clothes were not appropriate for an excursion in a winter painting, not more than walking with flip-flops in the cold crisp snow! I painstakingly felt the weight of each step I was taking. Next to me, the Carpet was advancing very stiffly as hard as a cardboard. (Come to think of it, I wonder why it was walking rather than flying.) But I suddenly noticed Sporty's absence. Where was he gone again? The Carpet and I panicked and soon after, I saw him, behind us, excitedly playing in the snow, throwing it in the air, doing anything that could be done with snow. And when he caught us looking at him, he energetically shouted:

"Why don't you come and play with me? Stop pointlessly walking in place!"

When we went to him, we could suddenly walk normally. Then his hands stopped moving. He had a stunned expression on his face. From under the snow, he slowly took out a military badge.