Golden

Ten Days ago, Ryu was in the cabin assigned to him. Hot melting glass reflected the faint dawn light and absorbing it as it solidified. Sweaty strands of his jet black hair stuck to his forehead.

He took a big breath after placing flames of glass around the constructed stained glass. It added the flare, hid the base full of metal sticks that gave the statue its steadiness. A work of stained glass that wasn't a window needed a good base for stability that affected the presentation of it all, especially for a large piece like his. But if anything the grayness of the metal seeped slightly into the color of the flames, and while he walked around the piece the color of the flames changed pleasantly.

'Well, only few touches left. I should be good with the time I have left. Oh right, I have a brush cleaning duty today.' He thought while hydrating.

As some students came to the school he was already about to head to his next task. It was the third time he got assigned a brush cleaning duty, not that he cared much. Maybe it was because he didn’t submit to the youth paining competition and poured all his effort into the auction instead.

The sunlight reflected on the empty spot in the teal color palette in Sami’s hand. The sharp light blinded Ryu’s eye for a moment when he entered the almost empty classroom. He took the used brush and exited silently as he entered. He was too lost in his own thoughts about his art piece to register the two classmates.

Oliver raised an eyebrow, waved to Sami and excused himself to go follow Ryu. Sami went back to his almost complete portrait of a dainty family, unsatisfied he let out a sigh, aimlessly mixing colors with his brush.

“Hey, isn’t this the second time you had a brush cleaning duty this week?” Oliver almost whispered, still walking behind Ryu.

“Third.” Ryu corrected nonchalantly.

“You can’t let Andre continue that, you should tell someone!” He was now walking next to him in the hall leading to the maintenance room. “He can’t act like this just because you didn’t join the competition.”

“That’s gonna set him on flames even more,” Ryu shrugged. Oliver found his coldness borderline disrespectful to the advisor, which cooled him down a notch. “Just focus on your work. Every grade is checked by the committee so he can’t screw our grades up.”

“And? We hold on until we somehow graduate? Almost half our patch quit or changed major.” Oliver reasoned further, Ryu was listening until the next sentience was said. “Even if we stayed good and were truly passionate about painting and enormously talented he gonna burn us out like he’s doing with Sami!”

A small thud echoed when Ryu placed the bucket of brushes on the counter.

“It’s seven in the morning.” Ryu gave a cold, annoyed glance before starting his task.

Oliver stood there silent for couple seconds, he wasn’t close with him but he came to distinguish between his resting face that seemed mean and his actual annoyed face. But the class president wasn’t afraid of a little awkward moment. So he pushed.

“So?”

“I don’t like chatting first thing in the morning,” He placed a cleaned brush to dry and grabbed the next. “Plus seeing clean brushes before eight test Ander patience, so let me finish on time.”

“You’re walking on thin ice, brother.” Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’m lightweight.” Ryu shrugged confidently.

They stayed in the morning silence before students came and the academy was officially awake. That’s until Oliver remembered something Sami told him, finding a chance to strike a conversation again.

"Is it true that there were only 6 men in y'all village in the countryside?" Oliver asked.

Ryu counted with his eyes for an instance.

"More or less."

"Oh wow, so is it weird for y'all here in the city?"

Ryu just shook his head. He almost told him that he used to go to the near village where more men lived but that was too many words, too early in the day.

Ryu placed the clean brushes in tray with a rack on top to hold every brush up right, while they dry he turned to the small detail brushes.

Oliver attention shifted to the ivory artificial limb peeking above the silly egg patterned socks.

"Can I ask when did you get these?" Oliver's chatty causal tone shifted.

Ryu stared worryingly at Oliver's healthy foot in his sandals.

"Not me dude, my sister is getting the surgery soon, she is eight."

His tone flickered for a moment when he mentioned her age, too small for a major surgery.

"Walking will hurt in the first ten days or so, if you avoid any infection it will be fine, doctors will do the maintenance in the first year but then she will have to do it on her own. It's early for that though."

He spoke as he cleaned the brushes as if he is talking to himself. Eyes focusing on the task.

"That's all?"

He asked with some regained relief.

Ryu scraped off a stubborn piece of dry paint with his thumb, recollecting information from a long time.

"Pain at night common in the first year or so." He looked up the sink.

"Oh, gotta stock up on cough syrup then."

"It won't work. The anesthesia for these surgeries are so strong that sedatives and cough syrup doesn't work"

"Forever?"

"My doctor said a decade or two, even alcohol doesn't have any effects for some people."

"So you don't get drunk?"

"Dunno, never tried it."

"Really?"

"Why you are here anyway?" Ryu realized he was stuck with a chatty person.

“Can you please give Sami a pep talk? He could use some indifference like you. I know I know, this a competition and he’s already above you in the honor list. Think about it as a virtuous act.”

“No.”

“He’s having a hard time. I fear he will snap.”

“He’s always a hard time.” The usually even voice raised ever so slightly before Ryu held his nerves back to normal.

The vibration accompanying the change in color of the bar on top of the door caught him off, indicating the start of the school day.

"Well, that was convenient." Ryu said as he slipped out of the room.

"Ah, see you later."

"Please don't. I don't want his friends near me."

"Nah, you’re petty but I came to like you. Let's hang out another time."

Unlike Oliver Sami didn’t come to like the award ceremonies. No matter how many times he participated it always gave him a thick feeling of discomfort. Winning came with the self assured fact of robbing someone more deserving. And losing sucked naturally, magnified by his advisor sore look.

In the backside of the hall he fidgeted his fingers while feeling his stomach churning, standing there while others almost jogged back and forth. Many students participated in the preparations as means to get extra credit. Yamada had arranged for that.

“Sami, what are you doing here? Go set with the nominees, there’s snacks there.” The teacher stopped by him, carrying paper work as usual.

“Oh, sorry. I will go.”

The immediate apology threw the teacher off, but he just let out a small unblaming smile.

“You must be nervous. You can sit in the staff room, it’s empty,” He paused to catch the slight relaxation in his student. “Or you can slay the dragon and go have a tense chat with fellow nominees.” He joked, hoping it’ll land.

“I’ll take the staff room.” Sami chuckled, the smile made the confliction in his eyes all the clearer. He could look at the teacher in the eye. It wasn’t his responsibility, Yamada hadn’t thought him since last year yet there he was helping him.

He was glad Yamada’s attention shifted away to a student running in the hall.

“Hey! No running!”

“The honor guests ran out of snacks.” Ryu told, not changing his pace.

“Oh! Just walk quickly.” He sighed.

Sami looked as Ryu came back with swift steps, talking to a colleague before moving to the next task nonchalantly.

‘Surely he doesn’t need extra credit.’ Sami thought about the honor student, below him in the top ten list.

“Andre ordered him to help.” Yamada answered the unasked question with a guilty shrug.

Their advisor wasn’t the one to yell and throw a fit. If one was to oppose his decision or orders they would be shunned and cut away to do menial tasks. Isolated in a corner.

Sami couldn’t comprehend the unbothered indifference his classmate possessed. If it were him he would be scared to Saturn and back. And maybe that was the reason he feels the way he does.

“You know kid. Confidence doesn’t solve problems, but it sure makes them easier. That’s easier said than done though.” The teacher once again replied to an unexpressed thought like he had a superpower before patting him on the shoulder and walking away.

He reflected on his teacher’s words, looking at his classmate. He was like knife metal, cold and sure. Compared to that he saw himself as a crumbly, easily melting metal. Like a lump of gold that need to be merged with another metal to hold its shape.

Later that afternoon big flowers covered the stage, top to ground.

Bunch of people in fancy clothes clapped as Sami got on stage, taking his award for winning the best young painter. He bowed for the crowd. His heart beat in his ears like angry drums. He was smiling and thanking and nodding to people he doesn't know in the award after party.

He looked at his advisor Andre, to see if there is a chance to leave early. Unfortunately he seemed in an important conversation with a noble lady, seemingly making another deal.

"Great news, Lady Amalita wants a portrait of her and her close friends. This party was worth it. "
The advisor said as they were walking out to the main street, bit far from the gate to the award ceremony. The sun was almost down, as well as his will, but he knew better than to object. At the end of the day he wasn’t strong enough for that choice.

But the advisor has already noted his roaming eyes.

"You are aware that your career has already started? If you don't get work now you will not get commissions after you graduate. You are golden. Don't waste your talent."

"...Yes teacher."

'He is right, everyone is fighting to sell their art. It's not the time to take a breather.' He reasoned with himself, guilt engulfed him for being tried after claiming the award.

In Paper Street, each villa had a dome or two. People used their engraved colorful bicycles instead of public magnetic transportation. The huge awnings that covers almost everywhere got pulled back automatically, making the evening sky is visible again.

He stood in front of the entrance of one villa, looking hesitant he walked up the cream stone stairs like it's the first time. He wasn’t sure if he should be living with the president of his previous orphanage now that were no orphanage no more.

He laid on the bed, lightly holding the trophy. The barrel-vaulted ceiling gave enough soothing to let him close his eyes.

The president called him down for dinner. They eat in peaceful silence. He was glad everyone else had a party to attend to, it would have been a slogging torture to get asked about the competition all dinner.

After dinner he reached to tidy the table, president took the plates in his reach.

“Can’t let the winner tidy up,” She smiled. “You look exhausted, go to slumber.”

He could only nod in the face of her understanding. And she watched his slightly slouching back as he walked upstairs.

“Just tell me kid. If anything is too much for you.”

He nodded as weakly as he climbed the stairs. He wasn’t sure if what he feels is too much. He’s feeling guilty for having her take care of him for this long. He’s feeling guilty for winning the award. He’s feeling guilty for thinking that the school work is too much while his other classmates are actually dealing with heavy loads of tasks.

He laid on the bed, almost injuring himself with the trophy on the blanket, pointy tip disguised in the folds of fabric. He forgot about it which became a new addition to the queue of guilt in his mind.

Deep in the night, Saturn shaped objects floated in the sky, passing the shining stars and what was left from the moon. He was wide awake. Sketching for a new painting, the sound of the pencil scrabbling resembled a muffled scream somehow, not that anyone can hear it.

'I wish... I wis-' The thoughts in head were sharply interrupted by an old paper scroll appearing out of thin air. He jumped backward, startled. The sketch book was thrown on the floor. Looking left and right as if he is in a strange place, but it was his room just like it was seconds ago.

The paper scroll opened, causing him to flinch. He walked closer to it with a shaky steps as if it will pounce on him any moment. Close enough yet not too close he read the text embedded in it.

~ Remaining points: 100

Instructions:
1- Be careful what you wish for.

2- To avoid calamities, please make sure your wish is as precise as possible. Note that a wish cannot be undone.

3- The more you desire something the more points it will cost.

4- A wish will not spawn for something you do not desire or being forced upon you.

5-Be careful what you wish for.
Enjoy! ~

"What is this? There is no way that's real." He whispered to himself, sweating.

~ It is. ~

A text appeared on the paper, he almost jumped again.

~ In case of unreadiness, please call another time. ~

"What is this?"

~ I am your wishes dashboard. ~

He sat on the bed, zoning out. Eyes travelling between the furniture and the streets in the window back to the furniture again. Then to his paint smudged nails.

His eyes landed on the sketch book, his focus came back. The memory of the last days in the atelier, painting class, competition. Everything blended in soup of thought.

He took a small, weak sigh.
"You know, sometimes I wish for it all to disappear."

The paper roll closed and started shaking in the air for a while. Eventually opening up again with a new text.

~ #Error 404

Wish too big. Points not enough.
As much art as possible will disappear with 100 points. ~


"No, no no no! That's not what I meant!" He almost yelled in panic, sweating, mouth dry.

The paper roll disappeared, and he fell on the ground.