AUTHOR: Samridhi
EDITOR: Shu
ARTIST: Nika
"These sketches appear to be tampered with," he said, carefully examining the journal. A dull, grey shadow of the window pane fell on my bare arms as the warmth of the early sunshine brought relief back to me.
Jai slammed the book shut and looked up at me. "Who did you give these to?"
"Trishala," I replied, setting my feet on the centre-table. "I assumed she'd particularly grow fond of the stallion I drew."
"However," he murmured, holding the paper closer to the window. "There's a mark—a red circle around the hindlegs." For a very brief second, my eyes landed upon the mark. The evening’s scene played in my head, the mark of that expensive pen I had bought for her, though it was her nonchalance that deemed the gift rather useless.
"'Too skinny,' she said," I confessed. “Her eyes have a knack for detail.”
Jai tilted his head, scrutinizing the drawing as though it might reveal some hidden truth. "How ruthless! Surely you must have realized her apathy is nothing compared to the heights of her ego."
For a moment, I couldn’t help but hesitate. The stallion, though imperfect, was a symbol of the love I held for her. My fingers lingered over every detail—the arch of the neck, the rippling mane, the determination in its eyes. "I am quite far fetched from that view point," I admitted, my voice low. "But the longer I looked, the more I began to see them... the flaws. The legs do look frail, as if they’d struggle under the weight of the body."
His eyes darted back to the page, then returned to me, sharp and probing. "Then why give it to her? Why let her walk over your peace as if it ever meant anything to her?"
I shook my head, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. "I thought it better to let her see the effort, even if it wasn’t perfect. She said she’d frame it, you know."
A snicker of disbelief escaped him. "Frame it? Or hang it as an example of what not to do? Brother, I don’t see why you must let her maim you this way."
The words were healing, if not true. "I am simply wanting to catch her eye. To make sure I don’t die a lonesome death, just like our father." I conveyed, my gaze falling to the floor.
Setting the sketch down with deliberate care, his tone softened, "Our father was never a social animal. You, on the contrary, thrive in large gatherings." A victorious smile shined on his face as he said, “Do not assume I’m here to inflate your pride, dear brother. I was not brought to this world for that. To simply remind you of your true image, I shall be there.” With a jostle, he tore away the page of the drawing from the book and tossed it into the fireplace. “Go ahead, find a new inspiration and begin again.”
My eyes travelled around the hall, extracting the truth from his words. Although we share the same blood, I could never speak in circles like Jai. I picked up the book from the table to scroll through the other drawings when a thought struck me. “A walk in the garden could fix me.” I said as I rose from the chair. He strode towards the door but turned around suddenly and yelled, “Oh, before I forget: do not draw another stallion for her! She despises them!"
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