The Lucent Shadow (2)

For the day’s project, I told my students to look at liberation as a muse and by the end of the day, I had stacks of beautiful potraits.

When Marian placed her canvas in front of me, it was moody and gloomy as usual ,I wanted to just say

‘Put it with the rest' 

 But I could have sworn I saw a streak of light.

I looked at the painting and I was taken aback.
I am quite familiar with potraits of people crouching in an illuminated room with a silhouette figure lurking in the hallway or at the door but Marian's potrait had a figure in the dark that was illuminated by a shadow.

A lucent shadow

I saw the features of the face and a feminine figure crouched in the darkness with an awry smile all highlighed by the shadow.

‘How did you come up with this?’ 

I was amazed because her art was worthy of exhibition
She smirked and said

‘When I draw, I don’t want compliments, I don’t want nice things said in return. I just want people to look at the shit and be speechless” 

‘It is a spectacular painting' I said and continued with my work.

‘You don’t get it do you?’

‘Get what?’ I asked

‘I said no nice things and you just said spectacular. I don’t do spectacular, there are simply no words for my kind of art'

I heaved and looked up at her.

‘I think it is great when people compliment your art, no matter what you do there is always a word for it and I still think it is spectacular. It doesn’t hurt if you say thanks' 


I smiled and bent over to continue with my work.

She stood there for a while before she muttered a ‘Thank you’ then she dropped the potrait with the rest and left.

Marian lightened up after that day, she became more active and stepped up for projects. Her art didn’t change though but it bore a little ray of sunshine. She was a smart girl and I made her head the project we would exhibiting.


One day, it was just the two of us in the class and she helped me stack up the day’s project after I graded them. She roughly handled a canvas and the rough edge cut deep into her finger.

‘Ouch! Son of a bitch!’ she cursed loudly as she sucked on the finger.

‘What is it?’

I got up from my chair and made my way to where she was. it was a shallow cut and blood trickled through it.

‘I think I have a band aid somewhere' 

I searched my drawer for a mini first aid kit I kept around. I found it and extracted the band aid  from it which I used to wrap the cut.

‘That should do, be more careful next time' 

I looked up to meet her face close to mine, her eyes burning intensely into mine. I knew exactly what she was reaching for and before I could back a way, her soft wet lips came hungrily upon mine.

To be continued.