The Canvas, Part IV

The two children felt it first in their fingertips, as if they were being sucked into a black hole. As they watched their fingers being stretched towards the canvas, they began to feel the pull throughout their arms, then their shoulders, then their heads…

Before either could muster a word, they were jerked wholly into a vortex of spinning colors and swirls, their bodies freely floating through a tunnel of energy and light. Emerson felt the bubbles and swirls engulf her, passing through her as if she were only a spirit. She had only dreamt about this sort of thing in her imagination—her emotion was of pure joy for it seemed like ten minutes.

Shortly after Emerson had taken careful mental notes about what the experience was like (to write it down later), Riley grabbed her hand, his body starting to disappear from the tunnel inch by inch. Looking down, Emerson realized that her feet weren’t visible anymore, yet she could feel a surface beneath them. Slowly, Riley and Emerson’s bodies disintegrated until they were only floating heads in the twisting and warping tunnel.

The kids looked around the new place with wonder and amazement in their eyes. Emerson’s grin could’ve lit up the sky, yet Riley’s expression was of pure confusion.

“Some hallucination,” Riley said with a smirk on his face, “How did you do that, anyway?”

“I’m pretty sure this is real, Riley,” Emerson said as she looked around at the lime green grass, purple river, and pink sky. “If I’m not mistaken-“

“-we’re in a dream!” Riley interrupted.

“That’s not what I was saying. If I’m not mistaken, we’re in the canvas. We’re in our painting. We created this place!”

“Well that’s flat out illogical. Irrational. Impossible!”

Just as Riley said the three formidable words, a boisterous tik resonated throughout the sky. The two looked up to see the giant purple clock that Riley had painted on the canvas, its hands rotating counterclockwise.

“Well that clock seems to be going backwards. How nice!” Emerson said, pleased with the fact that there is no such thing as wasting time when time is moving in the opposite direction. I must only be getting younger, she thought to herself and smiled.

Deep in her own thoughts and looking at the world she had created, Emerson started to wander off in search of the blue tree that she painted. She never had more of a desire to climb a tree, for she wanted to see her world from up above.

“Hey, wait up!” Riley exclaimed as he took Emerson’s lead. She slowed down, took off her shoes and socks, and sunk her bare feet into the soft, fuzzy grass. Just as Riley began to do the same, Emerson was already off and running through the endless field, her hair and dress fluttering in the warm wind. Riley chased after her until they were out of breath, clutching their knees and laughing hysterically. The two of them were overcome with laughter, although neither of them knew what had made them laugh to begin with.

After catching their breath and forcing themselves to quit laughing, the two of them stood smiling at each other, giggling here and there when they couldn’t control it.