My Sanity

Chapter Three

Chapter 3

   I woke up the next morning, still curled up on the floor, fully clothed with my body aching all over. I looked around groggily; the room was still dark and there was no light coming in through the gaps in the curtains, I looked up at the clock on the wall that said it was five o’clock in the morning.

    I lay curled up in this position for a while just staring at nothing in particular.

    The walls were back up; the memories locked away again until the next time they managed to break free. I was safe from my own memories… at least for a while.

    I finally gathered myself and got off the floor, my joints popping as I stretched.

    Then I slowly made my way to the bathroom to take a bath and get ready for the day. As I turned on the taps and waited for the bathtub to fill up I suddenly remembered something, it was Saturday, and my parents will be visiting me today; oh joy.

    And with that bitter thought in my head, I climbed into the warm, welcoming bathtub and lay there for hours, thinking about nothing but how nice the warm water felt on my sore body.

******

    The morning sun was shining making the surface of the lake sparkle like it was made of millions of diamonds. I sat under the shade of the same willow tree Hector was sitting under just yesterday. I leaned against the trunk of the large tree sketching an image of the lake and the trees in the distance with my sketch book propped up on my lap. It was a simple drawing, drawn in pencil and shaded in the same grey pencil.

    Art was something I’ve always been good at. Even back in nursery when all the other kids would draw these simple pictures of houses made up of squares and triangles, I’d draw a house with much more detail.

    In year four or five we actually started learning drawing techniques, colouring techniques and so many other techniques I never even knew existed, I instantly grasped all these techniques and took them to heart. That was when I first started falling in love with art.

    Now I usually draw as a stress reliever.  My many sketch books are filled with various drawings depending on the mood I was in when I drew them. My drawings ranged from portraits to landscapes to random images that no one but me would understand. I haven’t made a painting ever since I moved to Sunshine due to the lack of canvas here, I know if I ask my parents they would get it for me, but I always try my best not to ask my parents for anything, especially lately.

    As I was drawing my concentration was broken by a loud cry of elation, it came from by the lake. I looked up to see Hector hugging a tall man with broad shoulders and bright blonde hair who had to bend down to hug Hector back.

    The man’s back was turned to me, but I saw Hector’s face over the man’s shoulder. He looked so happy, he was smiling from ear to ear, and I wondered who this person was.

    I sat watching those two out of curiosity, my pencil still poised over the paper.

    They hugged for a long time, Hector beaming the whole time.

    This man was the first guest I’ve ever seen Hector have. Hector finally let go of this mystery man and started laughing loudly.

    “My boy, you’re back! You’ve come to see me again!” Hector said loud enough for even me to hear. With this I guessed that maybe this man wasn’t that old, and I started thinking of him as a young boy.

    I couldn’t see Hector’s face anymore as this boy was much taller than Hector (even I at five foot five inches), am taller than Hector, and this boy looked to be much taller than me and he blocked my view of Hector, but I was pretty sure that Hector was still beaming.