They say when an artist dies, God welcomes them with open arms, and allows them to paint the sunset as their last mark on the world. I was always fascinated with that story, and it compelled me to become interested in art from a very young age. Ever since I was five I’ve always loved to paint, and draw.
As I was walking home one day, I stopped on an old, wooden bridge and stared at the sunset. Whoever had died today, was a beautiful painter. I set my sketchbook inside my satchel, staring at the sun as it set behind the horizon. That was the last thing I ever saw..
When I came to, my body was sore, and the area around me was an intensely bright, yet relaxing white. I scanned the area, trying to figure out just where I had ended up. The only thought that played through my mind was the sunset before blacking out. Standing up, I walked around the seemingly endless plain. I hadn’t been paying much attention to what I was walking on, until I fell and landed face first in it. I winced, expecting pain to circulate through my head, but instead it was like meeting a pillow. Huh.
“Where am I??” I pondered loudly, feeling the fluffy substance between my hands. I decided I should look up, and I met the eyes of a gentle soul.
“Hello my child.” It spoke quietly
“Um, hello. My name is Lumina. Where am I?”
“Ah, well child, you are in Heaven. It is nearly sunset. I have brought you here so you may paint the sky tonight.”
“Paint the…. A-Am I dead?”
“Yes, child. You have passed from the mortal realm, but here you will be allowed to be free and enjoy yourself here until you choose to be reborn.”
“Oh, well, alright…” I looked at my right hand, a paintbrush had materialized in it. I gripped the brush firmly. I couldn’t be dreaming, this was all too real.
“Are you God?”
“Yes, I am child.”
That was all I needed.
I began to search for the colors I needed, and they seemed to appear from nowhere. Instinctively I began to mix paints, splatter them over the clouds, combine colors to get the right shades and eventually, I finished. I took a step back, smiling as the sunset I had created, was my mark on the world I once resided in,
Then I woke up, I was staring at a fluorescent hospital light. I felt the IV’s in my arms, and my body ached horribly. I immediately took action, and before any nurses could attempt to stop me, I got up, unhooked some of the monitors I was on, and I shuffled to the window weakly. The sunset I saw brought me to tears, as I stared at my own creation. My knees gave up, and I slowly slid down the small metal pole that held the saline bags that were trickling into my veins and wept as I watched my creation begin to set.
