Blood Circulation (or If I Had Your Name)

Chapter IV: Over a Barrel

"Such a whooping large painting," Laura said, eyes brimming with admiration for the portrait that was hung at the center of the museum. Its wooden frame, hand-carved most likely, speckled with simple numerous lines racing along its edges, though some areas seemed uneven. "Her face is half-hidden by a white shiny fan, but her eyes held the most life. The artist did such an amazing job with it. There's just too much yellow, she looks like she's becoming a zombie. Careful, Ray-Ray, or it'll get ya!"

"Does give her the dead look for sure, but from what I've read it's supposed to be on purpose. After all, captured in this portrait is a metaphor for the history of Indanaw," I said, my face was calm but I am so fucking hyped.

My nostrils can't deny the scent of history in the room, it held a commanding aura of mystery and curiosity. Or maybe it just stinks funny. In such a small museum such as this, with its oak-themed walls, thick red curtains, lights that coat the area in warm gold color, and numerous glass casings, one would get the general feeling of awe surrounded by many relics of the past. Not many understand its value sadly, since, I'd say, only a couple of people lingered here, Laura and me included.

"Oh?" said Laura, curiosity in her eyes. "Whaddaya mean, o wise Ray-Ray of the Museum?"

"Hal taught me some stuff 'bout interpreting paintings," I said matter-of-factly. I began, "There are different ways to interpret a painting, Laura. Keep in mind that these are just my opinions, maybe your thoughts might give another new meaning."

I continued, "The fan is most likely made of glass, the idea came to me from its shiny appearance. Perhaps the artist wanted to show that Indanaw held a fragile form of defense that can't protect its resources. Many years ago, our three neighboring islands, Nozul, Aysaias, and the recently formed island of Serie were visited by Erraren beyond the seas, Indanaw was no exception. The lady you see is what the artist depicts as Indanaw, and though her eyes reflect strength and fortitude, the yellowing of her skin shows she's still sick, which has not fully healed since they arrived."

I must've sounded cool, for Laura stood breathless at my explanation and turned to the painting again with scrutinizing eyes. No doubt my words left an entrancing effect on her, just as I planned.

"So awesome... So cool..." she said in whispers. Her eyes lit up once more, then turned to me, "Let me give this a try, this whole interpretin' schtick."

After what felt like a few moments of brainstorming, she began, "I like that glass bit so much, but what if the artist had another idea altogether for its meaning?" She made a scratching gesture at her chin, combing her imaginary beard while wearing an exaggerated look of deep thinking with puckered lips (she looked adorable too). "What if the fan represented the nobility? Nobles love their fans after all – and there are eight folds in the fan to represent the eight Houses. Glass may be fragile, but it is also transparent, and in some cases, it can be absolutely strong, just like the tempered glasses on our smartphones. What's more, when I took another look at the fan, my brain keeps giving me the idea that it was a shield in a way. The 'shiny fan' may mean that there is an invisible protector." She focused her eyes on the woman behind the fan, her eyes sparkling along with her smile. "Yellow is my favorite color; it just looks so... happy and sweet. I take it all back, perhaps the vibrant yellow color meant that because of the 'fan,' Indanaw can be happy and safe."

There it was again. I almost envied her for that, how she looked at the world differently, her interpretation different from mine. It was her heart that first attracted me to her, a fuzzy light of sorts, soft and pure. These moments – calming moments, I'd like to add – are the things I look forward to the most, especially when I just took a few photos of her using my smartphone and was rewarded by a playful "Hey!" from her. In one of the photos, I captured her with her tongue out.