Years 1-5
Year 1
This time, Philip walked through a different path, fetching water to his house. Usually, he would use the water in his home, but there were talks of the creek drying up or blocking. Plus, water in the big city is cheaper now, so why not grab it while it's affordable for them.
The path was new to him, both in navigation and in scenery. The fields were golden, full of rolling hills and dandelions blowing through occasionally. He felt a small pain, knowing that the picture would change for the worse without rain.
As Philip walked up a hill, he noticed he wasn't the only one here; more specifically, he wasn't the only one admiring the view. He looked to see a girl about his age scraping wood on paper as she was sketching something in her book. He couldn't tell what from where he was, but she had a calm expression about it as if it was as routine for her as one would brush their teeth.
However, to Philip, this was all just an odd sight and nothing more. The girl wasn't staring back at him, her eyes glued to the book. Plus, the buckets of water were getting heavier, so he picked up the pace, continuing onto the path.
Year 2
Philip walked back from work. After his education, he started working at the city factory. The pay was decent, which immensely helped his family a lot. The travel time, however, was more concerning, so Philip decided to try different paths every day and see which one was the fastest.
He looked at the grassy hills, which was the main thing he admired the year prior. The lack of rain showed itself, as the blades were smaller and slightly faded, but it was still a sight to behold.
Philip walked up the hill to see the girl he saw during that same time frame there, sketching. It was almost like she hadn't moved, but the different colors on her clothing indicated otherwise. This time, the girl made a passing glance at Philip before going back to her drawing.
Philip's curiosity was at its all-time highest, and he raised his hand, ready to call out to her, before swiftly putting it down. She seemed focused and busy, and he didn't want to bother her. So, he continued on his way.
One thing for sure, however, is by the time he made it back home, the sun was still up in the sky.
Year 3
Denise covered herself with another dress as her umbrella was ripped. She was consistently being pelted with raindrop after raindrop, yet she continued to sketch. Her new piece has vertical dashes.
She would have been used to the rain, but it rained especially hard today. She tried to use the droplet's rhythm as a calming ambient noise. Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter.
Suddenly, the pittering changed its tune as if it was hitting something. Moreover, she wasn't feeling anything hit her back anymore. She spun around, seeing Philip for the first time. Philip was holding an umbrella over her head. He was still getting soaked, so Denise quickly returned to the drawing and continued, determined to finish it as soon as possible.
The umbrella rested against the cabin doors as Denise and Philip relaxed on the porch, watching the rain fall, heavier drops forming as the water slid across the roof. Denise brought towels for both of them, and both were drying themselves off. She looked at the sketchbook. It was slightly wet, but it took the brunt very well. She noticed Philip glancing at her.
"Can I see?" He asked. Denise thought about it and decided to show Philip, her instinct forgetting that he would have been the first person to look at her drawings.
"Is that the sky?" He asked, and Denise smiled. She flipped through the pages, revealing the same sky over and over again. Some runners looked the same, but others showed noticeable changes. Even today, rain is included not only through the indicative lines but also in the environment. The grass and leaves drooped a bit, explaining an added weight to them. Philip wasn't an artist, but he could tell how visually and technically impressive they were.
Unfortunately for Philip, he didn't know how to communicate all that, so all that came out of his mouth was a resounding "Woah." Denise chuckled at his reaction, and he sheepishly smiled in response.
"You know," Denise pondered, staring at the rain. "You are the first person to ever see my drawings." She quickly turned to Philip with a worried look. "It's not weird, right?"
Philip grinned, "Nope, not at all. It looks great!"
"Thank you. I want to say that I am improving."
"Has it rained like this before,"
Denise started to think. "Well," she thought before hitting herself in the head in realization. She flipped through some of the pages in her book. "See here. Almost two years ago. Though, I do think today was the hardest it has ever rained in a while."
They continued their conversations until Philip looked at the sky, darkening and signaling the beginning.
"Well, I gotta go now," he finally said.
Denise's expression grew a bit somber, much to her surprise. "Aww, already?"
"Yeah," Philip responded, casually pointing in the direction of his house. "Well, I didn't tell my parents where I was going, and if they find me missing, a lot is going to happen. Not a good lot."
Denise nodded in understanding, grinning. "Fair enough."
"Do you have an umbrella?"
"I don't. Why?"
"Well, I might have to come tomorrow. You know? In case it rains?"
"Oh," Denise responded before her eyes widened. "Oh!"
Philip and Denise chuckled at the interaction before Philip waved goodbye. He picked up the umbrella, shaking any remaining drops, and ran toward his house. He quickly turned around back to the hills.
"Oh yeah! My name is Philip!"
"Hi, Philip! My name is Denise!"
Denise leaned back in her chair, looking at the sketches.
"Hmm…something is missing."
Year 4
Philip brought a basket today, as well as a cloth. He laid the fabric on the grassy hill, set the basket down, sat himself down, and patiently watched as Denise finished sketching for the day.
"So, what was new this time?" he asked her.
Denise showed today's sketch of the picture, pointing to several dashed lines in the sky.
"Birds?"
"Correct!" Denise replied, clapping her hands. "I got some birds flying in a V-shape. It has happened many times. But…" she trailed off, tapping each individual bird. "This number of birds hasn't happened before. From an art perspective, it's very uneven."
"Why not draw more?"
Denise and Philip sat down on the blanket, adjusting the corners wherever necessary. "Well…I could, but I don't want to make things up. I really want to write what occurs, no matter what."
Philip nodded in agreement before turning to the basket. "Well…no matter what, I want you to eat this sandwich. Made it myself."
Philip pulled out the bread slices with meat and vegetables in between, and Denise's eyes widened. Now she knew what Philip felt like when he first saw her drawings.
Likewise, Denise responded with a "Woah" as well.
Philip handed her a piece, and Denise took a big bite.
"Is so good!" she responded, her mouth full.
"Really?" Philip asked.
Year 5
"I got you something," Philip said, handing Denise a wrapped item.
"What is it?" She asked, setting her sketchbook aside.
"Well, I wouldn't have wrapped it up if I told you right away, right?"
"I suppose so," Denise chuckled, poking her pencil through the wrapping. She fully unwraps it, revealing a sketchbook. A rather expensive looking one, with some fancy engravings along with it.
"Yeah," Philip started. "I assume you burn through your sketchbooks, and it might get… never mind. Do you like it?"
"Wow!"
"Yeah, I know it is a little tacky, but-"
"No, it's delicious. I love it!"
Philip sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I just got my first paycheck and thought, "I might as well."
"You started to work?" Denise asked, flipping through the blank pages, her eyes sparkling in excitement.
"Yup, at a factory. Jobs were opening up due to war talks, especially on the production side of things. I decided to take the opportunity."
"There's rumors of a war?" Denise asked, her face changing tones to a more somber one. Philip quickly picked up on it.
"You know what, Denise. Forget about it. Sandwiches are getting cold."
As Philip walked towards Denise's house, she looked back up towards the sky. She felt a bit ominous, but her fears were quickly dissipated by Philip calling to her. With a smile, Denise made her way to Philip.
