20 " Paint and Crux"

"The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides."

-Audrey Hepburn

Sam POV

The stairs was long and snaking, it was a non ending road. My muscle screamed with exhaustion, veins bulged on my forehead as I fought to reach the room. My palm was soaked wet and curiosity filled my mind. I was well costumed with every room except for my dad's study room, I was never allowed to enter and I did try to enter it in various occasions but failed each time. I used to ask my Mom about the room and she would always warn me to stay away from it. I used to hear rumor from the maids about how the room was haunted but without any solid evidence, it was groundless.

It was nerve wrecking when I turned the door knob, the room was spacious with a chandelier hanging from its center, and the walls was plastered with paintings. There were tons of books filling up those shelves. Unlike those usual study rooms, my father had no work table; instead there was a big portrait of my aunt hanging just below the chandelier. The chandelier perfectly accentuated her curves and big eyes; it brought the portrait back to life as if she was smiling lovingly at me.

My aunt meant everything for my dad, after she went missing, my Dad became more aloof. From what i heard, she was pregnant before she went missing but there was no information on the child's father and the child. My dad used to call her, "Ophelia" and she meant everything to him. I was told once that he has buried all her paintings in this room. Ophelia really liked painting and she used to paint a lot.Every painting was bright and alive; one could really feel it speaking and expressing. The painting was really peculiar; it had the painting of a girl where she was portrayed differently in each painting. Some were happy while others were gloomy.

The fabrics felt smooth, they were curved yet sharply defined; they seemed to be stable yet tumbling at the same time. Every color was bold and painted with precise lines that it almost looked like a mosaic. The painting was placed sequentially; my hand went through the first painting. It was sad with those blank persona surrounding the painting. Her emotions were raw and couldn't be easily hidden on her innocent face. Her pain was obvious in the crease of her lovely brows and the down-curve lips. Her eyes showed her soul and it shouted to be released. The painting felt unloved and isolated, it was really sad to see it.

As I moved on to the second, the painting became a bit brighter but confusing. Her eyes spoke of happiness and bitter, her tear feel freely on her rosy cheek and her rosy lips was raised to form a perfect upward crescent. The pitch black had a tint of brightness added to her and that accentuated her mood more. It was really intriguing but I couldn't decipher what she wanted to express.

The third was more pleasing to the eyes, it was bright and youthful and it gave one a pleasing effect. It was obvious that she was in love; she was all smiles and grace. The peach flower fell gracefully from the tree and underneath that tree there stood a girl who was deep in love and a boy ready to submit to her. Her flowery dress perfectly complemented the peach flower and his gaze highlighted the scene. Their finger was a puzzle fitting ideally to one another. Hands clasped tightly, they seems to heed over heel for one another.

Those painting were indeed a master piece; everything tangled and relating to one another. I moved on to the last painting and I could say that it was the most beautiful . The stream was tranquil, glowing with every sun rays reflecting on it. The two lovers sat along the stream, her head on his shoulder and his hand placed on her. Her baby bumps was prominent as well as those motherly smile. She looked mature and older, her hair tied behind in a pony tail, she placed her hands on her tummy. He was very handsome too, with those beautiful dark eyes gazing on her; he seemed content with his life. His hand wrapped securely around her shoulder, it was a picturesque.

There nothing suspicious about the room; it was just filled with memories . I really wondered whether Joseph lied to me about the information.Even if I felt everything was okay, I decided to search the room once again. After half an hour, the search was futile, I was about to leave when accidentally my elbow bumped onto the last painting.

The golden rimmed frame fell with a loud thud and the glass shattered. I crouched down to clean the mess and that's when I notice something. Right at the corner of the painting, there was a bulge which could go unnoticed if not observed carefully. I turned it upside down and ripped that bulged part. There was a small drawer key which seemed to fit perfectly to the drawer nearby. I shifted my posture towards the drawer and with the click the drawer opened.

The envelope was tightly sealed with a seal; the letter "S" was prominent as it stood among the fiery balls of fire and lair of veins. It screamed of rich and affluent. A sheets of paper was inside, it seemed to be a will. I went through every page and the only information I could get was it was a share transfer document. It seemed as if the will maker wanted to share everything with his heir. The print on the company name was faint so it was difficult to decipher it. The last page was empty as if it was waiting for someone to seal it. The odd thing about the painting was that there was no signature of the heir.I flipped the envelope upside down that's when an A3 sized picture fell from it.

His brown eyes would be the first thing you could ever notice, it was sweet and enticing. His faced was flushed pink with milk spots which obscured his handsome face. His lips were curved up to give a toothless smile. His hands were tightly curled onto his blanket; he looked innocent and vulnerable. He was indeed the creator's most precious gift. A note was written behind the picture and it read, "

Dear Jack

Love is but a transient feeling, and this feeling would fade with time and with one's mood. If your so called loved one leaves you, be patient, time will wash away you aches and sadness. Don't over exaggerate the beauty and sweetness of love, and don't over exaggerate the sadness of falling out of love. My son, you are the reason of our being, you are the most beautiful thats has happen to us. But my darling, forgive us for leaving you for we are faced with difficult circumstances. No matter what happens just remember that we will always love you and we promise that we will come back for you soon.

Love

Ma and Pa"

The letter had no address and the whole thing was anonymous. I held the picture closer to see whether there was anything which could point out some hint. There was one thing which kept me going in circles. It was absolute that he was my cousin, those lips and eyes resembled my aunt. But I couldn't workout the possibilities of who could be the father and not only that the name "Jack" felt familiar too. I pondered for a while trying to fix every hint that I could get that's when it clicked me.

The door was shut tight not allowing a speck of dust to enter. I wondered if I would be allowed after all that ruckus I caused the previous day. After some hesitation, I rang the bell. The bell rang for the fifth time yet there was no response. I considered the possibilities to break in without invitation but as soon as I heard the door opening, I threw the idea away.

His eyes swollen, lip cut and face bruised, he looked grotesque. i felt sorry for his state but i couldn't hold my anger at that time; his arms wrapping her and her loving gaze directing to him was too much.I helped myself inside and sat comfortably on his sofa as if we were best of buddies. He sat right opposite to me looking straight at me as I shifted uncomfortably and continuing to act as if I wasn't the one to cause all his bruises. There was a stretch of silence cut short by the sound of door bell, with an unstable stature he tried to get up from the seat. He looked pitiful and in loads of pain, I ushered him that I would get the door and headed out.

There was no one outside; I looked in every direction but there was no one in sight. I was about to close the door when I saw an envelope placed on the door mat. Carrying that envelop I headed inside, after handing out to him, I walked towards the kitchen so that I would help myself to cup of coffee. His kitchen was spacious and well designed. With a grayish wall and checkered tiles, it looked archetypal and royal. The shelf was in built, the fridge was brand new and everything screamed expensive. The room was well ventilated, it was clean and safe. His shelf was every rich, his upper shelf impregnated with oats, cereal, packets of ramen, and crackers, and the lower half with necessary utensils.

The kettle hissed incessantly, reminding me of the coffee. Placing a cup right by its side, I was about to pour the coffee when a large thud disturbed my action. I left everything behind and went to where the sound came from. The comfy sofa which was well maintained a while before was disorientated, tables flipped up and magazine sprawled everywhere, it was a hell of a mess. Jack was sitting near the sofa cursing every cuss that he could remember. I held his shoulder to calm him , he handed me the envelope and that's when it turned me serious.

She was all tied up, her eyes droopy and clothes tattered, she looked pitiable. Those blue bruise was clearly visible on her fair skin, her hair was matted with blood and she was unconscious. I was enraged to see her in this state and I mentally promised to hurt that person thousand times more than what he did to her. A piece of message fell down from the envelope and it stated, "Hand me what is mine and I shall bless you with what's yours".

I turned towards Jack and he turned towards me, we were both confused because we knew nothing of the precious thing that person was stating. I scanned the picture again so that I could get any hint which could route me to her but everything was done clean and dirt free. I checked the envelope in and it had that seal which was on that will paper.

It ticked me; I placed the picture on the table and walked towards Jack. He hissed a little trying to sit straight; I asked him to think thoroughly whether he had any enemy because I could make out that this work was never of my enemies since they don't have any idea on Elisa. He was ignorant to every question I asked him and we were back to square one again. I placed the picture of the infant and my aunt in front of him because something in me believed that there was some connection with the kidnapping. He held the picture in his hand and his expression changed from serious to surprise and I knew there was more into what I was seeing.