Beneath a Painted Sky (Short Story)

A child's day after school.

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Beneath a Painted Sky

My house is far on foot, so when I return from school, I go to my grandparents' house. I, my brother, and cousins gather there until our parents come to pick us up. We talk, play and sometimes we prank our grandmother.

Most days, only grandmother is at home with us. My aunt has her religious studies and my uncle goes to work. My grandfather is always out, and I never asked where he was. I would later learn that my grandfather used to spend these days chatting with his old buddies, he never stopped that since he lost his job.

I wouldn't know how amazing my grandparents were while they were alive.

To the fourth grader me, my grandmother was always too strict, and my grandfather was always away. That's the me who never thought about others or the future.

That day, my brother and cousins played with each other a game I don't enjoy. I took my pencil and cut a page from my notebook to draw on. I always enjoyed drawing. I thought I was good at it. It was before I saw any professional art to send my confidence down a whirlpool.

I drew a bird flying. Drawing birds was easy. A big dot. Two lines flow from it. Make it thicker. Add a line for the tail.

Proudly, I added the Sun and a few other birds. Why not add a cloud on the right and the left? ...Yes. The masterpiece is complete.

I returned the notebook and paper to my bag. I wanted to cut another page from the notebook, but I can't remove too much of it. My parents would grill my bones if I asked for another notebook so soon. One per day. I secretly promised myself that.

Bored, I glanced at my fellow children. They're still playing. I secretly wanted to join in, but they would mock me for refusing at first. So, I decided to climb up the stairs and see what I could do on the top floor.

When I reached the top floor, I saw my uncle. I froze. He always shouts at me for playing loudly. Every hair on my skin screamed, 'I screwed up!' I shut my eyes waiting for his scolding.

My uncle passed me without saying anything and went to do his own thing. I felt relieved. I moved to the center of the top floor. The sun was covered by a small cloud, so I lay down and stared at the sky.

'My parents are late...'

'I'll miss the next episode...'

'That could looks funny!...'

'I should do my homework before going home...'

Thoughts about home, school, and my hobbies swirled in my mind. I didn't like school, but I obey my parents and go to it every day. I make sure to finish my homework, and teachers praise me for it. It makes me happy. I cared more about my masterpieces and TV shows though. They make me happier.

A plane moved across the sky, its sound is soothing, and I followed it with my eyes until--

"Hey, why are you sleeping on the ground?"

My uncle's figure covered my view of the sky. I stuttered to find a reply, but my fear of him blocked my ability to speak.

"Is it fun?" He said, turning to look at the sky.

"Y- yes..." I sat up, prepared myself to go downstairs.

"You know, when I was your age, I was doing the same..."

I stared blankly at him. Normally, he'll scold me and say I'm not supposed to lie on the ground. My uncle scolded me for every tiny mistake I made that I instinctly fear him,

"Hey kid, you like the sky?" My uncle sat beside me, his tone was gentle.

"Yes... I- I like the clouds. I like planes."

"Heh, did I tell you? I wanted to be a Pilot."

"A P- Pilot?" I didn't know much about my uncle. The only things I heard from him before are strict scolding, and complains about work.

"I used to draw planes on my textbooks all the time. What stupid boy I was." He chuckled. "Well, I'm still stupid, I still dream of having my own plane one day."

"You make art too? That's awesome!" I couldn't believe how similar we are. I never saw him take a pen before.

"No, I was stupid. You won't have time for these hobbies after graduating school." My uncle's tone became serious. "I didn't like school, I didn't study, and now I don't have a good job."

"I don't like school either... I don't want to work!" Why do we have to have jobs? It sounds unfair.

"Heh, you'll understand when you grow up. Your mother told me you have good grades so you won't end up like me." My uncle stood up. "Speaking about her, she's here."

He was right, I could hear the sound of my father's car's engine from here. He came to pick me up. As I stood up, my brother came to tell me "We have to go."

As I dragged my school bag, my mother holding my baby sister asked me about school. I answered, nothing unusual happened at the school. What happened in my grandparents' house was special, though.

"What did happen here?" She said, half surprised, half concerned.

"I finally know my uncle." I said, lightly pinching on the foot of my baby sister so I could enjoy her discomfort. I was a stupid boy too.

I didn't become friendly with my uncle. I still have that instinctive fear of him when I meet him, despite the many years I lived since then.

But when someone says my uncle's name, I'm proud that this memory, is the first thing that comes to my mind.

The End

Author Notes

This was my entry to Dreemport's Word-of-the-Week S3 R2 The prompt: "Painted Skies." I wish the story had more to do with the prompt, but I like the result.

I based this on my childhood, it was supposed to be non-fiction until this story's characters started behaving on their own. The main character is based on me, though. The uncle is completely fictional, though.

What do you think?

I hope this was a good read for you. If you're new to my content, please check out my "Where to Start?" article. I draw art too, if you'd like me to draw something for you read this and comment below.

As for now, I leave you with hopes to meet in another article.

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* 10% of this post's rewards is divided on @master-lamps, @eturnerx & @ackza as members of my Beneficiary Rotating List</sup>