GLASSCASE

Within the glasscase, a simple room with wooden flooring and walls was depicted. My eyes were caught by a cradle near the door, made of colored green and red abaca. A boy, probably three years old was asleep peacefully. 

I inspected other parts of the room. No bed, just neatly folded bedclothes and boxes. Some miniatures of hanged dresses also visible in the walls. 

I squinted to see a girl, maybe five years of age, sitting in the corner of the room, her sitting-height just as tall as the divan beside her. A blank far away look was visible in her face. But something at the back of my mind made me look closer. Replaced, was a frightened look, eyes directed to the cradle and a leg slightly bent forward as if taking a hesitant flight from her position. I followed her eyes, taking a closer look at the cradle. I saw a snake draped at the body of the sleeping boy. I was stunned and a story was conjured before my eyes…

The girl though frail was up with speed and snatched the sleeping boy from the cradle. Shaking, protective arms fiercely enclosed the body of the boy. She stumbled to the three-flight stairs causing the boy to shriek very loud, reaching the ears of their parents and some neighbors that were in the yard. 

All at once they arrived at the door. The mother cursing snatched the boy from the girl and slapped the girl’s bottom after securing the boy in her arms. 

I expected tears from the girl but only  a snobbish frown crossed her face, though shaking was still evident. 

Without any utterances, she ran at the back of the house, her father and some curious neighbors followed her. From her short pockets, she produced pebbles and desperately threw stones to the grasses while muttering incomprehensible words. Then a snake slithered towards the girl. 

Without fear she kept throwing pebbles despite the panic voices behind her. Just in time, her father lifted her up from the ground as one man struck the snake with bamboo killing it. 

A triumphant smile crossed the girl’s lips followed by a loud cry. After three heaving, the father let her down and the girl ran to her mother just a few steps away. She stood proudly in her feet with a triumphant look directed towards her mother. But a stern look was given back. 

The girl looked down, jumped to pat the hair of her brother and slowly walked towards the house and into the room. The mother called her thrice but the girl never looked back. She sat in her place where I first saw her and sank her face between her knees.

I found myself looking at the glasscase again. I looked carefully at its content specifically the space where I first saw the girl. 

In her feet just barely visible was a paper with stick figures in it – a curving line with an X sign in the middle and a circle with a downward arc inside it. A disgusted look from the girl was pointed at the paper. 

The electricity that ran down my spine made my eyes focus to the sleeping child. What I mistaken for a snake is just a green cord used to secure the child in the cradle.

            
A great artist, the one who made the artwork, to be able to deceive these keen eyes. A great artist indeed, to be able to let the imaginations of the viewer took over themselves just by looking at the artwork.

            
I felt a nudge to my shoulder. My companion told me that I was looking at the painting for too long. 

A painting? 

But before I can utter the question, he asked me what interests me in a room showing a sleeping child not even clear if a boy or a girl and with another child sitting across, obviously looking over the former and who’s entertaining herself by drawing something unclear in the paper in front of her.

Nothing really, I told him, just that I was fascinated with the construction of the pieces and the concept of enclosing them in a glasscase. 

“What glasscase? What pieces?”, he asked me. 

“That is a framed painting darling, are you already hungry?” 

Yeah right, and I looked at the artwork again. But another scene started playing before my eyes. I jumped back and hurriedly left the spot. 

“Yes darling, I’m definitely hungry for me to mistake a painting for a 3d object. Let’s eat, hurry”.

Glasscase… the word was retained in my mind. Until now, you see…