Darkness Falls

Plot: CONTEST: Plot Background Story (DF) "Drive to Excel"

Every inch of Rally's canvas filled with excitement. Roiling waves detailed with three shades of blue, bluish gray to dark and light gray with a couple shades of offwhite and white as four paintbrushes (fan, flat, thin and thick rounds) juggled every imaginable detail, making the lower fourth of the canvas nearly float away.

A three-masted barque entered the canvas, windswept sheets of whites and grays as Rally pulls his coat close from the wind. Every little thing must be neatly placed, shaded for depth, and kneaded with as much sunlight as I can squeeze through the clouds on this stormy day, Rally thought. So much of this painting is gray. What can I do to lighten the mood? I know it's a storm, but can the clouds have portholes through which sunlight rays stream in all their glory?

"Amazing, Rally!" Dad exulted, walking through the door. "I can see the barque on the high seas, seaspray makes me dab my glasses, and I feel the wind blowing!"

"Thanks, Dad! You're my best cheerleader!" Rally smiled. "How can I make my painting more lifelike,...more...like...a photograph?"

"You may want to think about rest or a diversion soon," Dad encouraged. "You've been working on this for hours. You may be too close to the subject. Time away can help you see it better."

"But I'm so close to finishing," Rally insists. "Every wave has many shades of blue, gray, and white. I see threads of water running through them. The barque has browns, dark to tan. The sails are glowing with whites, offwhites, grays light and dark, and even yellows from the sunlight gilding the edges."

"Yes, yes, yes, Son. You've always been way beyond your years as a painter," Dad assured him, "but you're still a six-year-old boy. Even Hollywood child stars have limited work days. Child labor laws are on the books. Can't let my own son violate them in my own home. I'm trying to be nice. Will you take a break because I asked you to? Or do I need to make it more mandatory?"

"No, Sir, that's not necessary. I'll take a break." Rally put his brushes in the water glass and turned toward the door.

"You're a great artist, Rally," Dad blessed him. "You're the best I've ever seen, personally, but you still need your Daddy to step in when you're overdoing it. I hope you'll remember this when you're older, going easy on yourself. After all, 'Less is more' is a concept the poet, Robert Browning knew well, and two famous architects made more well known. Many breaks will take your art to greater heights. I'm proud of your skills, but please take care of my boy."

"I will," Rally smiled, bounding down the steps to play with Ruff. My best friend is my dog.