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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
PART 1
Ever wondered what it takes to create a masterpiece?
- Money
- Time
- Energy
- Creativity
Took your pick? Now hold on to your answer until you reach the very end.
I think it was somewhere around the age of 4 when I visited the Louvre Museum in Paris with papa for the very first time. He pointed towards Mona Lisa’s painting and said “Gabriel, Take a good look at the painting my son, ‘coz this is a masterpiece.”
I still remember the twinkle in his eyes when he said that.
“Papa, what is a masterpiece?” I asked.
“A masterpiece is something that is flawless….. something that is mesmerizing to the extent of making you think about it for a very long time.” With these words, he proceeded to stare at the weird picture of a lady, half smiling half frowning, who I didn’t find anything merely worth staring at and secretly wished I was in a zoo or park, instead.
Back then his words didn’t make much sense to me, yet the terms – masterpiece, flawless, mesmerizing – resonated and reverberated in my ears the entire evening.
As soon as we got back home, I rushed to Papa’s library and scanned the thick dictionary for their meaning.
Masterpiece (noun) – a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship
Flawless (adjective) – without any blemishes or imperfections; perfect
Mesmerizing (verb) – hold the attention of (someone) to the exclusion of all else or so as to transfix them
I read them over and over again until they were etched in my mind.
There are certain defining moments in your life that shape you. This was one such life changing moment for me wherein I decided I would grow up to create a masterpiece, even though I still wasn’t sure what it meant! My ambition was sealed instantly.
That night when I said this to Maman, she had a hearty laugh and dismissed my desire saying I was too young to make declarations about my future. I would grow up and forget this day. Kids often decide their careers and ambitions when young but once adults, life happens, they grow wiser, choose something easier or more suitable for their lives and give up on their childhood aspirations. Maman also added in a dreamy tone that she had wished to be a ballet dancer when she was 6 but grandpa had strongly protested against it and eventually Maman had to give up and became a nurse instead.
I went to bed promising myself that I shall not let that happen, I would remind myself every single day that my life’s solitary ambition was to create a masterpiece. I would create something the world had never seen before. I wasn’t sure how I was going to accomplish that but all I knew was that I would surely succeed.
My keen interest in Mona Lisa’s smile and my constant inquiry about it made Maman take me to the Louvre Museum quite often. I was roughly 6 when I started understanding the beauty of Mona Lisa’s mystic smile. I would gawk at it for hours and once back home, I would discuss it with papa over supper. Papa being an avid art connoisseur and holding a PhD. in Art History, had profound knowledge when it came to paintings, sculptures and the likes. His inclination towards Leonardo Da Vinci had drawn him to Paris from his birthplace Scotland. We often spoke about Mona Lisa as if she were amidst us, in person, a living breathing entity walking amongst us.
When I was enrolled in Kindergarten, I studied the A B Cs half heartedly. I rather enjoyed the painting classes than the usual dancing, singing, spelling or other activity classes. However, my teachers seldom appreciated my drawings and often coaxed me to be friendlier to my classmates. I didn’t find them intellectually challenging and so kept my distance. None of them knew who Mona Lisa was or had even heard of her. I found that entirely repulsive. Maman was worried Papa was spoiling me by forgetting that I was too young and treated me like an adult. On the contrary, Papa was worried that Maman treated me like a child and if he didn’t start inspiring me early, I would grow up to be a human being without any motivation or drive.
After school I would paint for hours in the attic, immersed in colors, painting whatever came to my mind. My fling with canvas, brushes, paints lasted briefly. One day my father’s ex-colleagues from a museum where he worked few years before, visited us. Papa boasted them about my paintings adding that I was working towards creating a masterpiece. They didn’t seem to be convinced. After supper, papa asked them to have a look at my work. I was nervous, it was the first time my work was going to be examined by a panel of experts. Soon after I heard them telling Papa that I lacked the much needed creativity for paintings or art. Papa defended me reasoning that I was only 8 and there was still a long way to go to which one of his friends replied ‘Morning shows the day. Forget about creating a masterpiece, this young lad should quit painting immediately and focus on education, instead.’
I got discouraged for quite a while. I sulked, frowned, stayed in a gloomy mood all the time until Maman decided it was time to put her foot down. After school, she took me to Bibliothèque François Mitterand, the biggest public library in Paris. Until that day my father’s personal library had seemed humongous to me, however, when I stood inside this place, my jaw dropped in awe. Maman issued a copy of “To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee” and placed it on my palms. I still remember what she said next. “Gabriel, a masterpiece isn’t just painted or sculpted, it can be written as well. Here in your hands lies a masterpiece in the world of literature. I am not sure if you will be able to appreciate it fully at this tender age of 10 but I do know for a fact that you won’t be able to put it down until you finish reading it.” That day I came face-to-face with Maman’s bibliophile side. She was a voracious reader and had acute knowledge when it came to the subject of books and literature. I recollected having seen her sitting popped up on bed at nighttime with a thick book in her hands, round spectacles perched atop her nose, reading by the night lamp. On the nights I couldn’t sleep, she read bed time stories to me.
In no time I was absorbed by the world of words. From ‘The Great Gatsby’ to ‘Anna Karenina’, from ‘Don Quixote’ to ‘Jane Eyre’, from ‘Mark Twain’ to ‘William Shakespeare’, from ‘George Orwell’ to ‘Rabindranath Tagore’; I read them all. The more I read, the more I was drawn into this mystical world of prose and poetry. I think I was 15 when I decided I was going to be an unforgettable writer, someone whose work would not only be published, read, remembered but would go on to break all charts, shatter all records. When I told this to Maman, she was happy as a lark. Hugging me tight she said “I know in my heart that you shall surely create your masterpiece, Gabby. You have all my blessings son.”
That day she baked me a Le Fraisier French Strawberry Cake. The taste still lingers in my mouth to this very day.
I set off pursuing my dream. I worked on my manuscript day and night for almost a year. I had saved my allowances for a very long time which allowed me to take a year off after school and before college. I trekked on foot all over Europe and wrote my first draft sitting atop the Kirkjufell mountain in Iceland. I tore that draft into pieces in Sintra, Portugal; I wrote my prologue in Santorini, Greece, watching the sun set over the blue waters and change the color of the city from whitewashed blue to dark blue. I did all sorts of petty jobs to earn my meal money. I led a frugal life while backpacking however it made me appreciate the importance of money and taught me the various means of earning it.
I wasn’t particularly a nature enthusiast but this journey amid picturesque views changed me forever in two major ways.
- I comprehended the intensity of mother nature. I realized that we and our problems were minuscule as compared to the grandiosity of the world.
- I met Aurora, my soulmate, in Italy.
If you like what you read please follow the blog’s official pages so that you never miss out a post. Pour your thoughts, perspectives about the story in comments below. Its extremely encouraging to get some feedback.
thanks abc thanks thanks article
Love it! Can’t wait to read the next part!
Thank you so much Sam for reading! The second and third part’s links are available on the blog.
Waiting for the next one 🙂 loved every bit of it..
Posted both the second and third part 🙂 Thank you so much for reading. It means a lot to me 🙂
Post soon..
Yes working on it ….
So beautifully narrated..very absorbing…waiting for the next part..God bless..keep on writing..
Am extremely happy to receive your feedback aunty 🙂
Can’t wait for part 2 .. post soon..
Working on it 😀 😀
Awesome 👌 waiting for part-2 👍
Thank you for reading 🙂 Will be posting soon..
This is such an inspiring writeup..takes me back to the innocence and wonder of childhood !!! Waiting for part 2..
I hope my second part lives upto the expectation 🙂 Keep reading dear friend 🙂
Masterpiece indeed !!!!!
I eagerly wait for your feedback….. 🙂
Incredible work…love to read the next part, would appreciate it more if u can put more elaboration about the mother nature.
Thanks a lot for reading and feedback too 🙂 Yes I will surely write more about mother nature in other stories, in this story “nature” had just a guest appearance 😉
Good one Chechi.. waiting!
Ahem Ahem….. The master blaster comments 🙂 Am humbled 😀
Nice story Alpana…keep it up loved it waiting for the second part😊
I’m loving it…your comment on my blog…makes me very happy 🙂
Yes me too waiting..
Ha Ha…The wait shall end soon 🙂 Keep reading 🙂
Awesome piece 9f writing.. kip it up
1Thanks a lot Shaayar 🙂 Keep reading!
Eagerly waiting for the next one……
Thanks Shakty 🙂 Will publish very soon! Stay tuned 😉