Smiling Paper

My hand begins the simplest of shapes, and continues to build from a couple of circles and into a flat surface of a face looking at its audience --- who is just me, for now. The eyes, the hair, everything penciled in now becomes a bold, black outline of ink. Then the colors rush in. The shades of brown for the hair, the green of the eyes, the reds of the mouth, then the neutral shades of the skin. As I continue, a smile crosses my face and I can feel them smiling back, knowing they have been waiting to be created.

After a while, I stop and stare at its unfinished features. I could make this whoever I want. Possible stories run wild in my mind, from the surreal reality of the world from their own point of view to a new world too fantastical compared to the one I stand on. It all feels so close, like I can almost reach and become a part of it. These creations are all mine, sometimes mine too secret to share with the world. At least, not yet. The audience will come in time. Whether they are the others as this particular character’s friends, or maybe something more than that. All I see is the two dimensional face and top of their body drawn before me, with the smile that has not faded. They eagerly wait for their next appearance on another page.