A Guardian Friend
Written by TwistedSnakes
Illustrated by Very
✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶
“A drink?”
The alligator opened the mini-fridge and showed the wolf its contents.
“There’s cider, soft drinks, sparkling water…”
“I’ll pass, haha,” Decro said.
“Water helps with motion sickness.”
Very grabbed a glass bottle of Prisal mineral water and passed it to the wolf.
“Ah, sure.”
Very helped himself to a bottle of apple cider. Decro drank, tasting the chilled water in his mouth. It was refreshing, and it had a subtle flavour from the minerals that made it taste sophisticated but not overbearing.
“To be honest, I haven’t been feeling nausea for the entire ride. It’s been super smooth.”
“Yeah. Our driver, Hopkins, has been driving limousines for at least 30 years. He handles one like,” Very makes a gliding motion with his hand from left to right. “Whoosh.”
Decro nodded. They sat in silence, enjoying the cool of the air conditioning, until the wolf spoke up again.
“Thanks for letting me use your workshop for our capstone project.”
“Haha, don’t mention it. You’ve been a great friend all these years, so this is the least I can do. Besides, this might be the last time we get to hang out. After graduation, who knows? Maybe we’ll get too busy with work to meet up.”
“Wow, Mr Sunshine aren’t you? Chill, we’ll be in touch. And I’ll always make time for my friend.”
“What if one of us moves?”
“Then we’ll keep in touch online until we meet again.”
“Pssh, we’ll see.” The alligator shrugged.
“What, you’re inviting me over because you think this is the last time we’ll get to chill together?”
“No, no. Just want to make the most of our time together. Life is short, you know what I mean? Got to keep your friends close and treasure them forever.”
“Man, which barista gave you the depresso shots today?” Decro chuckled.
“Just been thinking a lot, I guess. Besides, some company in my workshop will be nice.”
“Yeah, of course.”
They drank from their bottles.
“Oh, right!” Very dug into his school bag and fished out a silver-blue collar with a white gem in its middle. “You gotta wear this.”
“Uh, what? A collar?”
“I’m not happy about this either, but you know my mum. All it takes is for one haute fashion magazine to say ‘collars are in!’ to insist we should all wear one.”
“Even me?”
“Look, I have one too.” Very takes out a navy blue collar from his bag.
“Yours doesn’t have that gaudy gem.”
“I spent 3 hours shopping with my mum at Luminia picking out a collar that matches my scales. Be thankful I remembered to get one for you, or you’d be kicked out mid-sculpt for being too passé.”
Decro took the collar. It was made of hefty leather with a soft, sleek finish. The silver buckles jingled softly as he turned it over. The gem was an inch across, half the width of the collar. It gleamed in the light with a smoky core, almost like a fog trying to draw in the ambient luminosity.
“Is this real?”
“It better be. Guess how much I paid for this.”
“$300?”
“$1800.”
“What? Man, what are you going to do with it after I’ve left?”
“Nah, you can keep it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Decro couldn’t think of any scenario he’d wear this collar. “Uhh, thanks, I guess.”
Very already had the collar around his neck. He caught the wolf looking, and rolled his eyes. Decro chuckled.
“Put it on,” the alligator scoffed. “We’re almost here.”
Decro put the collar around his neck and buckled it. It was light and comfortable, sitting on his fur with gentle ease. He shivered.
“It feels cold.”
“Nappa leather will do that.”
The limousine came to a gentle stop, and the chauffeur opened the door. They got out, standing on the asphalt sidewalk. Black marble steps led up to a porch with double ornate doors. As Very went up the steps, Decro turned around.
“Wait, my luggage!”
“Hopkins will bring it to your room. Come.”
The wolf followed. The doors were opened by two doberman porters in sharp tuxedos and white gloves, bowing as the students entered. A crystal chandelier stood over the large foyer, casting its pale blue glow over leather couches and a glass coffee table in the middle. Two curved stairs at the back of the room led up to the east and west wings of the mansion.
“Whoa.”
Very returned the awestruck wolf. “I’d let you stand around all day with your jaw open like this, but we have a project to finish.”
“Ah, whoops,” Decro looked sheepish. “Sorry for staring.”
Very chuckled. “You’re not the first. But it’s already 9 AM, so we should get started.”
As they made their way deeper into the mansion, the doors closed behind them.
✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶
The two artists were focused on their creations. Over the past semester, they had been sculpting their pieces in the school’s art workshop. Very had arranged for his and Decro’s pieces to be moved to his workshop so they could work on it over the weekend.
Very was working on a waist-tall sculpture that depicted a boulder with a flat top, surrounded on all sides with rocky spikes. He had explained to Decro over lunch that this would be the base for the full sculpture.
“What’s going on it?” Decro had asked.
“Something special. You’ll see.”
Meanwhile, Decro was working on his own sculpture. He had started with a white marble block that was a head taller than him, carving it into bolts of cloth, dancing and weaving about in an imaginary wind.
“I just need to smooth out some of the curves,” the wolf said over lunch.
“What? It’s already perfect. It looks like you took some fabric and turned it into literal stone.
“Hehh, thanks.
“Going for the Dean’s Excellence Award?”
“I mean, if I can, sure! But there are a lot of skilled sculptors in our batch, too.”
“But they aren’t top in the course for 3 semesters straight.”
“Bleh, fine.”
“You better believe it. Your sculpture is going into the school’s art gallery to stand for the next century or so.”
But their sculptures were far from done. Very was painting a realistic texture on his rocky outcrop. Meanwhile, Decro sat at the top of a short ladder, smoothing out the rough corners of his sculpture with his chisel. The wolf’s brow was furrowed in great concentration. Every chisel had to be precise; one wrong move would create an irreversible flaw in the final piece.
There was a sickening crack, followed by the sound of stone shattering on the workshop floor. Very turned his head to look. Decro was still on the ladder with a horrified expression. The top half of the sculpture had broken off the rough marble block and smashed into the ground.
“Oh, crap.” Very rushed over. “What happened?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Here, let’s get you down first.” The alligator reached out his hand.
Decro took it, and made his way shakily down the ladder. Very guided him to a couch to sit down.
“Well, mistakes happen—”
“It wasn’t a mistake. Something’s wrong. I was only making gentle chips, then my hand suddenly hammered in with a huge force.”
“I mean, that sounds like a mistake to me. It’s okay, there’s still tomorrow—”
“It’s not, it’s not. I know what mistakes feel like, but this didn’t feel like it. This felt like… I don’t know.” He shook his hands about in frustration.
“You should take—”
“No, no. Something’s wrong. My hands… my body…”
“Uh, are you sure you’re okay?”
Decro looked at the shattered remains of his statue: 10 weeks of painstaking work reduced to rubble.
“I…”
“You know what, I’m done for today. It’s almost 9, and we haven’t had dinner yet. Let’s go get some dinner, and we’ll call it a day?”
Decro didn’t reply.
“We’ll fix this tomorrow when you’re feeling better.”
“Yeah…”
✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶
The rest of the alligator’s family already had their dinner, so Very and Decro went to the east-wing dining room instead. The room was warm and carpeted, and a square table set for two stood in the middle.
Decro sat on an imposing chair made of mahogany with a golden trim. A painted porcelain plate sat in front of him, sandwiched between 2 sets of various spoons, forks, and knives. Very took the seat opposite him. A butler served them sparkling water in flute glasses.
“I hope you’re up for steak tonight,” Very smiled.
The wolf nodded. They sat in silence for a while until the alligator spoke.
“So… do you want to talk about what happened? It seems to be more than just a slip of the hand.”
“I… I was… I don’t know.” Decro took a deep breath. “It felt like I lost control of my body. I felt something raw and primal surging up. Then all that force came out while I was chipping away, and the chisel went straight through everything.”
“I don’t want to make light of your struggle, but do you think it’s because you’re tired? We’ve been at it non-stop after lunch, and that’s not counting the work we did in the morning.”
“That’s not… it’s not…” He sighed. ‘Maybe,” he said defeatedly.
More silence.
“I know what will cheer you up.” Very sat up in his chair. “You know Sagas of Sonem?”
“Yeah?”
“They’re making a fourth game.”
“Yo, really? I thought the storyline ended with Rhagus’ defeat?”
“This one’s a prequel. You play as Darius as a kid, when the Solaris clan first came into power.”
“Oh damn. Then what, you see how they overthrew the First Kings?”
“Yeah, but I think you also get a lot more of Darius’ backstory. At least, that’s what I see in the trailers.”
“Hoo boy, I’m excited. When’s the release date?”
“Early next year, but you know how it is with Silvergate Studios.”
The waiter came back in with their meal: butter-basted steak with herbs and mushroom sauce. Two side dishes sat on the black stone plate: apple salad with walnuts and honey, and garlic-baked potato wedges. Creamy shrimp and crab bisque was served in a bowl.
“Dig in,” Very said, picking up a fork and knife.
Decro meant to reach for his silverware, but that’s not what happened. He dived for the plate, snapping up the steak in his jaws. He pushed off the table, knocking over his bowl of soup and tipping the chair over. Within moments, he disappeared behind the table.
“Decro?” the alligator called.
He got off his seat and went over to Decro’s side of the table. The wolf was on all fours with the steak on the floor in front of him. He was biting viciously into the steak, tearing chunks of it. The carpet soaked up the dripping mushroom sauce and saliva.
“Decro?”
The wolf turned to him and growled. Brown sauce stained the fur on his muzzle. Then his angry expression turned into one of shock.
“Crap.” He scrambled backward. “What… what have I done?”
“What happened?”
Mortified, the wolf hid his face in his hands.
“I don’t know, I don’t know. This… this is not me. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Very sighed.
“I’m not sure either.”
“Just… go back to dinner. I’ll clean this up.”
“The helpers can clean it up. But I’m concerned about you. What’s come over you?”
“I don’t know.”
“You sure you don’t want to talk about—”
“I don’t know!” Decro snapped with tears in his eyes. “Just… I just want to go to bed.”
“Yeah, sure. Let’s finish dinner and—”
“I don’t want to eat.”
“But you haven’t eaten anything since—”
“I just want to sleep, please? Something is wrong with me. Maybe I should see a doctor? If we go now we can—”
“Tomorrow. We’ll get you a doctor tomorrow.”
“But what if—”
“I’ll give our family doctor a call. He’ll come here and have a look at you, alright? For now, I really think you could use the rest.”
Decro nodded reluctantly.
“Here, let me help you up.”
Very guided him out of the dining room and down the corridor.
“I can get the kitchen staff to prepare another set for you and send it to your room.”
The wolf stopped. “Enough, please. Haven’t I embarrassed myself enough already?”
“It’s fine.”
“It isn’t. I destroyed my entire semester’s worth of work and made a fool of myself at dinner. You think I’m a freak.”
“I don’t. I know you’ve been putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Maybe some of that is coming through. The stress can really mess your head up.”
Very stopped in front of a doorway.
“This is your room. Look, you’re still my friend. Today is just an off-day for you, alright? We see how we can salvage your sculpture tomorrow. But for tonight, just focus on resting, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Hug?” Very opened his arms.
The two of them hugged, and Very squeezed him tight until they let go.
“Okay. Have a good night, I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and I’ll call the doctor for you first thing tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Decro smiled.
He retreated to his room. The bedroom was as fancy as the rest of the house. The bed was lined with silky sheets and a thick comforter. A scented candle burned on the bedside table. His duffle bag was already waiting at the foot of his bed.
Decro opened his bag, took out his toiletries, and went to the connected bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror, picked up his toothbrush, and squeezed toothpaste onto it. When he put the toothbrush against his teeth and brushed, it slipped out of his hands and into the sink. The wolf snorted in annoyance and picked up his toothbrush. He tried to brush his teeth, only to have the toothbrush end up in the sink again.
“Gah!”
He clenched his fist and released. His thumb felt weak. When he tried to bend the muscles in his thumb, there was a soft numb sensation, like he was pressing into a marshmello. His fingers trembled.
There was a knock on his door, so Decro rinsed out his mouth and went to open it. A butler stood there with a cup of tea on a tray.
“Young Sir said you were feeling under the weather from stress, so I brought you something.”
“What this?”
“Peppermint ginger tea with honey. There’s no caffeine, so it won’t impact your sleep.”
Decro looked at his shaky hands.
“Hold not good.” He struggled to choose his words. “Can… can put on table?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
“I hope you’ll feel better by tomorrow. If you need assistance, you can call for me. Do you know how to do that?”
Decro shook his head.
“See the phone there?” The butler pointed to the phone on the bedside table. “You can use that to call.”
“Pick up, no number?”
“Pardon? I didn’t quite catch that.”
“No need press number, only pick up?”
“Ah yes, the line connects to the service desk. If you need to make external calls, the person at the desk will put you through.”
“Okay.”
“I will leave you to it, then. Have a good night.”
“Thank you.”
The butler closed the door, and Decro returned to struggling with his toothbrush. Eventually, he managed to brush his teeth by pressing it between his two palms and moving it back and forth.
After a shower and a fresh change of clothes, Decro went to sleep.
✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶
Very tapped his fingers on the table in the breakfast lounge. Decro was an early bird, so he should’ve been awake by now. He took a sip from his cup of black coffee and set it gently down on the saucer.
Hmm, I wonder if he noticed it last night, he thought to himself.
By the time Very had sent him to the bedroom, the wolf was a head taller than the alligator, even hunched over with his hands around his knees. If he noticed, he never said a thing.
Very fiddled with the teaspoon. He had lied about calling the doctor, too. If Decro asked, he’d say he forgot. He chuckled. The collar around his neck was missing as well.
A guttural scream tore through the hall. His butler went to check, but Very stopped him.
“I’ll go check.”
He made his way to Decro’s room and opened the door. A whirlwind of a mess greeted him. The bedsheets were torn, the furniture was scratched, and the wallpaper was shredded to bits.
A massive feral wolf, twice Very’s height, stood ready to pounce. Its white fur was littered with Decro’s torn clothes, and a silver-blue collar was buckled around its neck.
“Oh.”
The wolf turned to face him.
“Decro? Is that you?”
“What happen me?” the wolf spoke with a low grating growl.
“I… I don’t know. What happened last night?”
“I sleep. Pain. Wake up, this.”
“But how? You’re…”
“Doctor?”
“I… forgot.”
“Call. Help me. Scared.”
Very couldn’t hold back a grin anymore, and the wolf saw. Its brows furrowed and its eyes grew fiery.
“You make me this!”
“What?” Very smirked. “Of course not, how could I—”
The wolf’s gaze noticed Very’s neck.
“Collar!”
It dug its vicious claws into the collar around its neck, trying to tear it off. The leather collar held fast with unnatural strength.
“Oh, for a mindless beast, you figure things out fast. I’m going to be honest with you, I was expecting the change to take two, maybe three days.”
The wolf turned to the alligator.
“I’d have to come up with an excuse for you to wear it out to school on Monday. But you went ahead and wore it overnight.”
Very chuckled.
“You!”
In a large pounce, the wolf closed the distance between them. Its paws struck the alligator’s chest, pushing him onto the ground. Very’s vision flashed white as his head hit the floor.
“Ow!”
The flashing went away and he found himself pinned to the floor by the massive canine. Sharp claws dug into his chest. Steel-blue glared at him with ferocious intent.
“Make me back!” it snarled. “Or kill you.”
The alligator smirked.
“Decro, you wouldn’t hurt a friend, would you?”
“Friend?” The wolf’s expression softened.
“And you’re pressing down on my chest. It’s so hard to breathe!”
The wolf hastily scrambled off the alligator and backed into a corner.
“No hurt friend…” it mumbled.
Very got up and took a leash out of his pocket.
“There, there, no harm done.”
He went over to the wolf and looked at the gem on the collar. It was a deep sapphire blue, swirling about with a glistening quality.
“Almost done.”
Very gave it a tap, then he clipped the leash to the wolf’s collar and tugged. The wolf snarled.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” He put on a fake smile. “Let’s go turn you back. Follow me.”
Very tugged again. The wolf hesitated, then got up reluctantly. Very led it down the corridor and to the foyer. The wolf struggled down the stairs with its huge paws, but they eventually made it to the workshop.
“See the rocks over there? Go on, get on it.”
He pointed towards his sculpture of rocks, but the wolf stared at him blankly.
“Go on, mutt. Don’t make me wait.”
There was no sign of understanding in the wolf’s eyes.
“Oh, are you already gone?” He tapped on the wolf’s head. It growled. “You really are a dumb mutt now.”
He yanked on the leash, forcing the reluctant wolf to go onto the sculpture. Its front legs were perched on the flat surface of the central boulder, and its hind legs found their places on smaller circular slates amongst the rocky spikes.
“Now stay there.”
Very went over to get a spotlight mounted on a stand. Over its lens was a yellow crystal carved to form a light filter. The alligator put it near the wolf and aimed the light at it. The feral beast looked at the light curiously.
“Say cheese.”
The alligator flicked the light on. The wolf froze as it was bathed in the glow.
“Try moving.”
The wolf didn’t respond, save for a soft whimper and its darting eyes. Very gave the leash a forceful tug, but it still didn’t move.
“Good. Now to pose you.”
Very turned the light off and went over to the wolf. He’d need to work fast before the paralysis wore off. He took a brush and quickly brushed the wolf’s back. The ruffled fur turned into a sleek pelt.
But the wolf was starting to move again. An angry growl started at the back of its throat, and its head was turning towards him like a stick pushing through mud. Very went back to turn the light on, leaving the wolf to soak in the immobilising aura before he turned it off again.
Bit by bit, the alligator prepared his sculpture. He brushed its pelt until it was silky, using a ladder to reach the higher parts. He also shifted the wolf’s body into an upright position, posing it as he saw fit.
After two hours of work, the wolf stood tall and proud over the workshop. Its pose was one of poise and elegance, its fur gleamed in the sunlight, and its expression was focused and absolute. Only its eyes were darting about, but that soon wouldn’t be a problem.
Very got off the ladder, went back to the light, and turned it to its highest intensity. He brought over more spotlights and set them up around the wolf, but left them unlit.
“Now, what do we do with you?”
He fetched a steel briefcase stashed under a workbench. Inside it were rows of crystal lenses in various colours.
“I’m feeling glass for you.”
Very slid out 5 pale turquoise crystal discs and slid them into the lights. The wolf’s soft whimpers turned into frantic yelps, muffled by its closed mouth.
“I know, your insides must feel like it’s burning. Bear with it, boy.”
The alligator paced about the room.
5 minutes.
There was a crackling sound coming from the immobile wolf, but nothing appeared to happen.
10 minutes.
The yelping turned into pleading whimpers again.
20 minutes.
Very called his butler for another cup of coffee.
After 45 minutes, the wolf turned paler. Its fur and skin took on a translucent, almost ethereal feel. The whiteness in its pelt started to dissolve in various spots, turning into a crystal clear exterior and revealing its transparent insides.
The transparence spread in patches, growing across the frozen wolf until its hide and muscles were clear. Within its crystal interior was the skeletal structure of the wolf. Its ribcage encased a throbbing mass of organs. The lungs inflated with each breath, the heart pumped blood into invisible vessels, and the stomach and intestines floated in the clear gel.
“Let’s see…” Very examined the case of crystal lenses. “Your bones would look nice as wood. Maybe light maple?”
He pulled out a green lens.
“And fire opal for your vitals.”
He took out a crimson lens. The wolf trembled. Its glassy eyelids were still twitching as it struggled to make sense of its new form.
Very went to the spotlights and swapped out the lenses of two of them. The wolf was bathed in hues of yellow, green, and red, piercing its crystalline form with their rays. It screamed.
This time, the change was immediately visible. The white bones started turning light brown in colour. Darker lines emerged down its curves, forming the wooden grain. At the same time, the wolf’s vital organs turned into red crystals with fiery hues within.
“Oh, yes. You’re coming together nicely.”
More waiting to go, with the wolf’s agonised howls filling the workshop. It was almost lunchtime, but Very wanted to see this through. He took out 5 smoky-grey lenses and waited.
30 minutes passed.
The alligator called for his lunch to be served to him in the workshop. He sat at a workbench and dug into his scrumptious meal of pesto pasta with smoked duck as he admired the wolf. By the time he was done with his dessert of brownies with caramel ice cream, the sculpture was ready.
Very got up and circled the statue. Mounted on the faux rocks was a wolf statue made of glass, wood, and gemstone. Nothing about the statue looked organic, save for the pulsing of the red gemstone and the light twitching of the wolf’s glassy eyes. That would soon change.
Very swapped out the lenses in the spotlights and the wolf’s final cries subsided into silence. The throbbing of its insides slowed down, until it eventually became still. Its transparent flesh cured into solid glass, forever lifeless in its composed form.
Another hour passed before the alligator turned off all the lamps. He took a ladder and climbed until he was face to face with the resolute expression of the wolf. Very examined the gem on the collar. It was a vibrant blue, but the shimmering swirls were no longer shifting.
“Looks like it’s done siphoning your soul, so let’s get it off you.”
He unbuckled the collar and took it off.
“I’ll be keeping this.”
✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶
“Let’s try another scenario. I take your brain and transplant it into another body. Which one is now ‘you’?”
Very spoke to a jaguar also dressed in the school’s white uniform, blue blazer, and silver tie. He needed to speak loudly over the noise of guests milling about the school auditorium, moving from sculpture to sculpture and admiring them. His sculpture of a glass wolf stood beside the jaguar’s piece: a cage made of feathers with a metal bird inside.
“Oh wow, that’s an amazing concept,” a lady with a clipboard pointed at the wolf sculpture. “How did you even come up with it?”
“I really wanted to capture two conflicting concepts together: primal strength and delicate fragility.” Very replied. “I chose a form of a wolf because of its symbolism, and because my best friend was also a wolf.”
The lady nodded and smiled. “Impressive, impressive. You really did capture the contrast. And the skeleton, the organs. You’re doing things even master crafters would be unsure of trying!”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
She went over to the jaguar. “Oh, what’s this?”
The jaguar stepped forward. “I call it the ‘Cagebird’ because it’s a birdcage, but reversed. The cage and bird have exchanged roles, represented by the material swap, yet they keep their original form and function.”
“Nice, nice.”
“Thanks, ma’am.”
Once the lady had moved on, the two students returned to talking.
“So, where were we?” the jaguar asked.
“I swap your brain with another body.”
“Right, right. I guess my new body would be me.”
“And if I burned your old body, you’d be fine with it?”
“Yeah. I mean, my consciousness isn’t there anymore.”
“How about instead of transplanting your brain, I copy only certain parts of your identity and put it into your other body?”
“Depends, which body thinks it’s ‘me’?”
“Both or neither, depending how you look at it.” Very picked up a silver blue collar sitting on the table and spun it around with his fingers. “Let’s say I take out the part of you that contains your personality and put it into another body. Only your consciousness is left in your body.”
“Hmm. I guess the new body would think it’s me, so I would consider that the new ‘me’.”
“And what about the consciousness in the original body?”
“Consciousness doesn’t make me ‘me’, though.”
“So even if I took your personality and transferred it into… say… this collar.” Very raised up the collar in his hands. “Would this collar be ‘you’ then?”
“That makes no sense.”
“Humour me,” Very chuckled.
“Can the body still think?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t have the same mental faculties of the ‘person’ you. It just walks around like a zombie.”
“Then I guess the collar would be ‘me’, strange as that sounds.”
“And you wouldn’t mind if I killed the body?”
“‘I’ wouldn’t be experiencing the death because it’s not ‘me’.”
The alligator shrugged. “Fair enough.” He spun the collar with careless speed.
“How about you? What do you think would be ‘you’?”
“I think both would be me. A part of me exists in the body, a part of me exists in the collar.”
“That feels like a cop out, though.”
“Is it? I feel like it’s a beautiful way to look at it. Being in two places at once, almost like an omnipotent being. I could be in a place where I’ve made many good memories, and at the same time be hanging out with close friends somewhere else.”
“I mean, sure, I guess?”
A teacher came up to them.
“Very, can I have a word with you?” he asked.
“Sure Mr Garrell. What’s up?”
“Nothing bad, don’t worry.” The teacher smiled. “Follow me.”
They went outside the auditorium to a quiet corridor.
“So, Very.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Congratulations. You’ve been selected for the Dean’s Excellence Award.”
“Oh, wow,” the alligator grinned. “Really?”
“Yeah. But here’s the important question. Every year, the awardee’s sculpture will be added to the school’s art gallery. Are you okay with it?”
“Does that mean my statue belongs to the school?”
“Technically, it still belongs to you. You’re just agreeing to let us own it for an indefinite amount of time.”
“So it’s essentially yours.”
“Basically.”
“How long do I get to think about this?”
“I can give you a few minutes.”
“That’s it? Figured I could have a few days to think about it.”
“It’s a bit last minute, yeah. But we cannot have a Dean’s Award sculpture not be in the school gallery. I hope you understand.”
“You’ll take care of the sculpture?”
“Of course. The gallery is maintained by our perm staff. Dusted, polished, specific care if required. Some pieces in there need to be polished every day with a specific type of leather finish. Your sculpture will be in good hands.”
“Well…”
“And as an alumni, you’re welcome to come back to the gallery anytime you want to see your sculpture.”
Very paused. “Yeah, sure. You can have the sculpture then.”
“Okay, sweet.” The teacher leaned in and whispered. “The principal thinks it’ll make a really nice centrepiece for the gallery.
”Like, in the middle section with the constellation dome?”
“We’ll build a plinth for it, yes.”
“Oh, wow. That would be an honour.”
“Indeed. One last thing. Later, they will announce the winner on stage later and call you up to make a speech. Do you think you could come up with a 5-minute speech for this?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Act surprised when they call your name, alright?”
“Of course, will do.”
“And before I forget, do you have a name for the sculpture?”
“Uh, I haven’t come up with one yet. Do you need it now?”
“That one can wait. It’ll go on the plaque when it’s moved to the gallery.”
“Sure, do you mind if I update you tomorrow?”
“That’s alright. And congratulations again.”
When Very went back to his wolf sculpture, the jaguar was grinning.
“Dean’s award?”
“You bet.”
They bumped their fists together.
“You’re lucky Decro isn’t here to compete with you.”
“Yo, that’s not cool,” Very looked hurt. “He’s my friend, you know?”
“I mean, he did drop out of the course.”
“No? He’s been missing for the past 2 weeks.”
“Wait, really? I thought he just dropped out.”
“No dude, they’re still looking for him.”
“Oh, crap. Sorry man. But if it makes you feel any better, I think you’d have gotten the award, even competing with him.”
“Yeah. He’d definitely be proud of his friend..”
The closing ceremony soon came and went, and Very gave an impassioned speech about how the lifeless becomes living through art and creativity. Then it was all over. Everyone took their sculptures home, except for the glass sculpture of the wolf. Workers came to shift the hefty sculpture onto a trolley, moved it to the art gallery, and mounted it on the central plinth. There, it would watch over the gallery for decades to come.
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The lights in the gallery were off, but the evening sun was casting its last golden rays of sun through the glass windows, keeping the place lit. Very opened the creaking wooden doors and stepped in gingerly. From the entrance, he could already see the glass wolf gazing down at him.
He walked past rows of paintings and sculptures until he came to the central hall. The ceiling here was higher than the rest of the gallery, and lights on the ceiling dome were arranged in constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. Their lights shone down, filling the gaps of darkness where the sunset couldn’t reach.
Very looked up. The plinth was at the height of his shoulders, so he had to crane his head to look up at the wolf.
“Mr Garrell said I could come visit you.”
The wolf didn’t reply.
“Do I regret this? Maybe, maybe not. And it’s not like we’d be seeing each other anymore. That’s how all friends are after we graduate.”
There was still no response.
“Look on the bright side. A part of you will always be here at the school, watching over batch after batch of students enrol, learn, and graduate.”
He took out a silver-blue collar from his bag and buckled it around his neck.
“And a part of you will always be with me.”
The glass wolf responded with cold silence.
“Remember, you promised to stay with me. You wanted this.”
The last of the sunlight disappeared, leaving only the dome lights on. Everything else in the gallery was blanketed in the darkness. Very felt like he was standing in a void with the statue. He could almost swear the wolf was looking down at him. The lights on the dome were refracting through its glass form, giving it a lifelike gleam in its eyes.
“Goodbye, Decro.”
He turned to leave, then he paused and turned back.
“Right, I still need to give you a name.”
The two friends stared at each other for a few silent moments.
“Got it. I’ll name you ‘A Guardian Friend.”
✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶
~ End ~
![A Guardian Friend [Page 2] by TwistedSnakes](https://va.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5252/5252973_TwistedSnakes_img-0.jpg "A Guardian Friend [Page 2] by TwistedSnakes")
