Lucky’s Sculpture Story

· Lucky’s Sculpture Story: Lucky, the Daydreamer ·

“Oh, Alex, she’s beautiful!” squealed Jenna as she approached from the hallway. “Does she have a story?”

“Thanks,” replied Alex. “Yes, let me read it to you,” Alex said as she turned Lucky so the sculpture’s back was spotlighted from the ceiling’s targeted lighting.

Alex kept each of her hands resting on a porcelain shoulder. Meanwhile, Jenna studied the woman’s faux Mohawk red hair and smiled.

Adjusting her glasses, Alex started reading: “Lucky, the Daydreamer. ‘Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who only dream at night,’ Edgar Allan Poe.”

“Very nice,” Jenna said. “I’d like to take her home with me. Are you sure you want to give her away?”

“Enter the free drawing,” encouraged Alex. “At this stage of my career, creating art without the pressure of sales is rewarding. I’m sure the right person will come along and find her. Or, I should say, they’ll find each other.”

“Teresa said you just finished her this morning,” Jenna commented.

“I knew something wasn’t quite right,” replied Alex, “but then this morning I realized I needed to paint the highlights in her eyes iridescent pearl. That was the finishing touch.” Alex turned Lucky to her original position on the shelf, so Lucky looked eye-to-eye with Jenna.

“I see,” said Jenna, leaning forward, an index finger approaching Lucky’s eyes.

***

As Jenna and Alex left the Clayworks gallery, walking towards the studio to find Teresa, the sculpture on the shelf next to Lucky said: “Welcome to the family, Lucky. I’m Elizabeth Morningcloud.”

“And I’m Rock,” added the white dove resting on Elizabeth’s head.

“Nice to meet both of you,” Lucky responded.

“This is the largest Alex gathering I’ve ever been to,” said Elizabeth. “There are twenty-nine of us, wait, thirty, including you. If you have any big questions, that’s Rabbit Chief Joe, down front, center pedestal. Otherwise, ask me anything. I’ve been around a bit.”

“As soon as Jim carried me in the door,” said Lucky, “Chief Rabbit Joe welcomed me. His presence is amazing.”

“‘No worries, be happy,’ could be his mantra,” Elizabeth commented. “I feel at peace and content just seeing his Mona Lisa smile.”

“Look at everyone!” exclaimed Lucky, gazing across the room from her high vantage point. “This is wonderful. I’m happy to be alive.”

“Yes,” agreed Elizabeth, “fortunately we found Alex to be accommodating, listening to us when we needed her most.”

“It’s a team effort, that’s for sure,” said Lucky. “After we break through and our ideas surface, some people think they don’t need us anymore. They minimize creative energy. This room is filled with joy; I’m so lucky.”

“And it sounds like you’ll soon get an opportunity to go home with a like-minded person,” said Elizabeth. “Even though you just got here, I heard Alex say you were going to be traveling to a new home.”

“Yes, we agreed on that from the start. Call it outreach. I’m looking forward to meeting more of us and entertaining people. I’ll find the right human through this free drawing on Third Thursday.”

***

“There are other parts of the animal kingdom represented here,” Rock told Lucky. “You can’t see everyone because of the wall in the middle of the room, but Georgina, Squirt, and Squeaky are a grouping. Georgina and Squirt are owls and Squeaky is a mouse.

“My favorite,” continued Rock, “is Sweet Yellow Bird. She’s across the room to our right. She’s perched on Tanya’s shoulder. Tanya tells us in her story, “Ah, sweet yellow bird, you make my heart sing!”

“I see her,” said Lucky, “lovely.”

“You can tell I’m partial to birds,” said Rock. “If you haven’t heard them yet, there’s a nest of baby catbirds that make a racket. Their mother, Rhonda, seems to be coping well. It’s funny but their grouping includes a wonderful cat by the name of Sid. He’s a Japanese Bobtail.

***

Jenna walked into the gallery carrying a jar to be used for collecting names of people entering the drawing. Teresa and Alex followed.

“I just love the way you organized the show,” Alex said to Teresa.

“Thanks,” replied Teresa. “I put the largest pieces on single pedestals. Rabbit Chief Joe had to be centrally located, then Tom. Is he a police officer?

“Yes, Tom’s the main character in Jim’s novel, Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery. He responds to a bank robbery in Prairie Grove, Kansas. I sculpted several of the characters. Their photos are in the book.”

“Then,” said Teresa, “I had to put the snake, Snakey-Ray . . .”

“Good memory!” encouraged Alex.

“For fun,” said Teresa, “I put Snakey-Ray on the pedestal closest to the door so people could be surprised.”

“We put Snakey-Ray Longfellow outside the house by our front door but the snake had an immediate effect on our UPS deliveries,” said Alex.

“How’s that?” asked Teresa.

“Before we put him outside, the parcel deliveries would be left on our front porch, but after we put him outside, the deliveries were left farther away, on the driveway,” explained Alex.

“My! You think the driver has a fear of snakes?”

“We’re not sure,” said Alex. “Maybe’s it’s a coincidence but ever since we moved Snakey-Ray back in the house, our deliveries are left on the porch again.”

“How’s this?” asked Jenna, stepping aside to show a sign taped to a jar, pieces of paper, and a pen for interested guests to sign up for the drawing.

Suddenly, a loud noise shocked everyone.

“What was that? Did something hit the building?” shouted Jenna.

“My sculptures moved!” declared Alex.

Teresa looked at Jenna and Alex, rolled her eyes, and said, “It’s another Kansas earthquake.”

***

Until next time, happy writing and reading!

The Kansas Authors Club www.kansasauthors.org is a statewide organization that encourages and supports great writing. It’s divided into seven districts. In Hutchinson, Reno County (part of District 6), we have monthly meetings at Hutchinson Community College. http://www.hutchcc.edu You’re invited. Questions? Contact Jim Potter, jim@copintheclassroom.com