Leonardo is in the church, at the front. The painting is lying on the ground, and Leonardo is lying beside her. He has his right hand wrapped around it as if he is hugging her.
“Oh, no, not again! You with this depressing pose of yours,” the monk says as he is approaching.
“Good, the liar monkey is here,” Leonardo murmurs.
“So what happened? Didn’t anybody—” the monk notices the painting.
“Wow, this is not bad, not bad at all. Look at the smile on those lips, reminds me of my aunt Mona Lisa.”
“Mission accomplished,” Leonardo murmurs sarcastically.
“So what’s up with you again. Didn’t you find anyone who digs your art? I did some kick-ass praying for you last night, you know.”
“No. She didn’t get it, not even a bit.” Tears are clogging Leonardo’s throat.
“Why? This is a… Wait, she? Who is she?”
“Silvia, my classmate.”
“You didn’t mention any classmate yesterday. Sigh! Dude, you gotta be specific. This prayer thing is very tricky; you gotta aim just right. I don’t wanna sound like bragging, but it is an art by itself. It is very delicate actually; you miss a key word, and, boom, everything becomes chaos. True story. But have no worries. Super-monk to the rescue. While you go and hang this smiley-face on the wall, I’ll go shoot up another super prayer for you, what was her name again?”
“Silvia.” Leonardo is fighting the tears.
“Silvia, got it.”
“Sofia.”
“Sofia? Okay, sorry I misheard Silvia.”
“Guilia.”
“Both of them?!”
“Emma, Maria, Francisca, Angelica, all of them, any of them.”
“Alright, I got the picture, I think. So it is all about art, huh?”
“No, no, don’t misjudge me like that. It is not like that. I am not one of those, I am different. This is about art. I am just… I don’t know what it is exactly, but I think I would be at peace if my art, my creation is appreciated by God’s finest creations.”
“And fine means?”
“Fine-looking.”
“Of course.”
“Say no more. I have just the right prayer for you.”
“Sure you do,” Leonardo murmurs sarcastically.
“Now get off the smiley-face, and let her breath, huh? Hang her up there, and I will be back with your prayers answered. Get up, get up now Mr. Artist.”
Leonardo closes his eyes. He hears the monk stepping away.
Answered prayers! Leonardo thinks; would anybody believe that if he is not desperate? If they are not true, where would the hopeless ones seek hope?
Leonardo hears the church door shut behind the monk. He tries to open his tired eyes, but it is as if the eyelids are glued together. Eyes half open, he tries to sit up. Gravity is pulling his head down as if the painting doesn’t want him to get off. As hard as it is, he manages to finally sit up. He looks at the Jesus statue on the cross and the empty wall behind it. Then, he looks at the Santa Maria’s painting, and thinks that her destiny is to be on display, on the wall. The vision of the painting on display gives him some strength, enough to get him up on his feet. He picks up the painting, and brings it to the empty wall. He takes a good look at it, kisses Santa Maria on the forehead, and hangs her on the wall. He is adjusting the canvas when he hears:
“Wow, that is absolutely amazing—”
Leonardo looks back, and sees a pretty, young woman behind him. She is wearing a modest polka dot dress, with black dots on a white background, and a hat that screams ‘I am a tourist’. She is not wearing any makeup—well, she doesn’t need any either. She kinda looks like Santa Maria in the painting—at least this is what Leonardo thinks. The eyes are widened as if they are smiling at Leonardo. His head is moving with the movement of her eyeballs. Her pupils are as powerful as a black hole, exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing can escape from them; once a glance is caught and trapped in them, there is no way to break the gaze. The eyes are so alive, it is as if they are speaking with you. And you can see yourself in them. It is like a part of you is communicating with you.
Leonardo is drowned in her eyes, and doesn’t realize the passage of time. He finally snaps back to attention, and hears the rest of her words.
“—I mean it is like they are speaking with you. And you can see yourself in them. It is like a part of you is communicating with you.”
Leonardo has tears in his eyes, tears of happiness. Somebody pinch me, he thinks. This is too good to be true; this monk was not kidding; he is indeed a super monk.
“Did you create this?” She asks admiringly. Tears have clogged Leonardo’s throat. He cannot say a word. As he is having the biggest smile on his face, he nods.
“Unbelievable! Such a masterpiece! And from someone so young. You are a true, once-in-a-century artist, sir! Your art is the ultimate perfection, it is as God Himself has created it.”
Leonardo’s eyes cannot contain his tears anymore, and a few drops flow down his cheek. He swallows his spit, and says, “Thank you.”
“Can I ask you your… Oh, it is written here, sorry, Mr… Leonardo Da Vinci, it is a true honor to meet you.”
“Leo, call me Leo.”
“Oh, my gosh, you are so modest. Sure, Leo, I am Maria.”
“Maria!”
“I could just stare at this painting for hours. I wish I had come earlier. Anyway, it was very nice meeting you.”
“Wow wow wow, are you leaving?! I thought you loved my art!”
“Certainly! I lo… uh, I admire your work; your art is, what is the word, yes divine. It should be worshiped. I wish I could stay more, believe me, but I am late for my flight to Milan. My fiance is meeting me there.”
“Fiance! There is a fiance?!” Leonardo sounds squeaky. It is as if Leonardo’s entire world has shattered to pieces in a matter of seconds. There is a mix of love, shock, sadness, anger, and hate in his look.
“Well, yeah.” She flashes her finger; it is not the middle finger as opposed to what Leonardo initially presumed; it is the ring finger with a giant diamond ring shining on it. Leonardo, however, still acts as he is flipped off.
“Anyway, it was a—”
“Can he paint? Can he paint anything like this?” Leonardo points to the painting behind him. He has raised his voice a bit, and that makes Maria a bit less comfortable. Nevertheless, she tries to play it cool.
“Oh no, not in a million years,” she chuckles. “Jacob is a stockbroker, has no talent for art.”
“So you love stocks?”
“Love?! No, his job… Not me, Jacob, he is working as a stockbroker. Anyway, I better get going.”
“You can’t.—”
Maria frowns. Her face is tightening, with a bit of fear growing on it.
“—You get me. You are my Maria.”
Maria starts feeling unsafe. She takes a step back as she says: “Mr. Da Vinci I really—”
“I have been waiting for you—”
“For me!”
“—all my life.” Leonardo extends his left hand towards her; “You are my destiny. How can I let you go?”
Maria is shocked and petrified, doesn’t know what to say. Her mouth is half-open. She is speechless. She just turns, and walks away towards the church door. She is walking fast. Her eyes are on the church’s open door, and she is counting how many steps are left to be on the other side of the door. As she is walking, she tries to digest the weirdest conversation she just had. She is near the door now, and feels safer.
“I am very sorry Mr. Da Vinci. I think there has been a misunder—” she turns back, “—standiiiiing.” But she doesn’t see Leonardo. She looks left and right. Perhaps, there is a back door, she thinks, and he has left to cool himself down. That thought calms her. She hears the church door closing. She gets scared. She turns, and finds Leonardo standing in front of the door. She screams. Her scream fills up the whole church; but the church space is too small to contain such scream, and the scream reaches the skies.
Some pigeons fly off a tree branch near the church. There is a crow standing still on the branch though. The crow has a bloody feather stuck to its pick.