The best things in life are blue 2/3oddeggJuly 15 2011, 22:17:38 UTC
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Raven’s parents weren’t her parents when she was born. Hank didn’t know her then either. ‘You were kind of small and scrawny then’ he says ‘But you could shriek really loud. Sometimes you’d do it for so long you went blue’
‘Blue is a great colour to be’ Raven tells him and Hank beams. ‘Yes’ he says ‘It is’
Raven is adopted, which her Dad tells her meant that they wanted her very much and that they had chosen her especially out of loads of kids to be their little girl. (Her Papa mutters, was it too late for an exchange or refund and Dad stomps on his foot)
Raven says ‘When I grow up I’m going to adopt too’ and her Dad says, oh, that’s lovely… and Raven adds ‘I’m going to adopt a monkey that can swing about on things.’ and her Dad says, oh…
‘It’s going to be blue’ says Raven.
Her Papa says, that’s a very good idea. Then he says to Dad, what? Would you trust her with an actual baby?
*
Her Dad is something called a professor. Which means he goes off in the car most days to teach and comes back in the evening to complain about how stupid his students are.
Her Papa makes things out of metal in the studio at the back of the house that she’s not supposed to go into without him being there and sells them to people for lots of money. This means he stays at home with Raven and Hank and sometimes he’ll let them into the studio to look at the things he’s made.
The current thing has got spikes and twisty bits and it looks like it might be a metal alien. Or an octopus. Or a metal alien octopus. Raven quite likes it. Hank isn’t too sure. ‘Maybe if it was attacking a submarine’ he says.
‘Is that what you call art?’ she asks her Papa. He stares at the thing and twists his mouth up and says, do you know, Raven, I just can’t tell sometimes.
Sometimes her Papa is a bit weird.
*
Raven is artistic. That’s what her teachers and other adults often say when she shows them one of her drawings like the one where the giant flying robots are attacking the city and everyone’s running and screaming.
They say, ah. That’s very… artistic. It’s very… good.
Hank says that they don’t mean it sometimes. ‘I told you that you should have added a big robot shark shooting flames out of its mouth as well. That would have been artistic!’ Raven ignores him. Hank’s more about the science than art, anyway, so what would he know?
*
Raven likes making art. Sometimes she makes art out of metal like her Papa, though she’s learned not everyone appreciates it when she does.
‘It was calling to me!’ she argues with her Dad on the way back from the supermarket. ‘The muse wanted it!’
Her Dad says something rude about the muse and when they get back to the house he stalks inside and points a finger at her Papa. That’s another shop we’re banned from, he says angrily, these are your damn genes at play here!
She’s adopted, her Papa says, as a biology professor you should know genes don’t work like that.
Her dad says very loudly, YOURS FOUND A WAY!
‘I think it looked lovely’ Hank whispers to her after they’ve been sent up to their room. ‘The shopping trolley on its side and all the cans piled around it. I think it said something very deep about consumerism’
Even though he is better with science, sometimes Raven thinks Hank is the only one who appreciates her art.
Raven’s parents weren’t her parents when she was born. Hank didn’t know her then either. ‘You were kind of small and scrawny then’ he says ‘But you could shriek really loud. Sometimes you’d do it for so long you went blue’
‘Blue is a great colour to be’ Raven tells him and Hank beams. ‘Yes’ he says ‘It is’
Raven is adopted, which her Dad tells her meant that they wanted her very much and that they had chosen her especially out of loads of kids to be their little girl. (Her Papa mutters, was it too late for an exchange or refund and Dad stomps on his foot)
Raven says ‘When I grow up I’m going to adopt too’ and her Dad says, oh, that’s lovely… and Raven adds ‘I’m going to adopt a monkey that can swing about on things.’ and her Dad says, oh…
‘It’s going to be blue’ says Raven.
Her Papa says, that’s a very good idea. Then he says to Dad, what? Would you trust her with an actual baby?
*
Her Dad is something called a professor. Which means he goes off in the car most days to teach and comes back in the evening to complain about how stupid his students are.
Her Papa makes things out of metal in the studio at the back of the house that she’s not supposed to go into without him being there and sells them to people for lots of money. This means he stays at home with Raven and Hank and sometimes he’ll let them into the studio to look at the things he’s made.
The current thing has got spikes and twisty bits and it looks like it might be a metal alien. Or an octopus. Or a metal alien octopus. Raven quite likes it. Hank isn’t too sure. ‘Maybe if it was attacking a submarine’ he says.
‘Is that what you call art?’ she asks her Papa. He stares at the thing and twists his mouth up and says, do you know, Raven, I just can’t tell sometimes.
Sometimes her Papa is a bit weird.
*
Raven is artistic. That’s what her teachers and other adults often say when she shows them one of her drawings like the one where the giant flying robots are attacking the city and everyone’s running and screaming.
They say, ah. That’s very… artistic. It’s very… good.
Hank says that they don’t mean it sometimes. ‘I told you that you should have added a big robot shark shooting flames out of its mouth as well. That would have been artistic!’ Raven ignores him. Hank’s more about the science than art, anyway, so what would he know?
*
Raven likes making art. Sometimes she makes art out of metal like her Papa, though she’s learned not everyone appreciates it when she does.
‘It was calling to me!’ she argues with her Dad on the way back from the supermarket. ‘The muse wanted it!’
Her Dad says something rude about the muse and when they get back to the house he stalks inside and points a finger at her Papa. That’s another shop we’re banned from, he says angrily, these are your damn genes at play here!
She’s adopted, her Papa says, as a biology professor you should know genes don’t work like that.
Her dad says very loudly, YOURS FOUND A WAY!
‘I think it looked lovely’ Hank whispers to her after they’ve been sent up to their room. ‘The shopping trolley on its side and all the cans piled around it. I think it said something very deep about consumerism’
Even though he is better with science, sometimes Raven thinks Hank is the only one who appreciates her art.
*
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