There was once a rich and powerful man, known throughout the globe
for his accomplishments, for his wealth, for his power and his vision
He built his empire from sand and dust, with blood and bone
One day he desired to become immortalized in a fine painting
He wanted it to be the finest painting ever conceived -- painted by the hand of a god
He wanted people to look upon the work with tears in their eyes, staring at the beauty
that they beheld
He scoured the nation, looking for the artist that would create his masterpiece
day after day, lines formed at his estate as he took each one in
and sampled their artwork, and their sketches.
Weeks passed
None impressed him. He became distraught
"Is there no man in this world who can possibly create the wonder that I desire? Is there no man who can immortalize me in such a way that words could not describe the perfection?"
A voice crackled behind him.
"Well...no MAN can. I, however, am not a man"
He turned to see a short creature behind him. It was short with blue skin and orange eyes. It's sharp teeth gleened as it smiled.
"What on earth are you? Why are you here?"
"What I am is no matter, though you can call me Velnard. What I'm here to do is paint you"
The man frowned
"What is your cost?"
"I only ask that you never leave the painting that I've created"
"I would never leave it anywhere! If it's as wonderful as I hope it to be, it would stay with me for eternity!"
Velnard smiled.
"Then we have an agreement!"
The man smiled and extended his hand, which was grasped firmly by a claw
Suddenly, a large canvas was hanging from the ceiling
The man looked around
"Where would you like me to stand? Have you no paint?"
"Ah! You can just stand there for a moment. The paint will be ready shortly"
The man stood, regarding the small creature. His hand was itching after shaking on the deal. Minutes passed. Neither party moved. The man became impatient.
"Are you going to start? I have other things to attend to today."
"I think you'll find that this is more important"
"Well then get to it already!"
"I already have"
"You've done nothing the entire time we've stood here!"
"No, the paint is nearly ready"
The man had lost his patience. "This is ridiculous", he spat, as he derisively flicked his hand at the creature, motioning him to begone. He heard a splatter on the floor and looked down. On the ground, a foot or so in front of him was a droplet of pinkish-brown paint. He looked around for the source, to no avail. He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he looked at the creature.
"What are you playing at, Velnard?"
Only then did he notice something was odd.
His chin felt wet. He pulled his handkerchief and wiped it off and when he looked down, the white cloth was covered in a similar pigment as what was on the floor. He looked at his hand to see it was covered in paint.
"What trickery is this!?"
He wiped it away, only to find more. He frantically wiped more to see the pinkish tint turn to red.
Velnard piped in
"It would do you well to stop that. That's blood. Well, actually it's paint...but it was blood."
The man was livid. "What have you done to me!?"
"I'm painting" was the curt, rather emotionless response.
The man felt the oozing moving up his arm and to his chest and looked down to see his clothes starting to drip, no longer as fine cloth. He lifted his leg, and it made a sickening sound as it peeled from the ground, leaving a black imprint on the ground. The rest of his body was beginning to look like the Sagrada Familia.
He tried to yell, but his teeth and tongue were becoming more malleable by the second.
"WHAT HARVE YRU DORNE TER MEER"
"I'm immortalizing you, my dear friend! You're just about ready!"
"THRSRSNORTWHRTIWRNTD"
Velnard cackled. "Perhaps not what you wanted, but what you agreed to. One should always read the contract before shaking hands with a strange creature."
The man started to cry, but his tears only served to smudge his eyeballs, making it difficult to see.
"Oh dear, you're going to smear your colors if you keep that up. Anyway, we're at the moment of truth! The canvas is ready"
The man struggled to stay upright as his knees slowly were softening. His breathing became ragged as his insides started melting.
"You have a choice, my friend. You can either stand here and melt into a puddle of you-colored paint, or you can use the last of your strength and jump into my canvas. You will be immortalized and people will gaze upon your beauty and cry tears of joy. Is that not what you wanted?"
The man's mouth was drooping as if he had heard some rather shocking news, his body now looked like a failed attempt at pottery. He knew another minute and he wouldn't be able to move the few feet to the canvas.
"Tick tock" chimed Velnard
The man, in despair, willed his goopy muscles to make one more movement. He dove towards the canvas, splattering himself across it. A giant human-shaped splotch mark was all that was left. The room became quiet.
Velnard walked up to the canvas and touched it. The ink shifted and splayed until it became the man.
He was glorious. He was immortal.
Just as he was promised.