The Magic Brush and Enchanted Paintings

Chapter 4

Chapter 2

Nearly hidden amongst the pines and oaks in the Buda hills, the modern, two-storey building looked more like a startled animal than a school. Classes were still in session on this sunny summer afternoon, and the playground was deserted. The only sounds to disturb the peace and quiet outside were the steady chirruping of birds and occasional passing car.

Behind the school’s white walls and one of its curtained windows, a history lesson was in progress. The teacher, Mr Keller, was operating a projector in the darkened classroom. At the press of a button, a slender female figure carrying a bow and arrow appeared. The details of the painting stood out clearly: cascading auburn hair, caramel-coloured eyes, and a white dress – cinched with a moon-shaped buckle – draped over a taut, muscular physique.

“This is Artemis,” the teacher spoke admiringly, “goddess of the Moon, hunting and wild animals.”

Mr Keller stepped away from his desk and moved closer to the students, thinking that maybe the gods of ancient Greece would draw a little closer, too. “According to the mythology, Artemis also had the task of protecting young women. She lived on the peaks of wood-covered mountains, but, just like many other gods and goddesses, she often appeared to mortals in need.”

Eight minutes remained until the bell would signal the end of the day’s seventh lesson, and no one in class 8A was showing even the faintest interest in the topic of discussion. Adam Keller hoped his own enthusiasm for history and classical studies would prove contagious, but his students were either fidgeting restlessly, talking quietly amongst themselves, doodling, or leafing through the textbook in boredom. One of the girls was excitedly flipping the pages of a favourite teen magazine from beneath her desk, while a boy was playing football with a scrunched-up ball of paper. Anyone peering in through the window just then would have thought it was a free study period.

Benson Parker slumped over his desk at the back of the classroom, his forehead pressed against his forearm. He looked like he was asleep, but his right hand was tapping out text messages with lightning speed:

“Hi Ed, whassup in NY?”

“Hey bro nothing much. Break coming up. Folks wanna go to California. How are things in Dubarest?”

‘Ugh, it’s Budapest, not Dubarest.’ Ben thought of correcting his old school friend but couldn’t be bothered.

“Nothing. Just stuck here in this backwater with a bunch of idiots.”

“:(( they heard of baseball over there?”

“Nope”

“You’ll be playing soccer then soon? LOL”

Ben was trying to think of a sarcastic reply when he suddenly became aware of an ominous silence. He felt as if trapped in a bubble: all the birds outside had gone silent and not a single car puttered past the school.

He looked up to meet the hard, fiery gaze of his teacher.

“Excuse me for disturbing you, Mr Parker. Maybe you do things differently in America, but it isn’t acceptable here to sleep through the lesson. Would you mind my asking you what I’ve been talking about for the last few minutes?”

Ben slid his phone under the desk and tried half-heartedly to look repentant. There was, something, however, about Ben’s unruly mop of hair and generally cheeky appearance that tended to make grown-ups mad before he even opened his mouth.

“You weren’t disturbing me, Mr Keller. The lesson’s about Greek culture.”

“Ancient Greek culture,” the teacher corrected him reflexively. “In any case, you obviously find the lesson dull, and I see there’s nothing I can teach you. So please, Mr Parker, do tell me a little about Artemis.”

The rest of the class, watching the unfolding conflict with interest, quickly returned to their books or pointedly studied the image of Artemis projected on the wall. Ben noticed a black-haired girl in the front row of desks who turned backwards and seemed to shake her head at him disapprovingly. The humiliating situation really raised his hackles.

“Why are you picking on me?” he lashed out suddenly. “No one else is listening either! No one here cares at all about these fairy tales! The ancient Greeks are long gone, and their gods never existed anyway. It’s all made up.”

“Are you trying to tell me you don’t know who Artemis is?” Mr Keller was angry now.

“No, just that I’m not interested. Nobody’s interested.”

Mr Keller folded his arms and pressed his lips together. His anger subsided behind the trace of a smile, but he couldn’t just walk away and lose face in front of the entire class. He had to make an example of the boy.

“Miss Lim?” Mr Keller turned to the girl sitting in the front row.

“Artemis was the virgin goddess of the hunt in Greek mythology. The twin sister of Apollo, protector of the vestal virgins. They say she walked through the forests naked, and that if anyone...”

Maya was interrupted by catcalls and uproarious laughter, but this somehow calmed the whole awkward situation. Mr Keller, who had been eying Ben like a snake sizing up its prey before swallowing it whole, withdrew his stare.

“Maybe I should have started with that little nugget of detail,” Mr Keller addressed the class. “Thank you for the detailed answer, Maya. And, ahem ... Mr Parker, I appreciate your pointing out the dullness of Greek mythology. Your homework assignment for the next lesson is to write about one important thing that Artemis did. Perhaps you can find something interesting about this ‘hot babe’ who never existed ... apart from her going round naked, of course. Use the internet if you like, but don’t forget that the school has an excellent library, and Mrs Kati will be happy to help with your research.”

There was so much anger in the classroom that it nearly exploded.

“What?” the students protested at once.

“That’ll be at least a full page of writing!” the complaints poured in. “We never get that much homework!”

“And for tomorrow? Please, Mr Keller!” protested a girl with long, braided hair and glasses who had spent the hour drawing colourful floral patterns in her exercise book.

“This is all your fault, big-mouth,” a tall, blond boy hissed at Ben from the neighbouring desk.

A few minutes ago his classmates had mainly felt sorry for him, but now Ben could sense the hostility all around him.

The teacher tried to quieten the room for a few moments, then looked at his watch and shut off the projector. Artemis vanished from the wall.

“That’s the end of today’s lesson,” he spoke quickly. “Don’t forget, we’re visiting the National Gallery tomorrow. We’ll meet in the schoolyard and go up to the Castle together. A tour guide from the Gallery will help us to understand the impact of ancient Greek and Roman culture on art through the ages.” The school bell sounded over the end of his announcement. Mr Keller gathered up his books and left the room without another word.

The classroom buzzed with a storm’s electricity. Everyone was talking at once, and Ben sat like a lonely island in the hurricane’s eye. Nobody spoke to him, nobody asked him anything. Insults would have been better. He felt so bad-tempered that he almost longed for someone to pick a fight with him. That would be one way at least to let out his bottled-up rage and disappointment.

After a few moments, only two students remained in the classroom. The black-haired girl from the front row walked towards Ben and sat down at the desk next to his. She had a kind-looking face and appeared to be of partially Asian descent, Ben observed. He thought her jet-black hair and almond eyes made her look almost like a cartoon character, lacking only a blue-collared white blouse and knee-length pleated skirt. She was actually dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.

“Quite an introduction.” The girl smiled at Ben. “I’m Maya Lim. We all heard your name a few times already... Mister Parker.” She drew out the first syllable of his surname, mimicking the teacher.

“Very funny,” Ben muttered sarcastically while gathering up his books and trying to ignore her. “Who wants to be the teacher’s pet anyway?”

Before the girl could reply, Ben grabbed his bag and rushed out of the classroom, along the length of the corridor and into the schoolyard.