The Picture

By Kenny Boles

[Page 12]

     Once upon a time in a faraway land, a wandering Prince pauses to live briefly among a tiny village of rude and lowly people. During the short time of his sojourn, the Prince displays his royal heritage by painting a beautiful picture of his homeland. Just as he finishes, ruffians and outlaws break in upon him, carry him away, and put him to death. The peasants mourn his passing and treasure the Picture as a memorial to the Prince. Every day, every week, every month they gather around the Picture in simple humility to admire it and remember the Prince.

     As time passes, a memorial chapel is built to house the Picture. This chapel is called the Museum, and the men who staff it are known as Guides. The Guides stand in a tight circle around the Picture, shouting to the peasants a word or two in honor of its beauty.

     "A bit of red!"

     "A subtle brush stroke!" The peasants shiver in delight. Though they are no longer allowed to view the Picture themselves, they are warmed and nourished by excerpts from the Guides. Assuming more and more prominence among the peasants, the Guides become an elite corps, easily identified by their attire and by their titles.

     Years pass, and the invention of photographic reproduction threatens the Guide profession. What if every peasant should have his own copy of the Picture and have no need of a Guide? Fortunately, however, the peasants have now lost confidence in their own ability to appreciate the Picture. The Guides are secure.

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     Thus, emboldened, the Guides launch a new thrust in their profession. With clever scissor-work the ingenious Guide can isolate a single color, a single stroke, and mount it on a Focus board for peasant appreciation. The peasants soon learn that studying the fragment on the Focus board is a much better idea than merely viewing the Picture itself.

     Competition among the Guides grows more and more intense now, and the Focus boards become more elaborate. By combining more excerpts of the Picture it is possible to create a whole new scene, using only scissors and paste. The peasants are so intrigued that they are much more curious about what new scene may appear next, than about what the Picture itself looks like! Guides and Picture-Pasters proliferate, and the people are warmed and nourished by their craft. Everyone seems quite content.

     One day, however, foreboding news is heard. It is rumored that the Prince did not die, but lives! And he is coming back! What will happen? Will the Prince get the Picture? Will the Guides get the Picture? Do you get the picture?