The Three Drawings

Once upon a time there was a little girl. She had plenty of things she loved to do all the time, like dancing, listening to music, and playing with her friends. One day, though, her mom gave her a packet of large pictures to color in, and she decided to do something different. They were poster-size portraits of young girls in everything from elegant to simple old-time dresses, all posing sweetly or elegantly. Three in particular stood out to the little girl, and she was determined to bring them to colorful life. It would have to only be an attempt, since it wasn't really her forte, but the pictures were so pretty that she had to try.

So she pulled out her colored pencils and began working to fill them in, one at a time, carefully filling in every detail. She used a special technique that she had taught herself and pressed extra hard on the drawing's lines to give their hair and dresses extra depth and color. She even filled the backgrounds. In the end, they were enchanting. There was one color for each girl's dress: blue, pink and green. Their relative colors perfectly matched their disposition and style. She was so proud of how they turned out, and had worked so hard on them, that she decided she must save them as a treasure.

Years and years went by, and when she moved out as an adult, she brought them with her. When she was married and started a new life in a new home, she brought them with her. Even when she had many children and moved into a larger house, she brought them with her. Then, one day, she pulled them out of the dust and packaging they had laid in for years. As she looked at them, she suddenly realized something with a leap of surprise and astonishment in her heart. The three drawings had come to life, really and truly, as sure as she was sitting there, since she brought color to their little faces so long ago. For each little character on the page, she now had one little girl in her life.

None were a likeness in face, figure, dress, or looks at all. But the attitude, style, and obvious character of each that exuded so obviously through the colors was a perfect representation of each of her three young daughters.

First, the blue-dress girl stood tall with hair pinned back by a handkerchief. Although her dress had some ruffles here and there, it was the most simple and practical of the three. She stood tall, with a somber look out ahead. In her hands, she held two objects that signified the work that she was always trying to finish. There hung a little pitcher in the one hand, and a dark brush for cleaning was held in the other.

Next, the pink-dress girl was bright in all her elegance and frills. Her dress was adorned with ribbons and flowers, and she held up the edge to show its details and richness. In the other hand she held a matching fan that went perfectly with her dress and ruffled choker necklace. She smiled sweetly with her hair pulled up in curls adorned with flowers.

Finally, the green-dress girl explored a land independently. Her dark hair let loose in the wind, and she held a thoughtful, though pleasant, expression. The dark wooden walking stick that she held matched perfectly to the nature below that she walked through. The green dress was simple, though unlike the blue girl's it had more freedom with a layer that blew in the wind. In her second hand she was well-prepared, with a pink bag holding... who knows what? Food? A book or two? Trinkets? Whatever she decided to bring along.

They hang in the three daughter's rooms today, and have remained a representation of the real girls' natures over years of the girls getting older. I'm sure you can figure out who they belong to.

Shelly Rias 7/18/74