Secondo Il Dio - Genius

Again, awful names. Hatehatehate.


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Too curious for his own good Daniel might have been, but voyeuristic he was not.

Receiving word that Zee (it was a rare occasion he could actually remember his full name) was working on a new series for his next exhibit, Daniel took the liberty of traveling to his colleague’s home to see it for himself—under the pretense of discussing reviews for his last show. He went unannounced, hoping to catch the artist by surprise and maybe see a little more than he wanted him to. In this respect, he got exactly what he wanted, but in a different way entirely.

No one greeted him at the door after several loud knocks, so he peered around the side of the house and saw a small shack in the backyard. He strolled over to it, Art Magazine in hand, and saw through the slightly open door more of
Zebedeo than he had ever wanted to see.

The giggles and grunts that trickles through the crack suddenly stopped, and as Daniel stood flat against the outside wall, too afraid to move, he heard a confused gasp and the sound of something heavy falling to the floor, followed by an “oomph!”

“Ow! Zebby, what was that for?”

“I’ve had an idea, hold on.”

“Humph, every time…”

“Be flattered, Connie dear. You’re one of my main sources of inspiration these days. My little… passionate muse.” Zee spoke in a slightly far-off voice, and Daniel could tell by the scratching noises that he was sketching on canvas. ‘This must be his studio.’

“So you use me for sex, then?”

“Don’t be silly. I use you for other things too. The cooking, the cleaning…”

“Uh! Chauvinistic pig!

“Oink oink! Now stay still, I need to see the shading on your leg.”

Only beginning to wrap his head around things, Daniel barely noticed the silence that took over the shanty-looking hovel. ‘I must have the wrong house. This can’t be him. It simply can’t be…’

Disgusted but determined, he carefully peeked his head around the doorframe. What he saw made his heart lighten and his head grow heavy.

It was only a sketch, but that didn’t matter. Daniel could already see it for what it was: a masterpiece.

It was the woman—Connie, who he could see sitting to the left, tapping her fingers against the chair she sat naked in—but far more intricate and…beautifully twisted than the reality. The shapes and textures were all different, but somehow they just worked, bringing to his work the life Daniel had strived for, but never achieved. It was enchanting. It was stunning. And it was only a sketch, but already so flawless.

‘How does he do it?’

Usually one can tell a lot about someone from their appearance, but looking at Zee—an interestingly featured, frizzy red headed (Daniel shuddered) sprig—made him want to pinch himself. No one this obnoxiously eccentric could create such beauty. It just wasn’t how the world worked.

“Don’t move, I’ve almost got it.” Connie sighed, and a few pencil strokes later Zee was contented. “There. Done for now.” He stretched and yawned loudly, scratching himself. The pretty young woman jumped up from her seat, wasting no time crawling back on top of the acclaimed genius.

“So, where were we?” She bit his head playfully.

“Actually, sweet meat, I’m kind of hungry. Won’t you go whip up something scrumptious for us? It’s nearly lunch time.”

“You beast!” At first her face was wrought with indignation, but as soon as Zee took the opportunity to attack her exposed waist, the room was once again filled with the giggles of a man and a woman too young for their skin.

Daniel took his eyes away from the lighthearted scene and pushed himself back against the wall. He wasn’t sure he’d be standing otherwise.

‘What is this? What is this pain? What is this need in his art? Forever unfulfillable, yet fulfilling him who sees it, utterly. Is it God’s need? Could it be His…?’

The burning ate away at his insides. This was as close as he could get to Greatness: through the crack of a shanty door.
‘And from the hand of no one more than an obscene child!’

He knew, without a doubt, he must destroy this ‘Zeus’.

But how to kill a God…
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