Muggles' Canvases

       Muggles Canvases

Suzanne Marsh

Muggles was more than a mere clown, he was a true artist. Muggles had a way of painting life not just pictures. He began his painting while with the circus, he stumbled hit his head and began painting a flower, that seemed life like.. This was funny until he stumbled, hitting his head, then he found a gift he had no idea of how to deal with. He began to paint pictures, then find himself in the picture. He disappeared into the canvas one day. Three days later he returned telling the ring master, where he had been. The picture he painted was of a green valley, with beautiful wild flowers blooming. The Ring Master thought Muggles hit his head one to many times.

Muggles, argued with the Ring Master, he then painted a picture of a herd of wild elephants, with the Ring Master in it running for his life. Muggles thought that was hysterical, but he painted the Ring Master back out of the picture. Muggles, the Ring Master decided could bring down the house with his exploits painting folks into and out of pictures. He convinced Muggles that painting volunteers into pictures would bring him a great deal of money. Muggles thus began his second career.

The elderly white hair gentlemen at the premier of Muggles act, put up his hand and volunteered to be the subject providing it took him back to his glory days during the Civil War or as it is still referred to The Second Rebellion. He explained that he had been a Colonel in the Union Army then. He wanted to return to see how many men he lost that day. Muggles, looked at the rugged features of the old man, then began to sketch details that only the old man would know. He painted him into the Battle of Gettysburg, on Little Round Top, he also put in the Devil Den. He watched as the old man became young once again. Hiding behind a rock, his colt navy pistol at the ready. Firing between the trees as the rebels came up the slope. Firing into those men, knowing that it was a kill or be killed situation. He watched as the old man led the brigade down the slope. The old man went over to check the corpses that were lying on the ground, satisfied that his brigade had won a decisive battle. Shots were becoming louder, as Muggles quickly painted the elderly man out of the picture as quickly as he could. Muggles then decided that he was not going to do what the Ring Master suggested, it frightened him, when he saw the old man running down Little Round Top.

The Ring Master became more adamant: “Muggles, look at the proceeds from this morning!

You made over five hundred dollars with that painting. Don’t you see man, this could be

your ticket out of here.”

Muggles shrugged:

“I don’t know why I have acquired this gift other than I hit my head one to many times. I

don’t like taking money for painting people into pictures, most just want to see what

really happened at the time period. Sir, would you like me to paint you in a historical

time, you could see why I can’t continue.”

The Ring Master was not about to give upon Muggles:

“Muggles can you paint me into a picture during the rule of Henry VIII of England?”

Muggles wondered why that time period:

“Why then? Times were difficult then especially for Henry’s queens.”

“That Muggles is why I would like to be painted into Henry’s court. I am related to

Anne Boleyn, I want to warn her before she gets involved with Henry and quest for

a male heir.”

The Ring Master waited, Muggles nodded his assent, he began to paint. He first painted a large room, with balconies, a large table. Then he painted a very accurate picture of Henry VIII, red hair and beard. Finally he was ready to add Anne Boleyn, then the Ring Master. He watched as the painting came to life. The Ring Master introduced himself to Anne as he danced with her. Muggles watched as Henry glared at the Ring Master. Later that evening, Muggles continued to watch as a tragedy began to unfold. The Ring Master took Anne for a walk, he began:

“My lady I am from a different time, I come to you as a relative. You are in grave danger if

you marry the king. He will have you beheaded.”

Anne removed her arm from his, startled that he knew about her affair with Henry. She banished him from her sight. The Ring Master had done all he could, he wished to leave the painting now. Muggles painted him out quickly. The Ring Master thanked him, then vanished for several days.

A week later while the circus was in Waco, Texas Muggles painted a World War II veteran into the Battle of the Bulge. The veteran wished to find his buddy whom he lost during the battle, there was something he had to tell him and it was as he told Muggles ‘Vital’. Muggles began to paint a forest covered in pure white fluffy snow. It was the last German offensive of World War II. The veteran, found himself painted in his army uniform. The Germans began coming at the US and allied soldiers. General George S. Patton commanding the Third Army and Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt commanding the German Army. It was the morning of 16 December, 1944 when the armies began to clash. The Germans knowing they had to stop the Americans before they got over the river to Germany. It was difficult to see the Germans who dressed in complete white, they blended into the scene easily. Machine gun bursts were becoming louder. The veteran raised his hand to get his men to move forward. One boy, wavered, he wanted to run away. Muggles saw the veteran stop in his tracks, they boy continued to run, he was roughly fifteen. The veteran shot the boy, once he realized he was simply a kid, he held him til he passed. Muggles, quickly removed him from the scene, why he thought did he do something so terrible, then relive it. The veteran was out of the painting standing there with tears running down his face.

A few years later, Muggles disappeared. He painted himself into a Thomas Kincaid painting, of a thatched roof home in Ireland, where he lived out his life. No one knew he was an artist just a local man who loved Ireland.