Alex sat in the art room on Tuesday afternoon. It was quiet, except for the scratching of charcoal on paper.
The assignment was "Perspective."
Alex looked at the bowl of fruit in the middle of the room. He squinted.
To him, the apple wasn't just a fruit. It was a ball. The banana was a curved run. The grapes were a defensive cluster.
He drew lines. Arrows. X's and O's.
"Mr. Finch," the art teacher, Mrs. Higgins, said, looking over his shoulder.
"Yes, Miss?"
"I asked you to draw the fruit. You have drawn... a 4-3-3 formation attacking a pear."
"The pear is the goalkeeper, Miss," Alex explained. "It has a low center of gravity."
Mrs. Higgins sighed. "It is creative, I suppose. But please, try to add some shading. Shadows are important."
"Shadows," Alex whispered.
He thought about the next game.
Champions League. Round of 16.
Atletico Madrid. Away.
The masters of the shadows. The kings of the "Dark Arts".
"I will study the shadows, Miss," Alex said seriously.
