----------------------------------------
Chapter 04: Creativity
“Vertalia? Is that where the block is supposed to be.” Melie leaned at me sticking from my shoulder into her shoulders as it tingles throughout my sensation.
I shook my shoulders, pouting my face into the extent as a reply that I have no idea what I’m doing. We play the usual board games such as; Chess, Checkers, Scrabble and many more board games as you could find. However, Mr. Adalwolf told us and always say;
‘Remember my dear children, always follow your passion and hobby that you’ve always desired. Follow what you’ve always dreamed off.’
It was very good advice. Sometimes I’ve always wondered what the board games meant for us. But this time it was a wooden ‘domino’ block on the porcelain table like any other children in a very large and cold Nursery Hub.
I dropped the domino block not parallel to the top of the horizontal block. Then I took out the book of so-called; ‘Curriculum of Art Styles.’ And used the edges of the round porcelain table as my balance.
“Vertalia, why would I have to do all the work for you.”
Melie sigh in disbelief, she stood up in front of my head through her chest, correctly placed the domino block into a ‘Jenga’ form and sat next to me with frustration in her face.
“V, tell you what?” Issyus patted my shoulders as me continuing to read Chapter 27 of the book as I don’t care from this world at all.
“Think of Jenga as a drawing” he smiled at me as my attention gazed upon him with that word. He added with another philosophical moment
“Remember when Mr. Adalwolf told us that hating something can’t overcome your fear.”
I shut my art book with obnoxious emotions then put it on the edge of the table.
“I know what you mean, Melie,” I said with an almost quiet and meek tone of my voice.
“Please Vertalia, Just this once?”
Melie begged with her hands clasping together in her chest with assurance. I’m going to tell you that no one could reject that glittering and cute eyes. It was really at this point that I need to focus on becoming more friendly to Melie just this once since we’ve been together for a few months now.
“Why not?”
I shrugged with my hands at the disposal on the table. With that reply alone, Melie started giggling with the cutest expression and an optimistic expression she ever had;
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” she said with the most confident thing that I’ve ever seen that she stood up and started shrugging my shoulders as a compliment. That compliment may be the best thing to feel, but I got nervous about the fact that I like board games to the extent. I do! But I prefer to discover things on my own accord.
But probably fate is something that can go and hit your face in an instant. It happens to everyone and no one can avoid that;
“Tell me how this works.” I sighed before saying anything as I am ready to face the new board game, gradually something I might be fond of sooner.
“Ok the rule is simple, try to take one block wherever you want to and put one in the top without knocking the whole tower over.”
Melie put one block at the top of the tower side by side below of the blocks as a final piece. It was majestic yet a Jenga tower that stood up one foot on the round table.
“A person who knocks the tower loses.” She added clasping her hands again as she finished the Jenga tower set.
“Well isn’t Jenga supposed to be a two-player board game. Should I become a coach?” Issyus said while balancing his cheeks with his right hand, analyzing like a total scientist in the cosmos.
“I want you to join as well Issyus, might as well bending the rules if we have to.”
“Oh, I have an idea.” She added pointing her hands in the air as if it had come up in mind.
“Why not we and Vertalia team up together while you do it alone since you’re up to challenges. Me staring at Issyus as he stretches her arms high and started shaking his palms as a sign of readiness.
“So you want to gang up on me from the start I see.” Issyus smirking at Melie who seems confident in challenges at every board games.
“I’ve lost too many times Issyus, so it’s kind of a cheat that works.” She said while having an obnoxious emotion in her stead.
Melie sat up next to me with happy emotions on her pink cheeks, tries to straighten up the tower so it would not cause any subsidence.
She paused her hands in the air and starting to observe whether the tower is balanced or not. At a whim, she smiled showing her glowing teeth in front of us, the tower is fully ready at the disposal and watched which direction the small chair is and starts sitting it, trying to fix her blonde double ponytailed hair and wiping her pale cheeks from her hands.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
I was looking at Melie out of curiosity, showing my meek and kind smile.
Few minutes passed by, everything went with sheer emotions and I was on the verge on my seat taking notes on where should I release a useless block into the top.
Melie is on focus as she analyzes and slowly picked the critical parts of the tower without ever collapsing the tower;
“If I chose to pick that block from one side, It’ll collapse.” She exclaimed with a sheer panic into her face as she stared at the Jenga tower already has loose sides on each sector of the block. She went on to the side of Issyus to look for spots she can pick up on, to a surprise she giggled and slowly picked the side block near the top and starts pulling the block carefully with her fingertips.
Successfully removes the side block and slowly places it on top, not even an inch of movement from the Jenga block as she quietly put the block with smooth precision.
“This is my last strike from you Issyus, you have no spare blocks you can pick and seems you’re going to lose finally.”
Melie mocks Issyus out of desperation, All the sides of the Jenga tower has been removed after a few minutes of fair play. The Blocks are cleaner on top and the bottom somehow has one block on each side. Surprisingly the tower has an insane amount of balance. I was on it with a good aspect Surprise that the tower did not move or swaying an inch and did not exhale a single breath so that the tower would not subside.
“Issyus, I guess it’s your turn now.” Melie goes back to her seat as all of us went a bit distance from the round porcelain table. As soon as she sat back into her small chair few children started taking interest from the game as if they knew it's getting intense and at the verge of climax.
You can hear someone was talking behind me as they took the keen of interest on the game;
“Go Issyus.” A random kid says as he put his fist on both chins and tiptoed his legs around as he was filled with excitement. The other kid wears glasses standing behind the back of Melie waiting for Issyus to move the block.
Issyus stood up from his chair and starts walking around the round table, looking for a potential candidate of the block he could pick. He analyzes every weakness, every block that has to be picked without collapsing its structure. The Jenga block has no apparent sides, in the middle which only supported by one block side by side. The top part, however, which has the heavyweight should have collapsed the entire tower but with Melie and Vertalia’s decision, the tower still stands in an unbelievable proportion.
Issyus stop walking around the table, he sees the best spot and started smirking at Melie who seems at interest on how Issyus should assess the situation.
He put his hands in the middle of the single supportive block by adjusting and tilting the single block slowly, then he released his hand, holds his breath in a period like a wolf and gave a hand sign that he was about to swing his pointer hand with great precision and timing.
My surroundings felt the tension of the game as if everything was in slow motion. Issyus was about to strike the block by removing the single block only supported the top. A mistake from the strike of the single block will cause it to bump below or land in the air without striking the bottom block and collapse.
“I knew he was gonna do the risky move. Go Issyus”
Melie whispers in front of me and then starting cheering at Issyus even though as a foe in a match. I smiled back to Melie and looked back at Issyus, preparing his strike to that single block.
He exhaled a bit of air, looking at that block as if it was target practice, it was a vague and serious tone in his face and started to swing his hand with extreme pace. As his hands sway, the sudden jolt of wind strike-through Issyus hands like a jet stream bumping his hand into the head of the block.
The Block moved with an unprecedented move as it shoots out a few feet away from the game. The top portion of the tower was pulled into the hands of gravity as it free falls into the ground, the tower, however, did not separate its structure as it fells a few inches as it bumps below the supported block without collapsing it.
The children who spectated the game gasped in awe as they witnessed the move as they never have seen such interesting can be made in a Jenga game. They started cheering him like the star of the century, Me and Melie stood up from the chair and started cheering near Issyus.
“That was very impressive that you did Issyus,” I said with a bubbly expression in my face, patting my hand into his back as a sign of compliment.
“No fair you Cheat!
Melie softly punched Issyus in the shoulder as she exclaimed with emotions of happiness.
“Hey?
Issyus said as a reply, touching and caressing his shoulder to comfort where Melie punched at.
“That was the coolest move I’ve ever seen. Teach me! Teach me!”
She added finally as a sign of appreciation towards Issyus.
“Don’t you remember Mr. Adalwolf’s creativity Melie?” he said
“Creativity is the best,” Melie said as she cheers him and shakes Issyus with both of his shoulders.
“Hey! Cut that out.” He said as he laughed hard than expected.
----------------------------------------
“Looks like you have the best strategy that has come upon you Issyus, I admire your Creativity, plus Mr. Adalwolf has taught you well.”
A figure began walking towards Issyus as he wears a Blue Colored Tuxedo and a Yellow scarf behind his neck. Wears round glasses and a pair of Medals in his chest pockets.
“Good Afternoon Mr. Isaac, the children greeted him with a cute and a sync monotone.”
Issyus looked at the ground as his shyness and a red cheek begin to consume his emotions.
“T- t- Thank you, Mr. Isaac.” He said with a stutter in his voice
“No need to be shy about your bravery towards Creativity Issyus. It’s just your first step on becoming a person of wisdom and independence and I love to see children be like that”
Isaac caressed Issyus hair as a show of gratitude for what he did. and started clearing his throat as something is up;
“I’m sorry my children, I may not want to disturb on what you are doing but we will have a final test starting in about an hour, I want you to be ready for anything.”
“Eidetic tests are the primary objective of this test and I hope you all well and good luck.”
He added with a serious tone in his voice, fixating his glasses into the right position and starts assessing the children to form their lines.
“Eidetic test, what’s that?” Melie said with a tone of a question in his voice.
“It’s about memory skills solely focused on memorizing each object in a short period.”
I said as I answered her question.
“Most likely Eidetic is a skill among geniuses that can have Photographic memories on what they see in the past after exposing the event in a short time.”
Issyus added my missing sentences as he added furthermore about Eidetic test;
“So think of it like you are taking a picture of one specific object. Then that picture will be always in your head like it’s a photograph.”
“That’s interesting”. Melie nodded in agreement as the children began falling in line that’s so synchronized.
“Children form your lines now; Tests cannot be waiting for a due,” Isaac said with his formal words as Issyus, Melie and I began forming up the line as expected in synchronous position.
----------------------------------------