Benny was an Italian adventurer and photographer who kept weekend hikes in the woods close to his heart like a magnet to a metal gate. The autumn breeze on this particular Roman Saturday morning swept red and yellow lightly from the woodland trees across the air. The birds chirped, the squirrels raced and as usual, Benny took a knee at a distance from the deer and looked through his DSLR camera with his left brown eye.
Just then, the sound of a loud mouth whistle interrupted his already hour-long stalk on these creatures and they fled.
"Hmm. That's strange," Benny said as he took his eye off his camera and scratched the thin black hair close to his already receding hairline.
The whistling sounds proceeded all the more from deeper in the woods. Benny packed up his bags in haste, dusted off the dirt on his yellow tracksuit jacket and brown cargo pants, and began to move towards the whistle. Someone was in the woods and the person was whistling a song.
After a short walk into the woods, Benny came across an old white man with a long white beard and a bald head sitting on a stump. In his right hand was a palette, with a paintbrush in the other. This rather strange old man in a long brown overrobe sat, painting the forest on a white canvas in front of him.
Then, the old man turned back and saw Benny who now took a step backward.
"Hey, you there!" the strange man said as he stood up and dropped his palette and brush down on the stump he sat. He walked briskly to Benny with his feet in his worn out sandals.
"What country is this?" the man asked as he stood about a meter from Benny.
"Italy," Benny answered with one brow raised.
"Ah, this is something. What year is this?" the man asked, looking up and around.
"It's 2019," Benny replied. On saying that, the man put his hand on his red cheek and gasped. He then began to walk round the stump with his head down as he muttered some words. "Is everything alright, Sir?" Benny asked.
Now the man stopped and came close to Benny. He put his right hand on Benny's shoulder which apparently made him uncomfortable. "What is your name?" he asked Benny quietly.
"I am Benny," replied Benny. "And you, what is yours?"
The man then took his hand off Benny's shoulder and placed it on his chest and replied;
"My name is Leonardo, but I'm known by a lot as Leonardo da Vinci. I'm an artist."
At that, Benny gave out a very huge laugh. "Get outta here, poser," Benny said with his finger wiping a tear from his eye. "Enough of the fun and games. Who are you, really?" Benny asked again, now smiling.
"Why do you laugh? I just told you," the surprised man said to Benny.
"Well, I'm not stupid. Leonardo da Vinci is dead," Benny replied.
"Huh? Do you know who I am?" the old man stroked his beard and asked.
"I certainly don't know who you are; but I know who Leonardo was," Benny said with a scoffing tone.
"Who is this man that you speak of?" the old man asked again.
"Ugh. You know, painter of the Mona Lisa and other stuff," Benny replied with his arms folded.
"Lisa?" the old man asked as he hurriedly walked towards the stump he sat on and searched a large sack that laid on the ground. He then brought out an incomplete portrait of the Mona Lisa from the bag. Her hair had not yet been painted fully.
"Do you know Lisa?" the old man asked as he held up the painting in front of Benny.
"No way," Benny said right before his cell phone rang in his pocket. He brought it out of his pocket and picked up the video call from his wife. "Hey hun, what's up?" Benny asked his wife, smiling.
"Hey hun, how are you doing?" Benny's blonde wife back at home asked.
"I'm doing gre-....," Benny said incompletely before the old man snatched his phone away from his hand. "Hey!" Benny screamed angrily. The old man ran quickly as Benny chased him round the open area.
"What sorcery is this? A damsel in a thin box!" the old man said as he evaded Benny and looked at his phone screen. He then paused for a moment and waved at Benny's wife and said, "hello! How did you get in there?"
Benny caught the old man by his robe and snatched back his phone. He had already mistakenly cut the call. Benny looked at his phone and his face turned red with anger.
"Hey, look! I don't know who you are, but you've got some nerve interrupting my phone call," Benny said as he pointed his finger angrily at the old man.
"Phone call?" asked the man with his head bent slightly sideways.
Just then, a man in a black overrobe with a large book in his hand came out from the woods to where these other two men were.
"Alright Leonardo. It's time to go," the strange man said as he adjusted the black hat on his head. Leonardo turned back and saw this man.
"Take me home, bloody mage!" Leonardo said with his face puffed red in anger and his fist clenched.
"I see you've made a friend," said the 'mage' as he pointed at a confused Benny who stood akimbo and watched. "Pack your bags Leonardo," said the man again as he opened his big black book and chanted some words. A dark blue portal opened up and he stepped into it.
Benny fell to the ground in extreme fear as he looked on. Leonardo, took up his sac and went near to the portal. He then turned back and gave a smile to Benny with a wave of his hand.
"Bye Benny. It was nice meeting you. Say hello to the lady in the literal chatter box for me," Leonardo said as he stepped into the portal which closed up right after he had stepped in.
@theinkwell on the week 83 prompt, chatterbox. I hope you all enjoyed it.
edited on Canva
