Page 14 of A Little Christmas! 4: Song

“Please,” Zachy said, finishing his first chicken strip and wiping his fingers before accepting the phone Song handed him. “Whoa, that’s low-key terrifying!”

“What is?” Daddy asked, so Zachy turned the phone so he could see the weary, skeletal guitarist, stringy hair hanging in lank strips from his scarred skull as he sat on a throne that was shaped like a giant, leering bat, its eyes glowing as it peered over the guitarist’s head.

“Holy shit,” Daddy exclaimed loud enough that the folks at the other table glanced over at them before turning their attention back to their food.

He just shrugged and took a bite out of his burger while Zachy swiped through several images, all dark, creepy, and utterly stunning.

“These are awesome,” Zachy said as he turned the phone around again. “Check out the bone bike.”

“I love drawing skulls and bones,” Song admitted. “Human ones, animal ones, but the best part is getting to put them together to create creatures that don’t even exist outside of my mind.”

“I can see why bands have been snapping them up,” Daddy said.

“You really like them?”

“I do,” Daddy said. “You have a fine eye for details. It’s easy to appreciate the skill that goes into crafting each creature, so it looks physically possible while keeping to the dark fantasy vibe you’ve got going on.”

“I did my first commission piece a few months ago,” Song said. “The guy wanted a Viking warrior with the head of a stag, the wings of a raven, and the tail of a wolf. He wanted a bone battle axe too, with the handle shaped like a serpent and the figure to be standing atop a pile of fallen adversaries with broken helms and damaged weapons. It took me almost two weeks just to sketch the details on the weapons and work out how to get the shading right on the ravens that were swooping in behind him, bringing with them a massive storm of lightning and feathers. It’s one of the coolest pieces I’ve ever created, but I can’t show anyone until after they do their New Year’s cover reveal.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing that,” Daddy said. “Just from the way you’ve described it, I can already tell you that it will draw a ton of attention. What medium did you use to create it?”

“I start with sketches, and once I have all the pieces worked out, I lay them over my drawing tablet and create digital drawings that then have to be detailed and compiled. I lost count of how many times my hand cramped up while I was working on it, but his reaction when he finally saw it made it more than worth the aching shoulders and sore back I wound up with after every session.”

“Did you have to go to art school to learn how to do that?” Zachy asked.

“Naa, I hated school. No way was I going for another four years after I graduated,” Song explained. “I’ve been drawing since before I learned how to play the drums. I started out just trying to copy things from differentHow to Drawbooks, but once I got the hang of each of the forms, I started adding my own touches and playing with the poses and the details in them untilthey no longer looked like duplicates. If I’d come in here alone, I’d have wound up drawing on napkins while I waited for my food, or writing lyrics on them.”

“That’s so cool,” Zachy said. “I don’t draw very well, but I love to color.”

“I do too,” Song said. “It’s my favorite way of decompressing. I’ve got ideas for coloring books, and I’d started organizing them into lists of different pictures to include, but then the bookings for the band started to really pick up, and I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to it.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna be busy this Sunday?” Zachy asked.

“Not if it means we get to hang out again,” Song replied.

“Done deal then,” Daddy said. “Does the same time as last week work for you?”

“Definitely.”

“Then we’ll see you then.”

“Ohh, can we get stuff to bake cookies?” Zachy asked.

“We sure can,” Daddy replied.

“What kind are your favorites?” Zachy asked, turning towards Song, who plucked a napkin from the table to wipe away a smear of something from Zachy’s cheek. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Song replied. “And I love chocolate peanut butter and oatmeal chocolate chip.”

“Mmmm, those sound good,” Zachy said. “Chocolate chunks are my favorites, but I’d love to try something new.”

“If you have some recipes handy, why don’t you text them to Zachy, and we’ll have everything ready for you guys on Sunday,” Daddy said.

“Awesome! Thank you for letting me come over again.”

“As long as you guys are having fun, you can come over as often as our schedules will allow.”

“I’d like that,” Song replied.