Sneaking a Peek

By C.C. Panda

CLONK! The sound of the heavy metal bucket hitting the floor resonated throughout the entire chapel. Uh-oh, I am sure to be caught now. I ducked quickly into a corner in the entry way. From above, a voice snapped out, “I thought I told you not to come back! I don’t need you lazy rascals to help me!” I was frozen against the wall, holding my breath. Nearly everyone in Rome knew that the famed artist, Buonarroti, was choleric and hard to work with. He preferred working by himself.

Sweat began to cover my dust coated face. What if he came down to check to see if anyone was there? What would he do to a little apprentice boy like me? Nervously, I remained a statue until I heard no sounds of approaching trouble. Crouching low, I slowly crawled around the corner into the open sanctuary and as I looked up my mouth dropped.

Before me were piles of planks, buckets, brushes and heavy tapestries. Taking up the entire room, complex scaffolding extended all the way up to the domed ceiling. Parts of it were painted with vivid yet half finished pictures. The contrast between the light and dark colors gave the pictures the illusion that they were popping out of the wall. In the dim light, I saw a fully painted Moses, dressed in a beautiful purple robe. I continued to stare at the wonders of the ceiling before I noticed a man lying on his back. With care, he was dexterously painting the ceiling while lying down. That must be he! That must be Michelangelo Buonarroti! I wanted to tell him that it was grand and beautiful. But instead I quietly sneaked out of the Sistine Chapel and ran home, leaving him in peace.