Artist and Muse

Intro (Tribute to Anubis) A sketchbook filled with memories of her—the unattainable woman. The one who seemed to exist on a different plane, far out of my reach. She was everything I wasn’t, and we had nothing in common, yet I was drawn to her in a way I couldn’t explain. It was a one-sided attraction, the kind people refer to as a crush or fleeting puppy love. But to me, it was deeper. It was real. I never worked up the courage to tell her how I felt. Instead, I lived in the safety of my imagination, where I could carry her books down a sunlit hallway or hear her laugh at some clever joke I never actually told. I wrote her name again and again, just to see it beside mine, a pairing that felt like a secret wish. I even scribbled love notes—always unsigned, always anonymous—hoping they might make her smile, even if she never knew they came from me. Years have passed since I last saw her. Time has softened the sharp edges of those feelings, but it hasn’t erased them. Every now and then, she drifts into my thoughts, and for a fleeting moment, I’m that dreamer again, sketching the impossible. She became the spark that fueled my imagination. Her likeness filled my art portfolio, paving the way for my degree in fine arts. The daydreams of our imaginary dates shaped me into a romantic, giving me the courage to ask out a real girl—the one who would become my wife. When the time came, it was those same dreams that helped me create the perfect proposal. In so many ways, I owe her everything. She made me strive to be better, and for that, I’ll always be grateful. -Robin Griffith, aka Anonymous