Illuminations

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Illuminations by T. Kingfisher

Rosa Mandolini is bored. The most bored anyone has ever been ever. Times one hundred. She wants to draw illuminations, paintings that can carry a magical charm, but they need to be very specific or they won’t work. Being a Mandolini, part of the world famous Studio Mandolini, means that their illuminations should always work but Rosa, who is still learning, wants to give her radishes fangs not wings. She can even feel that they want fangs not wings. Sigh. Her family is lovely but they don’t understand Rosa’s paintings, though at least Uncle Alfonso appreciates her art. 

Uncle Marco, Cousin Sergio, Aunt Nadia and Grandmama are too busy to entertain her so Rosa must entertain herself. Grandmama suggests Rosa visit her friend Serena. Serena’s family is Studio Magnifico, another illumination house. Sometimes Rosa likes Serena, sometimes she does not. Today is a ‘not entirely’ kinda day. Serena has recently started declaring “you have to do what I say because I’m a year older” which is annoying, but Rosa is bored so she heads to Studio Magnifico anyway.

Serena’s brother opens the door and calls for his sister when he sees Rosa. Serena appears and declares “oh, it’s you” then tells Rosa she is far too busy to play, calls the Studio Mandolini old fashioned and weird, and says that she is too busy with a commission (GASP!). After Serena brags about her family and turns away, Serena’s brother tells Rosa it’s only gryphons holding acorns for the cafe down the street with a grain moth problem. Still, though… Rosa doesn’t have a commission, no one wants a radish with teeth. Still bored, Rosa heads back home. 

Rosa dramatically throws herself on Uncle Alfonso’s sofa and tells him what Serena called Studio Mandolini and that she has a commission (GASP!). Uncle Alfonso is super chill and only wishes Serena well and admits Mandolini isn’t what it once was, there are fewer in their family and people’s tastes change, but they also must have faith. When Rosa asks if there is an illumination to make people like art, Uncle Alfonso directs her to [insert dramatic music] the Codex. 

Every illumination studio has two books: the Codex Iconographica and Iconographer’s Concordance. They are big and weighty and describe illuminations so you can create the correct image for the magic to work. Unfortunately the Codex does not offer Rosa an answer to her question. Well, that filled in ten minutes. When Rosa asks if she can help Uncle Alfonso, he suggests she head into the basement and look for a stuffed armadillo. He has an illumination to ward off blisters to create and would like to use the armadillo as a model. An armadillo can ward off blisters? Rosa wishes her radishes, though Uncle Alfonso loves them, could do something. Rosa heads to the basement.

The basement is a jumble of chaos and a wonderful treasure trove of costumes and props if you’re able to find what you are looking for. As Rosa is looking in and around boxes labeled stuff, she happens upon a door marked more stuff, and it seems no one has been inside for thirty-two years going by the calendar she finds. The stuffed armadillo is not there, but there is an interesting box with a crow illumination on it that keeps making her turn around and forget about it. It’s only because Rosa carries a pen and writes on the back of her hand “crow box in basement” that she remembers about it and checks the Concordance for what the crow illumination can mean. Unfortunately she finds a lot of that section marked “banned, details redacted.” Rosa needs to think about this, how is she going to stop the illumination from working on her?

The next day Rosa is still thinking about the box conundrum as she helps Uncle Marco find his stag beetle Walter. An offhand comment from Cousin Sergio about Ulysses sparks an idea, and abandoning Walter, Rosa races off for some twine. In the basement, Rosa ties one end of the twine to her wrist and the other to the doorknob. It takes a few attempts but Rosa is able to wrap the box in some lace she found in the room enough that the illumination doesn’t work. On her way out of the basement, and locating Walter on the stairs, Rosa heads to her bedroom, ties her wrist to her bed, puts a pair of underwear on her head as a blindfold and begins to unwrap the box. She’s interrupted by Grandmama and Uncle Alfonso who are not going to ask any questions about what she’s doing. They invite her to the unveiling of the sewer illumination Uncle Alfonso was part of.

The illumination is made of several huge tiles painted by different studios, though Studio Magnifico did two Uncle Alfonso later explains because they work together on their paintings while Mandolini don’t have the temperament for that. The tiles are lowered into the sewer and the water buffets against it, creating ooze and garbage like a giant snake on one side and on the other side, clean water comes out. This is a huge deal for the whole city. It will clean the stinking, unhealthy canals throughout the city giving people clean water and better air. After having a celebratory lemon ice, they return home and Rosa is determined to tackle the box. With her underwear back on her head, she is able to prise open the box. Something scurries up along her arm and then she feels a weight on her shoulder, a Rawwk! and a voice telling her that she has let the Scarling out. 

Taking the underwear off her head, Rosa finds a talking crow in her room. His name is Payne, like Payne’s Grey, the blue-black paint color, and his master is Tybalt Mandolini. He was placed on the box to keep the evil Scarling inside until Tybalt could figure out how to stop it for good. After a confusing conversation about dates because there has been a revolution since Payne was put on the box, it turns out he’s been on the box in the basement for over two hundred years. Payne explains that the Scarling, which is essentially a magical mandrake root, drains the magic from illuminations and it may have the magical charcoal made from its own root, and if that’s the case, they’re in big trouble! Rosa is called by her Grandmama to help with dinner, so in the meantime, Payne will check the box for the charcoal. Much later, Payne tells Rosa the Scarling has the charcoal which means they’re in trouble.

The next morning Grandmama accuses Rosa of drawing little spiky figures near the baseboard on the walls and tells her to clean them off. When Rosa fetches Payne, currently distracted by a shiny spoon, to take a look at the figures, he confirms it’s the work of the Scarling. Rosa wants to tell her family but Payne says they need to keep it all secret. A few minutes later, Rosa lugs a bucket of soapy water to clean the drawings off, but the figures are gone! 

“Awk! Bad! RAWK!” Payne shouts when Rosa tells him. Obviously the whole family hears Payne and sees Payne but no one thinks ahh talking bird only concerned that a bird has gotten in the Studio. Grandmama asks Rosa if the drawings are gone, yes, which is good because Rosa can clean the one in the bathroom, this one a crude turtle with claws. Lugging the bucket into the bathroom Rosa once again finds the drawing gone. After emptying the bucket and kicking the toilet in frustration, Rosa goes to the kitchen where she sees movement behind her Grandmama’s decorative plates and the Scarling pops out and it’s ugly. It’s about the size of a rat, has white lips, peg-like teeth and no eyes, it scuttles on three blackened legs and has two blackened arms, one holding the charcoal. As it dives for Rosa she uses the bucket to swat it, but before she can trap it underneath, it scuttles behind the stove. 

Nadia’s screams ring throughout the studio. Her huge and very detailed and financially very important to the Studio illumination of angels has been defaced. Little angry figures have been drawn along it and up the sides, and the angels have been given mustaches. Nadia accuses Rosa of doing it, and no one believes that she didn’t. Back in her room, while untangling a costume jewelry necklace from Payne’s foot which he liberated, Rosa tells him what happened and Payne explains that the Scarling’s charcoal, when mixed with illumination magic, can bring the art to life, a power many would want. Just then one of the drawings scrambles down Rosa’s wall. Payne calls it a Scribbling and catches it in his beak and rips it into charcoal powder. 

The next day Grandmama hands Rosa a bucket of soapy water and gives her a Look. Before Rosa can go and find the Scribbling, Uncle Alfonso offers to take her out to pay their taxes, he promises Grandmama, with a twinkle in his eye for Rosa, it is a somber chore where there will be no laughing, jokes or smiles. He uses this time to make Rosa smile, he is the only one who believes she didn’t do the scribbles, and tries to get her to tell him what is going on. Rosa sees a city filled with important illuminations like preventing fires and stopping pigeons from pooping, and doesn’t say a thing. 

During the night, Payne wakes Rosa to deal with some Scribblings on the roof. The Scarling made the doodles on the herb planters, but luckily they haven’t come to life yet, so Rosa is able to wash them off. Payne explains that the Scarling is still building its strength back so its Scribblings are able to steal the magic from small illuminations but not big ones like Nadia’s angel illumination. It will also want to stay close to Studio Mandolini because it doesn't like the Mandolini family or Payne and will want to get revenge. 

In the morning, Rosa tries to persuade Payne to talk to her family because Grandmama found more Scribblings and accused Rosa of drawing them, but he keeps saying no. Payne goes on to explain Tybalt used him as bait in a trap for the Scarling, but he didn’t destroy the mandrake root as he suggested. They’re interrupted by Grandmama’s angry shouts again. In the kitchen, the family has gathered. They’re looking at Grandmama’s decorative plates from her travels, each with a Scribbling. Uncle Marco says he doesn’t believe Rosa did them and proves it when he asks Rosa to reach them by standing on a chair. At last her family believes her and apologizes for their accusations, but if Rosa didn’t do the scribbles… who did?

Grandmama bakes when she’s stressed and baked so much that Rosa is sent to their neighbors with pies and tarts. During one visit, a neighbor reports their illumination on their copper boiler isn’t working, though he thinks it’s because he dropped dye it. When Rosa looks, she can see the remains of a charcoal scribble. This is bad. Meanwhile, Uncle Marco reports seeing a rat in the studio, but that illumination looks intact, so he could only have seen the Scarling. 

Later, Uncle Marco declares an urgent need for the color blue in order to finish his beetle illumination. Unfortunately there is none in the studio and they can’t afford more as it’s a very expensive color, so Rosa is sent to borrow some from Studio Magnifico. When she gets there, Serena drags her into her bedroom and demands to know what is going on, showing Rosa her ruined commission. One of the Scribblings has gotten to the Studio and has been using crayon to ruin Serena’s gryphons. Luckily they are still magic, but not all salvageable. Rosa, feeling guilty, tells Serena everything thinking it’s a loophole as Payne only told her not to say anything to her family. Thankfully Serena believes her and has an idea to catch the critter. 

Using one of Serena’s gryphon illuminations as bait, they upend a glass jar, wedge a rock with a pink ribbon tied around it and wait… and wait … and THERE IT IS! a little smudged around the edges, caterpillar-like Scribbling appears and the trap works perfectly. Rosa wants to get it to Payne straight away and Serena declares she is coming and going to help with the Scarling problem the Mandolinis are suffering from. Together with the Scribbling in the jar and some lapis blue paint for Uncle Marco, they head back to Studio Mandolini. Rosa was right, Payne isn’t happy that Serena knows about everything, but who will believe two kids?! They tell them about the Scribbling trap and wonder if the same thing could be done for the Scarling and use the Scribbling, one of its troops, as bait. Possibly. As they’re mulling this idea over, they notice the Scribbling using its pilfered purple crayon as a makeshift spear of sorts and jabbing it toward something pinned to Rosa’s wall. It’s a fanged radish picture. Testing the theory further, Rosa draws a new one. They open the jar and the Scribbling refuses to come out. Well, they know what fanged radishes do now. 

Rosa manages to persuade Grandmama to let Serena sleep over that night, they’re going Scarling hunting! During the afternoon, Rosa prepares by painting the best, most magnificent radish on the lid of a hat box using some of Uncle Alfonso’s good paint for it. They plan to use the Scribbling to lure the Scarling out and slam the radish lid over it to trap it. At first it all seems to be working well, except Rosa slams the lid down too roughly and she grabs for it making the Scarling give an awful scream which causes the grown ups to come and investigate. The Scarling bites down on Rosa’s hand and she instinctively grips tighter, hears a snap sound and throws the creature across her bedroom which is when the adults enter and see something splat against the wall then run off. Grandmama treats the tiny bite in Rosa’s hand as she and Serena give an edited explanation about their hunting the creature out to ruin Studio Mandolini. They are congratulated for ingenuity but also told to leave it to the adults. Back in her room as Payne is making shifty moves toward Serena’s shiny hair barrette, he’s already pilfered all the spoons, Rosa opens her other clenched hand. In it is the Scarling’s charcoal. Payne is a happy crow, the Scarling has lost its power! 

After the neighbor reports his copper boiler illumination is dirty again, Rosa and Serena realize they need to do something about the Scribblings. Rosa draws loads of radishes since the Scribblings don’t seem to like them and the girls visit the neighborhood to distribute them next to illuminations on the pretense that they are being tested to keep dirt off the illuminations, and Payne helps by placing them on rooftops. After an exhausting day, Rosa and Serena are getting ready for bed and talking to Payne who is enthralled by one of Serena’s shiny hair barrettes. In fact, he is so distracted, Payne doesn’t realize when he admits Tybalt created the Scarling. Rosa is angry, very, very angry, he lied to her and gets up and goes to Uncle Alfonso’s room. 

Rosa tells Uncle Alfonso everything. Then she tells the rest of her family everything over coffee and hot chocolate. Sergio finds Tybalt’s entry in a book of artists and finds out that he died thirty-two years after Payne was placed on the box which devastates the crow who feels cheated giving his blind loyalty to a dead guy who forgot him. As a family, they discuss the Scarling and the Scribblings. They can’t wait for the Scribblings to lose power now that they have the Scarling’s charcoal, so Nadia points out that if she were the Scarling she would try to come for the charcoal. If only they had their own scribble army… Just then, Grandmama points to the radish doodle Rosa made on a napkin. It’s started wiggling, then stands up and chirps at Rosa. 

Payne keeps saying it’s impossible, but clearly it’s not. Serena points out the only difference with this radish to the hundreds Rosa has drawn over the years, is the halo. Uncle Alfonso asks Rosa to draw another radish without the halo. She does and absolutely nothing happens, but as is typical with Rosa’s radishes, the family and Payne can feel the potential. At Uncle Alfonso’s instruction, Rosa draws a halo and the radish pulls itself off the napkin and waddles to sit with the other on Rosa’s shoulder. See, not impossible. The next question is how to catch the Scarling. As it's midnight, Grandmama orders everyone to go to bed, it’s a problem for the morning, but in the meantime, the charcoal needs guarding. Payne offers to guard the charcoal in the box, so Uncle Alfonso wraps some metal chain around it. There is no lock so Rosa asks her two radishes to help Payne. Time for bed! 

The Studio is woken in the morning from cries coming from the kitchen. The Scarling is making an attempt for the charcoal! There is a scuffle with the Scarling, Aunt Nadia kicking it off the box as it’s taking the chain off while Scribblings swarm Payne and converge on Rosa, jabbing at her arm as she grabs the box. Her radishes try to protect her from the little nasties. Cousin Sergio enters the kitchen and drags Rosa out, the Scarling screeches before running off with its Scribblings following, Aunt Nadia is limping from bright red welts on her ankles. Payne admits the Scarling set a trap and he fell for it. Everyone looks to see a shiny perfectly ordinary spoon on the window sill. 

The rest of the family comes flooding into the kitchen. Grandmama doctors Rosa’s wounds, which look like pencil stabs, and Nadia makes remarks about the lack of coffee to help hers. Serena runs home for special bandages with healing illuminations. Payne feels very guilty, and Grandmama holds him to account but believes he will do better. They just need to figure out what to do now. After a bit of discussion, Rosa suggests they bury the box in clay, they’ll be able to get it but the Scarling and Scribblings will find it very difficult. An excellent idea! Cousin Sergio calls to them then. Painted in the main studio on the ceiling the Scribling has written WILL END STUPID MANDOLINIS FOR ALWAYS. Serena, who returned with the bandages, points out it has terrible grammar. 

While Marco and Sergio are mixing the clay, Rosa keeps looking at the message on the ceiling as she’s drawing radishes. It’s written in black charcoal, but there can’t be another one, can there? Rosa offers Serena the chance to go home but she sits up and declares that a Magnifico does not retreat, especially when a friend is in danger. Rosa is starting to get cramps in her hand and a few hours later she’s very tired with illumination fatigue, so she takes a break and Marco covers the box in clay. Just then, the Scribblings attack, throwing objects they’ve scavenged from around the studio from the rafters. An elephant-nosed radish comes to guard Rosa. Looking up, there are more Scribblings than anyone could have guessed. There must be another charcoal. Serena points to the Scarling who is missing another leg and holding a second charcoal. The Scribblings start cheering and the Scarling stabs the charcoal in the air before pointing at each of the people below, its clown-like mouth cracking open into a smile before it hisses. The Scribblings dive down. 

Rosa snatches the box and tears at the clay, going for the charcoal while her family battles the Scribblings, the radishes forming protective ranks around her. From under the big studio table, Rosa starts drawing a huge radish. Serena joins her and starts helping while the radishes keep the Scribblings off her friend. Once the radish is drawn and the halo added, Rosa wills it to come to life. It does so slowly and it’s magnificent but it’s made Rosa so tired and her arm hurts a lot, so she hands the charcoal to Aunt Nadia. In rebuttal to the giant radish, the Scarling jumps down from the rafters and starts making more minions on the walls. 

Uncle Alfonso drags the table to one of the studio bays, Rosa crawling along with Serena and Aunt Nadia whose leg is swelling from all the Scribbling wounds. As she crawls, Aunt Nadia notices the charcoal line being attacked by the Scribblings and asks Payne if he could be wrong, maybe more people than Tybalt and Rosa have a gift with the charcoal. Tybalt was her ancestor too and Rosa is her brother’s daughter. Her radishes are terrible but her angels are good so she begins to draw a proof of concept. 

Aunt Nadia sketches an angel with powerful wings and pours her will into it. The Scarling screams as the angel comes to life while Aunt Nadia draws a second. Uncle Alfonso takes the charcoal next and draws a badger which charges into battle as he slumps drained. Sergio snatches the charcoal next and starts to draw a radish-snake. Marco draws a beetle-radish. It’s difficult to see who is winning, but the Scarling isn’t getting tired as he draws his Scribblings. Serena suggests they draw something together. 

Uncle Alfonso hands the charcoal to Rosa. She’ll start and the other Mandolinis will add a piece and their power to the creation. The Mandolinis’ power works together brilliantly and Rosa asks the radish they’ve drawn to help them. Meanwhile, the Scarling’s mantis-like creature is coming to life, the remains of Scribblings at its feet, their power used to feed the new giant minion. The mantis and radish drawings fight, but the radish is more powerful, and after a short scuffle, the mantis creature breaks and its lines fade. Payne strikes at the Scarling as it screams with rage, but the Scarling fights back. They scuffle and Payne is able to rip the arm holding the charcoal off the Scarling. Grandmama uses her ladle on the Scarling’s head, smacking out her rage. Serena grabs the box and shuts the Scarling inside. 

At the opening of the great fountain, Rosa and Serena stand together, watching the leader of the city drink water pumped from the canal. Serena’s brother saunters over and mentions how they did another set of illuminations for the fountain to keep the pipes in place. Sergio insisted they be particularly potent for some reason, and when the magic took, it was like it was holding something down. Serena’s brother doesn’t need to know about the Scarling buried in the cement foundations with a warning note in three languages attached in a sealed metal tube and the drawing of a fanged radish with a halo and a crow on it. Nope. It’s all good. Rosa and Serena head home, followed by Payne with a shiny piece of ribbon he found in his beak.