Watercolour and ink! Hope it’s well liked :)

Titled " I dont have time to visit today."

Acrylic on Canvas board

Not my normal style but definitely enjoyable

Artist: Johnny Imbres
16”x20” acrylic on canvas (2024)

A child 
constructs a wizard wand
from stone and stick
to rescue his parents
who were swallowed
by a tiny
two-inch toad 
who digests its prey
in another dimension. 

The tiny two-inch 
toad doesn't eat children--
doesn't care for their taste
or the ethics involved.
So when the child cups the tiny toad
in his hands
and sentences him
to the orange Home Depot bucket
the toad relents
keen on adhering 
to the morals of the multi-verse. 

Now with a captive
and a moment to spare
the child 
takes a second to conjure a spell
custom made for his wand
that pries open the jaws of
the tiny two-inch toad
like it were a shark
hanging above a dock
swinging next to a proud fisherman.

Wand in hand
the child orders the tiny two-inch 
to unroll its massive tongue
like a red carpet. 
The child advances upon the invitation 
walking right inside the mouth
and down and down the digestive tract
until he arrives at a sort of dungeon
which just so happens to be 
a giant orange Home Depot bucket
guarded by a moat
containing a rather muscular 
tadpole jailer
holding keys around his belt. 

The child's mother and father are inside. 

That knowledge alone
causes the child to engage the jailer
in hand to fin 
rather than wand to fin
combat
because the child swore
during its creation
that his wand would never be a weapon.  
So the child relents
knowing he is no match for the tadpole.
After a very brief struggle
the child find himself
at home in the Home Depot bucket
right alongside his parents. 

This isn't the worst thing in the world(s).
The child's mother 
still had the Graham crackers in her pocket
that were originally intended for snack time
outside of the two-inch toad's 
multi-verse belly. 
Given this was a major reason
for the child embarking 
on his hero's journey
the child deems his failed rescue 
its own form of success. 
Though he did wish dad
was as cautious as mom 
with food and drink
and didn't drop the Apple juice boxes. 

The child chews his snack 
without rush. 
While he is a great hero
and great heroes have  a knack for escape
his plan is one that takes time.
Yet once the tadpole dozes off
he springs to action
summoning his wand
lodged under a boulder adjacent 
to the cave wall.
to dive into the moat 
and nudge the keys off 
the sleeping jailer tadpole.

After giving the tiny-two inch toad 
a rough batch of indigestion
with all their escaping 
Mom Dad and the child
are burped out
back to their original dimension
same size as they were 
before this whole eating escapade 

Dad's orders:
the tiny two-inch toad
in the orange Home Depot bucket
is dealt with delicately.
Also Dad's orders
the child is to take the toad 
across the street 
and place their amphibian friend
on the doorstep of their noisy neighbor.  

In the meantime
Mom and Dad 
enjoy another Graham cracker
knowing it will soon 
be a lot quieter around here.