"Are you sure it's okay for us to be here?" Lilee looks around the empty room except for the large object in the center which was being covered by a large white sheet.
The duo had followed the stranger to the stadium's storage room.
"Don't worry. The judges trust me enough to lend me the key." The man grabs one end of the sheet.
"Why?" Dimas grabs the other end.
"Because I'm the leading expert on LF." The man smiles proudly.
The duo show no sign of interest at the mention of the name LF. It is understandable why Dimas would have no reaction, he's not from Terrama but the man doesn't know that. Lilee, on the other hand, has always been more interested in herbs and the tournaments than the art world.
"You two have no idea who LF is?!" The man pulls the sheet off in one clean movement.
Revealed to the duo is a beautiful and master-crafted sculpture of a woman gazing at a star in her hand while sitting on a crescent moon. The base of the statue has etchings of landmarks that Dimas can only assume is Terrama.
"Oh… Wow…" Lilee wants to reach out and touch the woman to make sure she wasn't real but doesn't want to risk damaging the statue in any way.
Dimas lets out an impressed whistle. "This thing can sell for a pretty penny."
"Of course, that's what you would think about." Lilee shakes her head.
"That's what art is all about anyway."
"Not all art! And certainly not this statue!" The man walks around the statue. "LF made this in honor of his late wife. Nobody even knew of its existence until a couple of months ago."
"So… This is the statue everybody wants… Don't get me wrong, it's not bad but is it really worth all the fighting?" Dimas asks.
"Yes! I mean, I don't agree with the fighting but I can understand why the citizens would want this statue in their respective towns."
"It is amazing…" Lilee wishes she had the artistic talent to create something as amazing as the statue. "Would you mind telling us everything you know about the fighting from the beginning? Maybe we can all brainstorm a solution together."
"Hold it!" Dimas crosses his arms. "We aren't doing this for free."
"Dimas…" Lilee facepalms.
The man thinks for a second. "You need a place to stay, right? I have a studio outside of Amon and Emon."
"Is it quiet?" Dimas asks.
"Absolutely and it's spacious. Perfect for when I sculpt."
Dimas mulls it over. "Okay, you got a deal."
The man proceeds to tell the duo how it all started.
A little over two months ago, a group of friends from both Amon and Emon were casually walking near a field that was once the house of LF.
LF was considered a legend in the art world for making pieces that some say perfectly captured the beauty of solitude but everyone agrees his best pieces were those of his wife. He once said the only thing he loves more than being alone was being alone with his wife. About a year after his wife's death, LF also died.
Out of nowhere, the group saw a brilliant light coming from an old abandoned well. The light didn't last for longer than a few seconds. The group decided to investigate the well out of curiosity. One of the friends went down while the rest held her with a rope. The woman noticed the walls of the well were moist like it had recently been emptied. She stepped down onto the well floor only to have it give way almost immediately. Luckily, her friends had a tight grip on the rope. The woman screams as she had come face to face with an expressionless woman, only to realize it was a statue.
It was later discovered that the group of friends had stumbled onto a hidden basement area connected to LF's former house. The statue itself, probably being LF's final piece before dying. Not only that but it was probably his best work. Most likely due to the mourning of his beloved.
The first day was one of momentous celebration, the group of friends were being hailed as heroes until someone asked the damning question, "Where do we put it?"
That's where the fighting started.
The group of friends began to argue between themselves. They were split down the middle being either from Amon or Emon.
"I found it! It belongs to Amon!"
"But you used my rope! Without it, you wouldn't have gone down the well! It belongs to Emon!"
"But you bought it from a store in Amon!"
"And it was made from materials from Emon!"
Eventually, the argument devolved to fighting and the statue was placed in the stadium's storage room for safekeeping until someone could prove who the statue's rightful owner is.
Ever since then, the residents of both towns have been less than civil to one another and even began to refuse trading to one another.
"This is all so stupid…" Dimas taps on the statue. "How about I just break it?"
"No! The residents will be furious at you!" Lilee pulls Dimas away from the statue.
"I can live with that." Something on the statue catches Dimas's eye. "What's that?" He crouches down at the statue's base. There are words etched on there.
"It's a poem from LF, we assume." The man says.
Dimas read the words aloud.
A celestial beauty
Once belonged to me
But has returned to the stars
Leaving me lonely
I can still feel her warmth
Cushions of love
Pressing against me
Although she sits above
Her real dominion
Lies below
Its flowing nature
Allows you to glow.
"Cushions…" Dimas looks up at the statue, more specifically her breasts. "This guy wrote a poem, and a terrible one at that, for his late wife and he talks about her boobs. What a real gentleman."
Lilee stifles a laugh.
"That could not be what he was referring to." The man turns a slight shade of red. "Can we get back to the matter of stopping the fight?"
Dimas taps the area above his upper lip. "Can you sculpt a replica?"