Brotherhood of Evil Writers
B.E.W is an anonymous collective of American authors brought together for this collection of stories and inspired by illustrations. We gave each of them a selection of pictures with just one request: the stories must contain the word “seed” or “seeds.”
LOOK FOR THE RED LEAVES
Written by Ultraviolet illustrated by Monica Barengo
One summer I took a course in painting. There were many odd people and then there was this girl whose biggest dream was to be like Frida Kahlo.
It seemed like a strange wish to me, wanting to be someone else. Especially for an artist.
One day she told me she had a strange feeling, as if her legs were weighing her down. That was when it started. Her legs, like trees trunks, began to grow roots and she could no longer walk.
Paralyzed in bed she continued to paint for a while, but her paintings weren’t really anything special before, and didn’t become anything special after.
And yet I feel the seed of genius in me, she once told me. I was honest and said that it seemed to me more like the seed of presumption. So we argued and haven’t seen each other since. I don’t think people like it when you tell them the truth. Anyway she had already started painting herself with just one eyebrow. Like Frida Kahlo.
* * *
THE BOY WHO HUGGED TREES
Written by Babyshamble illustrated by Camilla Engman
When we were kids everybody said that his whole family was crazy. He was the same age as us, but he seemed odd. He would hug the trees in the schoolyard for no apparent reason. The first time I saw him again, years later, he was on the street collecting signatures to save the trees of some forest. He seemed a bit obsessed but, I suppose not more than the other petitioners.
I wanted to approach him, to say something, but I didn’t. I signed without being recognized.
The second and last time I saw him was five years later. It was a cool evening in spring, he was walking in front of me, but it took me a while before I recognized him. As he walked he hugged every tree he encountered.
I looked at him and he said to me: “Everyone should hug trees.”
The seed of madness had definitely germinated in his mind.
And yet, he seemed happy.
* * *
SEVEN YEARS OF LUCK
Written by Babyshamble illustrated by Ana Albero
The day Daphne left home to be a trapeze artist in the circus, her mom gave her some good-luck seeds.
“If you plant them you’ll have 7 years of luck for every flower that blooms. But remember, the seeds need to be watered by tears of true love.”
Daphne planted the seeds but no flower bloomed. Not even one. She thought that she might be lucky anyway, but she wasn’t. One day she fell from the trapeze and broke her hip. No doctor was able to fix it.
“But I did what you told me” – she said to her mother. “ I watered the seeds with tears of true love.”
“I know, my dear” – replied her mother – “but the tears should have been your own, not those of the people who suffered for your love. And that is why no flower bloomed from the seeds.”
