3 word week: Giraffiti

“You have to admit, he’s good, whoever he is.”

The two lads stared up at the beautifully painted three letters, high above their heads on the blank wall. There was a new man in town: a master of giraffiti – his tag was appearing in places that the run-of-the-mill crew simply could not reach.

Not that Baz and Scag were ordinary. No way. But they were never going to manage the kind of heights this guy achieved. His work was not just vandalism, it was art. It had a subtlety the rest never showed. Take this latest example: it was a delicate shade of ecru, phased to a light green, and edged in gold. It must have taken him ages.

“I want to know who this Ger guy is. We’re gonna have to keep a wait for him and maybe record him. I bet his methods are supreme videogenic,” Baz uttered through clenched teeth. Scag could tell he was jealous, because he always tried to sound like a gangsta when he was upset, but he would never say.

"How are you sure that’s his name?” Scag queried. “He uses two tags.”

“Yeah, but they both sound alike don’t they?” came the reply.

The image in front of them was the same as the artist always did on pristine ground: Ger, painted in unusual colours and outlined just like a signwriter. But whenever the guy covered other people’s tags the letters changed to Grr; like he was angry. Baz liked that. It showed style.

“So how are we going to find him?”

“S’easy. It’s gotta be somewhere that’s high up and clean. I know just the place.”

The pair met that night by the railway arches, next to a tall abutment that always escaped the attention of the graffiti artists: too high to reach from below and too difficult to touch from the top. Baz usually acted as lookout, but this time Scag turned him into a ladder and climbed up to stand on his shoulders while he sprayed ‘Scg’ onto the pristine brickwork. The letters were wobbly because Baz was not very strong and had difficulty holding up his pal for long. Then they hid in a nearby arch to wait for their rival.

When the mystery artist arrived they were stunned to see exactly how he reached their target spot. They watched in awe as the letters Grr swiftly covered their tag and the painter stalked away.

“Please tell me you got that on your mobile,” Scag hissed after the artist left.

“No, I thought you were recording it,” Baz answered.

Scag turned on him and pummelled his fists on Baz’s chest. “What do you mean you thought I was? How could you not get that? Nobody is gonna believe this! Just wait till we tell them how he does it!”

Baz pushed his friend away and stared at him. “You’re actually going to tell people what we just saw? They’ll lynch you. And I’m never going to tell cos I value my reputation.”

Scag went quiet as the truth sank in. Baz was right. They could never tell. Imagine the reaction if they said they’d just seen a new giraffiti painted by an actual giraffe!

*********

You know the score. Three word week is hosted by Steve Isaak. He gives us three words and we write a story inspired by (and including) them. This week's words were:
I.) ecru - n. A grayish to pale yellow or light grayish-yellowish brown; the color of unbleached linen.


II.) giraffiti - n. - Vandalism spray-painted very, very high. (Source: The Washington Post's Style Invitational, 2005)

III.) videogenic - adj. - Having a physical appearance and exhibiting personal qualities that are deemed highly appealing to video viewers.