george by Aaron Bagley

Back story

George did not chop down his father's cherry tree without reason, nor was he an innocent child when it occurred; he was a troubled teenager. But, most of his difficult demeanor was born out of his strange, recurring dreams. They were so visual, so real, that George had no choice but to believe them.

In his dreams, a flamboyantly dressed, bejeweled woman kept coming to his room. He would talk to George about a secret bounty in his father's cherry tree and when George doubted what he was hearing, this woman would lead George outside to where the cherry tree stood and start hacking away at it. Eventually, the tree would fall and in the middle of its trunk would be a tiny chest containing jeans, a baseball cap, and a can of spray paint. George had no idea what to make of the items, but that's where the dream ended.

Driven by the desire to explore further, George set out to cut the tree down in real life. He was sick of the recurring dream and he was sick of its dead end. He had to know for sure whether or not the trunk contained a curious cache. And, as it turned out, it did. But, unlike the dream, George immediately knew what to do after he discovered the chest in the tree trunk.

He swapped his pants for the jeans, he put the cap on his head backwards, and he started shaking the spraypaint can almost as soon as he had lifted it out of the small hole. George was armed and ready. He embarked on private territory-marking missions day in and day out, tagging as many blank walls as he could find.

What surprised George from the get-go was that his can of spray paint could not be controlled. It had a mind of its own and would not obey its holder. Whenever George pressed down the nozzle, the spray would trace the same outline: that of the one-dollar bill.