Chapter 1: Every Path Begins With A Choice
Gerald had been wandering through the mountains when he found a quiet place among the wildflowers.
The sun was slipping behind the distant peaks, turning the sky soft shades of blue, gold and pink. It should have been the end of an ordinary day.
But then something began glowing between the trees.
It wasn’t sunlight. This light was smaller. Warmer. Almost as if it were waiting for Gerald to notice it.
He watched from the meadow, trying to understand what he was seeing.
Then a butterfly appeared beside him.
It fluttered close enough for Gerald to see the light catching along the edges of its wings. For one brief moment, it hovered beside him—and then began moving toward the darker part of the forest.
Gerald looked back toward the golden glow.
The light was steady and visible. He could follow it while still seeing where he was going.
The butterfly offered no such promise. It moved unpredictably, disappearing between the flowers before rising into view again. Following it would mean entering the forest without knowing where it intended to lead him.
Gerald was curious.
But curiosity doesn’t always make a decision easier.
Sometimes we’re given a clear light to follow.
Other times, something quieter catches our attention—something we can’t explain, but can’t quite ignore either.
Gerald couldn’t follow both.
So this became the first choice in his story:
Should Gerald follow the light?
The glow between the trees might lead him toward warmth, safety or something that has been searching for him.
Or…
Should Gerald follow the butterfly into the unknown?
The butterfly might lead him away from the visible path—but toward something he never would have discovered otherwise.
I could have decided for him.
But this story was never meant to belong only to me.
I asked you to choose what Gerald would do next—and your votes would determine the subject of the next original painting.
You chose the butterfly
The votes came in, and the butterfly won.
Gerald looked once more toward the golden light glowing between the trees.
It was still there. Warm. Steady. Certain.
But the butterfly lifted above the wildflowers and drifted toward the darker part of the forest. Its wings caught the last bit of evening light before it disappeared between the trees.
Gerald hesitated.
Then he followed.
He stepped beyond the wildflowers and into the shadows, moving beneath low branches and over roots hidden in the grass.
Every so often, the butterfly traveled so far ahead that Gerald thought he had lost it. Then its orange wings would catch a sliver of light, showing him where to go next.
Gerald couldn’t see the destination.
He didn’t know what was waiting for him.
But he had made his choice—and somewhere beyond the trees, the next part of his story had already begun.
For now, that’s where I’ll leave you.
The next original painting will reveal where the butterfly leads Gerald…and then another choice will be placed in your hands.
About the painting
Gerald the Curious Fox is the first original painting in an unfolding Choose Your Own Adventure series.
Each chapter begins with a new painting and two possible paths. You choose what happens next, and the winning decision determines where the story—and my easel—goes from there.
I don’t know exactly how Gerald’s journey will end yet. None of us do.
That’s the magic of it.
Because Gerald’s story is really about something most of us understand: standing between what feels certain and what sparks something inside us…and deciding whether we’re willing to follow it.
Perhaps the path isn’t something we’re supposed to see from the beginning.
Perhaps it reveals itself one choice at a time.
Collect Chapter One
Gerald the Curious Fox
Original oil painting on canvas
20 × 20 inches
The Path Begins With a Choice
Chapter One of Gerald’s Journey
This is the original painting that introduced Gerald the Curious Fox—and placed the first decision in the audience’s hands.
Sitting quietly among the mountain wildflowers, Gerald notices two very different invitations.
Behind him, a golden light glows between the trees. It is warm, visible and seemingly safe to follow.
Beside him, a butterfly begins fluttering toward the darker part of the forest. It offers no clear destination—only the feeling that something may be waiting beyond what Gerald can see.
The audience was asked to choose:
Should Gerald follow the light?
or
Should he follow the butterfly into the unknown?
The butterfly won.
This painting holds the moment before Gerald takes that first step—the pause between what feels certain and what quietly calls us toward something more.
It is the beginning of an unfolding Choose Your Own Adventure series in which every audience decision shapes the story and inspires the next original painting.
Because sometimes the path doesn’t appear before we choose.
Sometimes choosing is what creates it.
Artwork details
Original oil painting on canvas
20 × 20 inches
One-of-a-kind original artwork
Part of the Gerald’s Journey collection
Chapter One in the interactive painting series
Signed by artist Keri Englehart
Ready to hang
Shipping and local pickup available
The original painting is the only one of its kind. Fine-art reproductions are offered separately.
The journey continues
Where did the butterfly lead Gerald?
Chapter Two—and the next original painting—will be revealed soon.
