DANA PAINTS

DANA HAD ALWAYS ENJOYED PAINTING LANDSCAPES BUT IT HAD BEEN YEARS SINCE HE HAD PICKED UP A PAINT BRUSH. HE KNEW JUST WHERE ALL HIS PAINT SUPPLIES WERE STORED. DANA HAD PACKED THEM AWAY SHORTLY AFTER HIS WIFE LEFT HIM FOR ANOTHER MAN. THE OLD MAN DIDN'T GO DOWN INTO HIS BASEMENT VERY OFTEN, ONLY WHEN IT WAS NECESSARY, BUT GETTING HIS PAINTS WAS WORTH A TRIP DOWN THE CREAKY WOODEN STAIRS AND SOME JOINT PAIN.

DANA OPENED THE WOODEN PANEL DOOR WHICH LED DOWN TO THE BASEMENT. DOG LEASHES, FLY SWATTERS AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS CONTRAPTIONS HUNG FROM HOOKS ON THE BASEMENT SIDE OF THE DOOR AND THUD-CLUNKED AS HE OPENED IT AND REACHED FOR THE LIGHTSWITCH. A FLOURESCENT LIGHT HUMMED AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS WHEN DANA FLIPPED THE SWITCH. THE CELLAR STILL APPEARED DARK DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF ELECTRIC LIGHTS. EACH STAIR TREAD MOANED AS DANA PUT HIS WEIGHT ON THEM. THE SOUND OF EACH STAIR ASSIGNED AN AUDIBLE REPRESENTATION OF THE PAIN DANA FELT IN HIS KNEES AS HE DESCENDED BEHIND CHAMPY. ONCE IN THE BASEMENT, HE WIPED THE COBWEBS OFF HIS FACE AND SLEEVES LOOKING AROUND THE SPACE AS IF SOMETHING MIGHT HAVE CHANGED SINCE HE HAD VISITED THE BASEMENT SIX MONTHS AGO. THE WORKBENCH WAS STILL LITTERED WITH OLD HANDTOOLS LEFT FROM WHEN DANA USED TO FREQUENT THE WORKSHOP AND DO SMALL CARPENTRY PROJECTS. THE OLD POSTCARDS, PHOTOS AND LISTS REMAINED TACKED ON THE WALL ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE BENCH. DANA PULLED AN OLD POSTCARD WITH THE IMAGE OF A HEALTHY FEMALE WATER SKIER ON IT. THE MESSAGE ON THE BACK HAD FADED AND THE SIGNATURE BARELY LEGIBLE. HE SET IT ON THE BENCH.

IF MEMORY SERVED HIM, HIS PAINTING SUPPLIES WERE UNDER THE BENCH IN ONE OF THE CUBBYHOLES IN WHICH DANA STORED HIS PROJECTS. HE SLIPPED OUT THE NARROW WOODEN CASE HE USED AS A PAINTERS BOX AND SET IT ON THE BENCH. DANA BLEW SOME OF THE DUST OFF IT AND SWIPED THE SURFACE ONCE WITH HIS HAND TO CLEAR OFF SOME OF THE REMAINING DUST.

"RUFF! GRRRRRRR!" CHAMPY HAD CORNERED SOMETHING IN THE SHADOWS OF THE WORKSHOP BUT LOST INTEREST ONCE DANA TOLD HIM TO STOP. CHAMPY HEADED UP THE STAIRS BUT STOPPED MIDWAY AND WAITED FOR DANA TO FOLLOW.

"JUST ONE MINUTE, BOY."

DANA REMOVED A SMALL CANVAS FROM THE NEXT CUBBYHOLE. HE CLEANED OFF THE DUST TO REVEAL AN IMAGE OF A WOMAN SITTING BY A WINDOW. SHE HAD A BOOK OPENED ON HER LAP AND WAS GAZING OUT THE WINDOW AT THE MOON. DANA DID NOT REMEMBER EVER SEEING THE PAINTING BEFORE AND CERTAINLY DID NOT REMEMBER PAINTING IT. DANA WAS MORE INTERESTED IN PAINTING SOME OF THE LOCAL LANDSCAPES THAN PORTRAITS. IN FACT, HE NEVER REMEMBERS PAINTING ANYTHING BUT THE HILLS AND SEASCAPES OF MAINE. DANA COULD SAVE SOME MONEY AND PRIME OVER THE YOUNG LADY IN THE PAINTING RATHER THAN BUYING A FRESH CANVAS. HE CHECKED THE BACK OF THE PAINTING FOR THE ARTIST'S SIGNATURE. THE ONLY NAME ON THE BACK WAS "RHIANNON" IN A SEEMINGLY FEMININE SCRIPT. DANA WAS NOT SURE IF THIS WAS THE NAME OF THE ARTIST BUT THOUGHT IT MORE PROBABLE TO BE THE NAME OF THE WOMAN IN THE PAINTING.

"WELL, RHIANNON, LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO GET A MAKE-OVER!" DANA TUCKED THE PAINTING UNDER HIS ARM AND HELD THE WOODEN CASE WITH ONE HAND WHILE USING HIS OTHER HAND TO STEADY HIMSELF AND CLIMB THE STAIRS BACK TO THE FIRST FLOOR. ONCE THERE HE LEANED THE CANVAS AGAINST ONE OF THE CHAIRS IN THE BREAKFAST ROOM. IT WAS MOST LIKELY GOING TO BE THIS ROOM THAT HE WOULD USE AS A STUDIO BECAUSE THERE WERE LOTS OF WINDOWS AND GREAT LIGHT. DANA WALKED OVER TO THE KITCHEN SINK AND DAMPED A CLOTH SO THAT HE COULD SPONGE CLEAN THE PAINTING. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE PAINTING ONLY A FEW MINUTES LATER CHAMPY WAS ASLEEP AT THE FOOT OF THE CANVAS AND WAS ALREADY INVOLVED IN A CANINE DREAM, MAKING MUFFLED YIPS AND MOVING HIS PAWS IN IMITATION OF A BRISK TROT. DANA TOOK A CLOSER LOOK AT THE WOMAN IN THE PAINTING WHO APPEARED TO HAVE CHANGED HER POSE SLIGHTLY. HE DESTINCTLY REMEMBER HER LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AT THE MOON. NOW SHE APPEARED TO BE LOOKING DOWNWARD TOWARDS THE BOOK ON HER LAP. PERHAPS HER GAZE WENT BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CANVAS?

"WELL I'LL BE." DANA MUMBLED TO HIMSELF. IF HE DIDN'T KNOW BETTER, "RHIANNON" APPEARED TO BE LOOKING BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE CANVAS TO CHAMPY LYING AT HER FEET.