At one time, Steven Long was the toast of the Seattle art scene then his wife Bess died and his once light and joyful works became dark and foreboding. Galleries no longer wanted to showcase his work and art critics ignored him.
Steven decided that a retreat might be a good idea. When Steven and Bess were newlyweds, thay spent the first six months of their marriage building a cabin on Orcas Island. It was one of the happiest times of his life. Now Bess was gone and all he felt like doing was painting monsters.
Steven took his sailboat to the island. A cold wet drizzle followed him all the way. It had been years since he had been to the cottage and the interior was musty with decay. Steven was tired after the miserable voyage and fell asleep in an old recliner in front of a cold fireplace.
The next day, Sandy, an old friend and neighbor came to visit. "I thought that was your boat at the dock" Sandy said when Steven opened the door. Steven invited his old friend in. "I'm sorry it smells so bad in here. I am going to start cleaning it up today" he told Sandy. "Can I help?" Sandy asked. Steven shrugged. "If you like. It's not a very pleasant job." Sandy smiled "I don't mind. It's good to spend time with an old friend" "Steven felt a little of his depression leave him. "Yes It is." he agreed.
Sandy left later that evening and the cottage smelled almost clean. In the morning, Steven set up a canvas and began mixing up the reds and blacks. A sudden beam of sunlight pierced through a kitchen window and Steven remembered Bess running on the beach when they were first married. Bess would have hated the dark turn his art had taken. Steven put away the red and black and began mixing blue and yellow. For the first time in years, he felt at peace.
Craig Zimmerman
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