Page 11 (1/2)

Had the dealer said he wanted to turn green and fly to the moon Peter wouldn’t have been more astonished See Clara’s works? What? His mind seized up and he’d stared at Fortin

‘Why?’ he’d stammered Then it was Fortin’s turn to stare

‘She is Clara Morrow? The artist? A friend showed me her portfolio Is this it?’

Fortin had taken a folio of works fro tree Weeping words What tree ords? Peter had wondered when Clara had first shown hiallery owner in Quebec, was saying it was an impressive work of art

‘That’s et between the two h in a dream, she’d shown Fortin around her studio And she’d described her latest work, hidden under its canvas caul Fortin had stared at the canvas, but hadn’t reached out for it, hadn’t even asked for it to be removed

‘When will it be finished?’

‘A few days,’ said Clara, wondering where that came from

‘Shall we say the first week in May?’ He’d s my curators so we can all decide’

Decide?

The great Denis Fortin was co in little over a week to see Clara’s latest work And if he liked it her career would be decided

Now Peter stood staring at the piece

He suddenly felt soht into hi, scalding pain of it Tears came to his eyes as he was overcome by this wraith that had threatened all his life That he’d hidden from as a child, that he’d run from and buried and denied It had stalked him and finally found hi in front of this creation of hers the terrible monster had found him

And devoured him

FIVE