Haunting Echoes
1 – Clarrie
Clarinda Hunter did not normally mind being watched
as she worked, but the two small boys were beginning
to get on her nerves. She had chosen to set up her
easel where it was hidden from the road by the rising
ground behind her. As there was woodland on each
side it was just bad luck that they saw her painting.
The boys had suddenly burst out from the trees, in hot
pursuit of an excitedly yapping dog… goodness only
knew what the terrier was chasing, but they both
forgot it completely when they almost knocked Clarrie
off her stool.
“Wow – are you a real artist?” asked the older boy
“What are you painting, please miss?” queried the
other, quite politely.
They seemed, on first impressions, to be harmless
enough so Clarrie answered both questions and a
stream of others. Surely, she thought, they’ll soon be
bored and move on. Optimistically, she reminded them
about the dog, but they were totally disinterested in it.
She was a far more promising substitute. Before their
intrusion, Clarrie had been at work for only an hour,
so there was very little on her canvas for them to
criticise, but they were following every brushstroke
and competing with each other, guessing what was
coming. Clarrie could not remember ever before being
so disconcerted by casual onlookers and was at a loss
to understand why their comments bothered her.
Clarrie’s gaze returned to the view. On this side of
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