“The Doom Statues” — Chapter 26

Though they are unable to reach Kidwell Monday, he is on premises Tuesday for what feels like, many of them agree, the most productive day since they’ve arrived at Otherwise. In some sort of zone ever since they returned from Stokely, in fact, Emily knuckles down to work in her cabin beginning on Monday night, and is up to about three in the morning painting. Then wakes at eight, her head buzzing with a million ideas, and jumps into it all over again.

The heavy curtains Denise and Kay picked out for her, at the closeout store, surely help with her sense of well-being. With some tunes cranked and every light in the cabin on, she was firing on all cylinders in this watercolor depiction of a church. It was maybe sort of inspired by one of those witnessed in town, but far simpler, mostly because she hadn’t the patience for sketching subjects nor any sort of photographic recall. Really, the greatest influence might have been witnessing Tom Drucker in action all week, and examining his work, for the colors on this creation are all muted, just variations of brown and black in the building itself, the barren ground surrounding it a little lighter. Finally this vague, purplish gray mist wafting all around, the shade depending slightly upon where one looked.

Jeremy was up with her until well after one, goofing around on his phone. But he could sleep through anything, it…