Golden Box Book Publishing One Picture: Thousands of Words | Page 56

Mark patted Anna’s hand before standing and announced. “I’ve
made all the necessary arrangements for us to go out on the hill
today. There you will find the portrait of the young girl.”
Tears formed in the corners of Anna’s eyes and she struggled to
swallow and gather air to speak. “Mark are you sure it’s the right
one? I can’t risk such a journey if you aren’t sure.”
Mark took a deep breath and nodded his head, his long dark hair
bobbing forward and then back. “It’s the one, my love. It’s you as a
child. It’s the self-portrait you painted the same day as the portrait of
your future self.”
Anna pushed her body forward, discarding teacups and biscuits
and threw off her covers. “We mustn’t waste another moment. I must
reunite the twin portraits and regain my youth and power.”
***
Trudging up the hill, in one hand Mark toted the future portrait
and grasped Anna around the waist with the other. Anna held tightly
to Mark with one hand and use the support of a marble cane in the
other to fight her way up the hill, an easy feat for Mark, but a true
battle for the fading Anna.
At the crest of the hill, there stood two easels, one empty and one
containing a covered image. Mark placed the future portrait on the
empty canvas and then turned both easels to face one another.
Anna reached out to Mark who took her hand and helped to place
her in just the right position as they waited for dusk to come. Anna
stood, with the support of her cane, and watched as Mark approached
the covered image to reveal what laid beneath. With one flip of his
wrist, the drape was pulled away and Anna stared at her younger self
for the first time in a half-century. She clutched her chest, overcome