Lovecraft eZine Megapack - 2011

by Mike Davis (Editor)

  Dorian nodded, “Sure do. I will even pay top price for ‘em. Just tell me the amount. They are quite good, Lisa. You should be proud,” Lisa blushed at this and Dorian added, “Just let me know, ok? If Wayne won’t part with them, prints will be fine.”

  “Let me talk with him, and I will get back to you. Thanks again Dorian. It means a lot. Really, it does. More than you know.”

  “Just calling ‘em as I see ‘em,” he replied, with a serious tone in his southern drawl . Lisa turned and walked back to the bar calling for Wayne before she was halfway there.

  Dorian liked Lisa. She was a hard worker, and Dorian admired that. Nothing was wrong with hard work – especially if it was working towards a goal. He knew college was expensive. His father shelled out over one hundred grand for school and half for his apartment. Dorian had to work to pay for the other half at his father’s request. He didn’t mind. It gave him a sense of accomplishment and worth.

  He knew Lisa was going to the community college in Summit to become a nurse, but he thought she could do just fine as a photographer if she set her mind to it.

  The bar began to fill up when the door opened and a tall, thin man with a black trench coat and black hat stepped through the door. Dorian was immediately taken back by the man. This wasn’t the usual customer the Cove acquired. Dorian sipped his drink while watching the stranger step fully inside, cross the bar, and settle in a booth not far from him.

  Intrigued, Dorian watched as the man methodically took off his hat and neatly folded his trench coat and laid it in the seat beside him. The man had exceedingly sharp features. Dorian immediately thought of a raven, and the man’s jet-black hair only added to that illusion. He could tell the man was old, but his true age was elusive. The man’s black hair was only interrupted as if someone took the lightest of brush strokes to the sides of his hair with light silvery paint. The stranger’s eyes were intent. Dorian thought he could burn holes in wood if he wanted.

  Lisa then brushed by Dorian and made her way to where the man was sitting three booths away. After a few quick interchanges of speech, Lisa was laughing. A charmer to boot, thought Dorian. The man’s smile was wide and genuine and he gave a little salute as Lisa left to get his purchase. Dorian couldn’t take his eyes off the the stranger. What sort of man was this? Why was he here in the backwoods of Mississippi? What did he want?

  Lisa returned quickly with a simple glass of water for the man. He noticed Lisa bend close to the man as if he whispered something to her. Dorian was surprised when he saw Lisa respond by looking at him and pointing. The man nodded and produced a bill, gave it to her, and took a drink of his water. She quickly left and came smiling by Dorian. He was about to speak when Lisa put a single finger to her mouth as if to hush him as she rushed past. Dorian looked back at the stranger who cordially nodded at him. Dorian nodded in return, truly perplexed. He then finished his drink and wondered if he should order another and see how this played out. Lisa returned with the familiar drink of Crown and Seven. She was smiling, and Dorian looked blankly at her.

  “It’s from the man in black over there, Dorian,” she set the drink on the table and retrieved his finished one, “I told him you usually only had one when you come in, but he said it didn’t matter. ‘Just bring him the drink; if he drinks it so be it, if he doesn’t, no harm done,’ ” she finished.

  “Well, what is his name?” Dorian asked curiously.

  “Aaron Klee, he said. He has a foreign accent and is quite the charmer. He noticed my earrings which I just bought yesterday and the highlights in my hair, which was also done just yesterday.” Dorian felt foolish for missing something so simple and obvious about Lisa. He was about to say something complimentary when she cut him short.

  “It’s ok, Dorian. I’m sure you would have noticed the hair eventually. He also said he would like to speak to you if, let me see how he put it, ah yes, if you are so inclined. A real Mr. Big Shot aren’t we tonight, Dorian,” Lisa said joking, though she definitely had a touch of curiosity embedded in her reply.

  Dorian sat back in his seat in thought. He looked at Lisa completely blank. “I honestly have no idea what this man would want with me. I’ve never even heard of him. I know no one overseas and I wouldn’t dare believe he is some lost relative. This has me puzzled to no end, Lisa.”

  “Now you be polite and go see what he wants, Dorian. Don’t burst the bubble of our southern hospitality now,” she said jokingly.

  “Yeah,” he said and chuckled.

  “Well, I have done my job. The place is filling up and I am by myself until nine tonight. I’ll keep an eye on you though if you need anything else. Good luck with the stranger.” She then smiled and was gone in the blink of an eye.

  Dorian sat for a minute, thoughts racing through his mind. He wasn’t prepared to entertain tonight. After the hectic pace he had worked these past two weeks, he just wanted to relax and have a drink. He looked back at the stranger and noticed him looking outside over the lake.

  Dorian took another drink from his second Crown and Seven, built his nerve, and slowly slid out of his seat hoping this meeting wasn’t going to turn south. He slowly made his way over to the stranger who was still looking outside at the lake. Dorian cleared his throat so he wouldn’t startle the man. At this, the man turned to face him. Dorian spoke first, “Thank you for the drink. Only I don’t know why I deserve it.”

  The man straightened in his seat and extended his hand to Dorian. “Mr. Aaron Klee; it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dorian,” the man said with a firm voice and shook Dorian’s extended hand.

  “Likewise,” Dorian replied and carefully examined the man’s face. He had kept his age exceedingly well. Dorian guessed he was in his late sixties or early seventies, and by his accent he thought he came from Germany or somewhere near it. “Do I know you, Mr. Klee? Are you some lost relative? I can’t figure out why you’d be here, looking for me.”

  Aaron chuckled and produced a pipe from inside his jacket pocket. “Do you mind, Dorian?” he asked while holding up the pipe. Dorian shook his head “no,” and the old man proceeded with ease, filling his pipe, stamping it, and then lighting it with a long match. As the tobacco caught fire, the aroma that lifted from its bowl was sweet and arid, almost hypnotic and lingering in the air. After taking a long draw on the pipe the old man laughed, and then he continued.

  “No, I am no long lost relative, and I would imagine you have no knowledge of me or where I am from. But I’m sure that you would indeed like to know from where I come from and what I am doing here talking to you.” He leaned back and took another draw from his pipe. “Have a seat and join me if you will. This tale might get a little long, and I would hate to have you standing for the whole of it.”

  Dorian slid into the seat, ready to hear what the old man had to say. The man took another two long draws from his pipe. The aroma now surrounded Dorian, and he felt strangely at ease as the burnt tobacco sent trails of thin smoke into the Cove’s air.

  Aaron cleared his throat and began his tale. “As you might have guessed, I came from across the sea, from a small unknown town in the western sector of Germany named Lexumgraft. I am part of a…select order, one might say.” He leaned closer to Dorian. “We keep things secret, things that would destroy this world in an instant or send it into utter chaos and damnation. These things I will not talk about here.

  “Our town is virtually unknown to the outside world, and we like to keep it that way. We bother no one, and we don’t take kindly to strangers who happen upon us uninvited. Our order has saved humanity numerous times in the past and will continue to do so until the Maker finally decides to bring a close to this cosmic game.

  “Lexumgraft is small compared to most cities in this day and age, and there are a total of two thousand who reside there – both on the surface and below. It is cared for by our lineage, and the line goes back even before the Son walked the earth. The Bible, as I hope you know it and are acquainted with it, to some degree doesn’t tell of
everything in and on the earth. Many things are left out, most we deem for the good of man, their welfare, and their sanity.

  “There are things, Dorian, other things that would send you screaming into the night like an infant who cries for his mother when frightened. I am part of that lineage, and I am what we call simply enough a Seeker.”

  Aaron stopped and inhaled again on his pipe then drained his glass of water. Gently, he set it down on the table and looked at Dorian. The old man realized Dorian was giving him his undivided attention, and he was staring intently at him to continue the story. “I get ahead of myself though, Dorian. There will be time enough to tell you of the other things I have yet to speak of. I shall now tell you how I have come to sit in front of you this night and how I came into knowledge of your work.

  “We do have many friends around the world – even across the Atlantic in the United States. Some of our friends are always on the lookout for talented individuals. I, myself, am one of those individuals, but knowledge of your work’s potential came from an old friend and art dealer in Atlanta, Georgia.”

  Dorian’s brow wrinkled as he tried to think of a man who fit this bill.

  “Oh Dorian,” Aaron said. “You won’t know him. The piece was brought to him one sunny afternoon over a year ago. Don’t let it worry you. So after a year’s worth of admiring and looking at your work, I came to the decision to ask for your services.”

  There it was, Dorian thought. A job, but from across the sea, and he would by lying to himself if he wasn’t thrilled to find out that he had admirers that far away on the other side of the world.

  Aaron continued, “I would like to commission two pieces from you, Dorian; the first painting being a panoramic view of our little town as seen through your eyes. The second will depend on your craftsmanship of the first.” Aaron hesitated a second, glanced around, and then looked back to Dorian. “I must be honest in this purchase. There is a time limit on its completion – well…the second one if I am to be totally honest with you.

  “Before you make up your mind I will give you time to think about it. All expenses will be paid in full, and I will accompany you on this journey. I am sad to say that you will not be allowed in our town but only allowed to traverse its outskirts and view its buildings from the outer gate.” Aaron cleared his throat, “How much time would you need, Dorian, to make a decision to take on this commission?”

  Dorian sat blankly in the seat and said nothing for a few minutes. Finally, as if some spell was broken, Dorian reached for his glass and took the last drink from its depths. The ice in the bottom chinked in its confines and brought Dorian back to his senses. He felt light and giddy at the same time.

  The rich aromatic tobacco and the story – along with the Crown and Seven – numbed him and dulled his senses. Finally he realized Aaron was waiting on an answer from him. He sat up in the booth and slowly traced the rim of his glass, not really knowing how to continue with the conversation but doing so anyway.

  “I would need…” numerous thoughts raced through his mind while trying to talk to the old man. The most important being his schedule. He remembered that he had a small commission for someone up north, but it wasn’t due for another three months. The big question would be how long it would take him to make up his mind about this job. He had wanted to travel. In fact part of his nest egg was portioned for just that. Dorian also knew that the man had come a long way, and he wanted to be polite and not keep him waiting too long when he was so far from home. “…at least a couple of days, Mr. Klee. I hope that is not too much to ask,” he said sincerely.

  The old man smiled and straightened his vest and coat. “Not in the least, Dorian. I was expecting a few days more, but you make your own timetable on this matter. Only remember this is time-sensitive.”

  Dorian sat back in his seat. What sort of painting would be time-sensitive? he thought to himself. Dorian looked at his watch and realized it was late.

  “Do you have a place to stay, Mr. Klee?” Dorian asked.

  Aaron had finished his pipe and set it on a handkerchief on the table, looking out into the night and then returning his stare to Dorian. “Yes, I have made the proper arrangements – a little town a few miles north of here named Brookhaven.”

  “I know it and would have had you stay a little closer if I had known,” Dorian said and tilted his glass so that a piece of ice barreled into his mouth.

  The man looked at Dorian puzzled. “You don’t like my choice of towns?”

  Dorian laughed. “No, you stay where you like, Mr. Klee. They’re just a tad bit different up there is all. Something in the water I guess.” The old man joined Dorian in laughter.

  “Well, if you will excuse me now, Dorian, I must take my leave and have a rest. The journey is long and I am not the youngster I used to be. These old bones need their rest.” Aaron smiled, produced a small card from his inside his coat pocket, and handed it over to Dorian. “Here is my number. Call when you have your decision made.”

  The card was simple, white in color with only his name and a cell phone number on the front. Dorian flipped it end over end repeatedly. “I will, Mr. Klee.” He slid the card into his back pocket. “I must thank you for thinking of me for this commission work. I would by lying to you if I said your interest, especially from so far away, has not made the least bit of difference to me. It is quite the opposite. I may not show it, but I am very excited by this recent turn of events,” Dorian said. “I will be in touch in a couple of days – maybe sooner.”

  The man smiled, stood up, retrieved his trench coat from the seat, and put it on. He then placed a gentle but firm hand on Dorian’s shoulder. “I will only hope it is a call telling me that you have agreed to do it!” Aaron said. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Dorian. I look forward to your call.” He extended his hand once more to Dorian, who was now standing and took Mr. Klee’s hand in a firm embrace.

  “The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Klee,” Dorian said. The man turned and walked to the front of the bar, waved goodbye to Lisa, and was then gone out into the night.

  The door hadn’t even shut completely when Lisa all but ran from the bar over to where Dorian was standing.

  “What did he want, Dorian?” she asked with impatience showing on her face like a shoreline beacon.

  Dorian saw that the curiosity was about to eat her alive. He truly liked Lisa and wondered why he had never asked her out on a date. He looked at her again as she balanced from foot to foot waiting for an answer.

  “Did you have a talk with the bear yet?” he asked, pretending not to hear her first question.

  “You tell me right now, Dorian, before the curiosity kills me!”

  Dorian laughed and Lisa joined him.

  “Oh, nothing too much, he wants some paintings done.” He tried to play it casual, but fluffed it and laughed even harder. Lisa gave him a light punch in the arm as to acknowledge his failure. “It seems I am going to Germany, all expenses paid.”

  “Wow” was her only reply.

  He wondered if he should try his luck. The night had been a delightful surprise so he decided to draw the card and see what fell from the deck. “When I get back, Lisa, would you like to have dinner with me, or a movie, or something else?” His feet fidgeted on top of each other, and he hoped for the Ace of Hearts.

  Lisa gently laid the waitress plate down on the table and looked at him. “Dorian, I thought you’d never ask.”

  ***

  As Dorian sat at his easel in his studio, he thought over the past two months. He remembered calling Mr. Klee – now just Aaron to him – and hearing the delight in the old man’s voice when he told him he would indeed take on the commissions.

  His thoughts drifted then to the trip to Germany. The beauty of the place was beyond his imagination. His eyes took in enough scenery for a lifetime of paintings, and the three three-gig memory cards he filled up with his camera would act as security so that he would never lose those future paintings. Lexumgraft was indeed old and
small as Aaron had said. He saw no one while walking around the town snapping pictures. He could see how this town could go unnoticed for so long. It was set in a wide open expanse of land, with mountains making a horseshoe around the town like a natural protector.

  Every one of the buildings was made of old stone, and the craftsmanship of the stones would make any stone mason green with envy. Aaron was never short of stories while on his trip. Some were just parts of his life, but some were truly eye-opening to Dorian. Aaron had promised more still – but not until the first painting was completed. He was sad when the trip came to an end, and he was reluctant to go.

  Aaron accompanied him to the states, but time wouldn’t allow him to come all the way to his home. They said their farewells, and Dorian found that, as time went by, he missed the old man and his stories. Aaron was like the grandfather he never had; both of his grandfathers had died before he was eight years old.

  Lisa had called him once a week while he was away. He was surprised to find her waiting on him when he pulled into the driveway. She greeted him with a hug, and the feel of her next to him was soothing and exciting. Lisa left after an hour. She knew he was tired and the following night they had their first date.

  They went to Hammond to a movie and had a nice dinner at one of the seafood places in Manshac. That evening was a delight to Dorian. Over the last two months, the two had become quite an item, and he lightly pushed her into taking more pictures while giving her little tips to help her along. He knew he was falling in love with Lisa, and he knew she returned those feelings. They didn’t push each other to their own wants and needs. They took their time. He had two paintings to complete, and she wanted to finish college.