The Pulptress Read Online Free PDF Page B

eaten?”
John asked.
    “ No, we decided to wait for
you to get here.” Lorene tugged on Jill’s elbow. “Now let’s get
Jill in the house.”
    “ Hang on a minute, Dad. I
found a gift for you and Mom over in Germany.” John crossed to the
trunk of the new vehicle. “It’s a painting. I found in an old
church. One of the walls crumbled during the shelling and there it
was, behind the wall. They were hiding it from the
Nazi’s.”
    “ What kind of painting? One
of them landscape watercolors?” Arthur followed him to the rear of
the car.
    “ No, it’s the portrait of a
man in front of a castle.” John pulled a wrapped bundle from the
trunk. “It’ll look great over the fireplace.”
    “ That reminds me, I need to
get some more wood. I’m paying the Osborn boys five dollars for a
cord now.” The old man took the bundle from his hand. “We’ll show
your mother after we eat.”
    “ I hope Mom made some fried
chicken. I haven’t had a good piece of chicken since I joined the
army.” His hand rested on his father’s shoulder.
    “ Let’s go eat, Son. You’re
mother’s been waiting for this day for three years.” He carried his
paper wrapped bundle up the granite steps to the massive oak
door.
    An hour later they sat
around the fireplace. John placed a large piece of pecan wood on
the rolling flames. A radio played softly in the back
ground.
    “ Where were you during the
war?” Lorene asked Jill.
    “ I worked at the aircraft
plant. We were building fifteen planes a day. When the war ended
they let everyone go. Now all I want to do is be a good wife to
John.” Jill sipped from her glass of iced tea. “With his know how,
he’ll land a good paying job in Jackson. It’s a growing city and
they’ll need carpenters.”
    “ We were hoping that you two
would settle down right here in Cornith.” Arthur turned to face
John.
    “ Come on, Dad.” John jumped
from the couch, not wanting to tackle a delicate subject at the
present time. “Open the package. I think you and Mom will really
like it.” He pulled the paper wrapped bundle from behind the
couch.
    “ Oh, Johnny, you didn’t have
to get us a present. The greatest gift I could receive is having
you home safe.” Her liver spotted hands tugged at the string
binding. “I’m all thumbs, can’t get my hands to work
right.”
    The paper tore under her
hands. A dash of yellow and blue showed in the upper corner. The
stern face of an oddly dressed man glared from the portrait. His
blue eyes stared off into the distance, his arms folded across his
chest. A gold cross draped over the painting.
    “ Who in the world is that?”
Lorene looked from John to her husband. “He sure looks
mad.”
    “ That’s Oskar Von Rohm. He
was an Archduke in the thirteen hundreds. From what little
information I could piece together he was a very powerful
nobleman.” He took the painting from his mother’s hands, laying the
crucifix on a nearby coffee table. “You know, I thought his hair
was a lot darker when I packaged it up.”
    “ John thinks it would look
good over the fireplace.” Arthur stared at the gray castle walls
and the callous man at the forefront. “What do you
think?”
    “ Well I…” Her voice caught.
“I think it would look good there.”
    “ You know it’s nearly eleven
o’clock.” Arthur yawned. “It’s time to hit the hay.”
    “ Mom, let me hang that up
for you.” John nodded. “Just direct me to the hammer and a couple
of nails.”
    “ No, John, you don’t have to
do that tonight.” Lorene stared at the cruel blue eyes beneath the
stern brow. “Goodness, he does look blood-thirsty.”
    “ John, put it away. You’re
parents can decide what to do with it tomorrow.” Jill rose from the
sofa, her arm intertwined with her husband’s.
    “ Okay, sure.” John patted
her hand. “Anything you say.” He turned toward his folks. “Where
are we bunking tonight?”
    “ We were going to have you
sleep in your old room.” Arthur