"I don't know how to do this," said Asger Wendt, staring at his hands as if they belonged to someone else. "You're supposed to paint, not sit there and think about it."
He had painted the same thing for the past three days: a small landscape in the style of the Dutch Masters. It was not difficult to create such a painting; he just had to imagine what the scene looked like. He did not have to imagine much. The land was flat, and the sky was clear, so the view was dominated by a large church steeple against a backdrop of green hills.
The trees were arranged in neat rows along the road leading up to the church, which gave the impression of being hemmed in by hedges. In the foreground stood a solitary tree that had been left standing on its own.
"It's beautiful," Elin said. She sat beside him, gazing out at the painting with rapt attention. "But you can't see any detail. You've got to add more detail or else people won't believe it's real."
Asger shook his head. "It's perfect the way it is. I'm trying to capture the essence of the place, not try to make it look exactly like reality."
"So why don't you go outside and take some photos?"
"Because then it would be too obvious that this isn't a painting. That's what I'm trying to avoid."
Elin leaned back and gazed up at the ceiling. "What are you thinking about? What does the church mean to you?"
Asger sighed. "My grandfather built it. My grandmother used to tell my siblings stories about when she was little, and about the times he took her to the village and they shared them with me. According to my brother, when we moved here, my father wanted to sell the house, but my Grandfather wouldn't let him. He insisted that it should stay in the family."
"Why didn't your parents want to keep it?"
"They wanted to sell it. To pay for my brother's education."
"Do you miss them?"
"Sometimes. But I don't think they'd want me to live here now."
"So why did you choose to buy the house and return?"
"Because this is where I met you."
Elin laughed. "And that's why you're painting this picture. So you'll remember how fate brought us together."
Asger smiled. "That's right. And because I love you."
Elin turned away from him and lay down on the sofa. She closed her eyes and began to hum. Asger watched her in silence.
He remembers the events of their meeting and marriage as though it was yesterday.
Source
He had been sitting in his studio, working on a portrait of a woman who had recently passed away. Asger had been planning to paint her face white and give her transparent wings. He had taken several photographs of her before starting work on the painting, but they hadn't given him enough information. Her features had remained indistinct.
He had begun to paint when Elin came in and asked if he could help her carry some things to the attic. He followed her up there, and as they were putting the boxes down, she noticed the photograph he had lying on top of one of them. It showed a young man wearing a uniform, with a girl standing next to him. She picked up the photo and studied it.
"Who's that?" she asked.
Asger had no idea what she meant. "Just a friend," he said, hoping that was true.
She looked at him quizzically. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"No, not really."
"Then why is she holding your hand?"
"We're just friends."
"Are you sure? Because she looks like she likes you."
Asger shrugged. "I guess so."
Elin nodded thoughtfully. "Well, maybe she is your girlfriend. Or you're both going steady.
Ellin had said that with a bit of disappointment in her heart because the moment she walked in on Asger, she liked him immediately. She couldn't bare the thought of him liking another woman even though they had just met.
"Would you like to see more pictures?" Asger asked.
"Yes, please."
"Come with me."
Asger led her out of the attic, down the stairs, and into his bedroom. There was a pile of albums on the bedside table, and he pulled out the one marked with a red ribbon.
"These are all of my relatives. I haven't seen them for a long time. They were taken when I was in the army."
He opened the album and flipped through the pages.
"This is my grandmother. She died when I was six. I don't remember her very well, but these photographs show what she looked like."
Elin gazed at the pictures. One of them showed a young woman with dark hair, smiling broadly.
"My mother," Asger said. "She's not here, but I still remember her."
Elin turned over the page. The next picture showed a boy with fair hair and a round face.
"That's my father. He died when I was nine. He was in the military too, and he left when I was five. He never wrote to me or told me anything about himself. I've tried to find out more about him, but I can't seem to track him down."
"Maybe he doesn't want to be found."
"I don't know. He may have written to me if he wanted to get in touch."
Elin put the book aside and turned over the next few pages.
"This is my grandfather. He was a soldier too, but he got injured in an accident. He was badly hurt, and after a while, he lost his memory. My grandmother took care of him until he died."
The last picture in the album showed a thin, wiry man with gray hair and a lined face.
"This is my grandfather's brother. He was in the same regiment as my father. He died when I was eight. He was killed in action during the war."
Elin laid her hand on his arm. "How did he die?"
"He was shot by a sniper."
Asger heard Elin's sharp intake of breath, and he looked at her. Her eyes were wide open, staring at him. They promised him comfort and he couldn't help but wonder if fate brought her to ease his loneliness.
A loneliness he suffered from losing almost all the members of his family. He had no other relatives except for his father, who had died before he was born. His mother had remarried, and he didn't see her any more either.
"I'm sorry," Elin whispered.
"It's all right."
They sat quietly for a moment, then Asger stood up and went back to his studio. Elin stayed behind. He felt bad that she'd seen the pictures of his dead relatives, but it was better that she knew the truth.
What Asger did not know was that Elin was already drawn to him the moment she saw him. And she was fated to stay by his side forever. The rest of the events that led to their nuptial bliss confirmed this and they lived happily ever after.
