Flashlight in hand, the guard pushes out onto the grounds of the big house. The cold dew from the grass hits his ankles; there hadn't been time to put on his socks. “Damn that crazy old bastard,” he mutters. “Nothin' but trouble since the moment they put him in here.” His mind fills with images of the second-floor guests, round-eyed with fascinated shock, listening to the Old Man's tales of his past sins. Peace had fled the floor with his coming. The first month they'd thought the Old Man could help in the kitchen and use his years of experience, but when his captive audience heard about the pranks he'd pulled as a chef, they all refused to eat. They let him work in the garden, where his dark mind could do less harm. His influence continued to grow, despite efforts to isolate him. His presence invaded the afternoon card games, bringing argument and strife. Seeds of doubt he planted blossomed in their dreams into full-blown, noxious night flowers. His company was inescapable. The guard shines his light on the circular stone reservoir. He shivers at the reflection of a lone star in the surrounding blackness of the garden. Beneath the water's surface, the Old Man's open eyes gaze heavenward. No more secrets escape his open lips. The white body is translucent, as if the dark, cold water could pass through his skin. A large rock rests on his sternum, held tightly by purplish, arthritic fingers that refuse to relinquish their grip on the instrument of his last great act of will. The Night Gardner’s Escape, 1995, oil and egg tempera on canvas, 48 × 64 inches, 4 am in The Hours of the Day series, San Jose Museum of Art [When the Orange County Museum of Art showed my Hours of the Day series in 2000, I was asked by Director Naomi Vine to explain each painting for the catalogue. I refused, but told her I would write fiction instead. The above excerpt is from the catalog] #fscotthess #hoursoftheday #hours #realistpainting #narrativepainting #narrativeart #figurepainting #orangecountymuseumofart #mythpainting #oldmasterpainting #serialpainting #classicalart #artwriting #fictionaboutart #shortfiction #shortstories https://www.instagram.com/p/CeRT53XpnNM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=














