of everything else first, and tell as few people about this as possible. I have to go. I was supposed to meet my wife for lunch 15 minutes ago. Call me if you have any questions about my handwriting."
As the front door shut, Elliot glanced down at his list.
"This doesn't look so bad," he said to himself, looking at the half sheet of minor things like changing some florescent light bulbs and some minor repairs.
Then he unfolded it, revealing an entire back sheet of more minor repairs.
"Great..."
Before he could get started, Elliot's stomach interrupted him. He went outside and got a turkey sandwich and a can of Coke out of his truck.
Going back inside and taking off his coat, he began to examine the painting in more detail as he ate, carefully staying back enough to prevent any accidental crumbs or spill.
Even several feet away from the mural, a person's eyes were immediately drawn to the small nativity scene in the middle. It was the lightest part of the painting. It also looked like the light illuminated three-fourths of the entire painting, with the night sky only having full impact on the outer edges.
The nativity scene itself had painstaking detail, from folds in Mary and Joseph's clothing to the wood grain and straw in the manger. Jesus was asleep, wrapped in such as way where only His tiny face was exposed to the viewer. From there, your eye moved to lambs and shepherds, donkeys, and camels.
Behind the nativity, there was a country-style church with a cross on top. Candles lit the windows. A wreath was on the door. You could see small details of the steps and railing.
Elliot sighed. He had reached the end of his sandwich and would have to get to work. Sadly, he realized he was going to have to make a choice between saving the painting and looking at it all weekend.
Maybe tomorrow I can get some digital photos, he thought.
All of Friday and the beginning of Saturday, Elliot worked as fast as he could without being sloppy. Changing lights in several of the classrooms, he briefly was able to see the other three murals.
Angela King had apparently done one for every season, all set in the same small little valley. From Spring to Fall, a person could watch farmers plant and harvest crops. Little children played and some had books in their arms like they were either coming to or from school. The longer you looked at them, the more details emerged. Elliot wondered if it would take as long to find everything in the paintings as it did to paint them.
Everything
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