John William Waterhouse Lamia painting

John William Waterhouse Lamia paintingJohn William Waterhouse Apollo and Daphne paintingVincent van Gogh Souvenir de Mauve painting
silence would draw her out more surely and more quickly than anything he could say.[160] “When the lights dimmed and went off, your friend laughed. Just a little laugh, not long, not loud. He glanced at the ceiling as the lights flickered, and he laughed, and then he left.”Ethan waited.Rowena appeared to be surprised that she had said this much about such a small moment, but then she added, “There was something terrible about that laugh.”The beautiful dead roses behind walls of glass.A beast of wind snuffling at the door.Rain gnashing at the windows.Ethan said, “Terrible?”“I don’t have that laugh, but some terrible ... quality.”Self-conscious, she brushed at the spotless countertop with one hand, as if she saw dust, debris, a stain.Clearly, she had said all that she wished to say, or could.“God bless you and your roses,” Ethan told her, as though he were countering a curse.He didn’t know what he would have done had the lights flickered, but they burned steadily.Rowena smiled uncertainly.Turning to the door again, Ethan encountered his reflection and closed his eyes, perhaps to guard against the sight of an impossible phantom figure sharing the glass with him. He opened the door, then opened his eyes.