The Painter                                       of the Night




Someone

                                      called in

a             report
that she                                       had seen a man

         
   
                                                                                              painting in the dark


over by the                                       pond.
A police                                       car was                                       dispatched to go investigate.
                                                            The two officers with their

                      big flashlights


walked                              
   
    all around                                       the pond,
but found
nothing                                               suspicious.

Hatcher

     
   
                            was the younger of the two,
and he said to                                       Johnson,

        "What do you think he was painting?"


Johnson looked bemused and                
   
                  said,

               "The dark, stupid.                                       What else      
   
                            could he have                                       been painting?"


Hatcher,
a                                       little hurt,
said,

  "Frogs in      
   
                            the Dark, Lily pads in the                                       Dark, Pond in the Dark. Just as many things                                       exist in the                                       dark as they                                       do in the                                       light."


Johnson paused,                                       exasperated.
Then                                       Hatcher added,

                                "I'd like                                       to                                       see them. Hell,                              
   
    I might even buy one. Maybe there's more out there than we know. We are the police,                                       after all.                          
   
       

We need to know."