Wanderer

“Days like this really are the best, don't you think, mister?”
Puzzled, the wanderer looked up. He had not noticed someone coming up on him until that someone spoke. In fact, that person must have had a strange taste in weather since it was raining for quite a while now and the water was standing in deep muddy pools along the way. The traveler pushed the hood of his cloak back a little to have a better sight on the one that talked to him. Next to him walked a young girl wearing a bright yellow coat, but she had not pulled her hood over her head, so the drizzle formed little droplets in her dark brown curls.
“Hello there. Well, I would prefer staying a bit drier, but it can't be helped, I still have a long way to go” said the man.
The girl gave him a little grin and started to run about the street joyfully splashing water in all directions while he adjusted the rucksack on his shoulders a little. After a short time, she started to walk besides him again. He looked at her curiously.
“What's your name, little one? Is your home in the next town?” She looked at him with a bright smile
“My name's Sandra. And my home's... - By the way, what's your name?”
Grinning, the tall man said “Lennart. I'm an artist travelling the country to find inspiration.”
Sandra looked inquiringly. “An artist? What kind of art?”
He made a little flick with his head, a pointless habit of him. “You see, drawings. Nature, buildings, portraits of people, such kind.”
With a quick movement, Sandra changed to a backwalking position in front of him. “Would you do one of me then, too?”
Turning his head to the sky, Lennart said “If this rainfall stops, I could do that, yes.”
He looked down again, only to see the girl running frantically around again. With a smile on his face, he continued to tread the road while it continued to pour on them, the fields adjourning the path and the old, huge trees looming red, yellow and partially green on either side of the way.

Some time later, the sky cleared up. Lennart and Sandra were still some kilometers away from the next town, when he saw a little clearing in the forest the road led them into a while ago. In its center stood an old tree's stump, surrounded by high trees that seemed to be as old as the one in the middle had been. The setting sun shone fiery red above and illuminated the scene. As Lennart saw this, he turned to Sandra.
“I think this is the best place to draw your portrait, don't you think? It looks magnificent...”
Instead of answering, the girl just paced quickly towards the stump, dropped onto it and looked excited back at the artist. He laughed again.
“My, my, you're quite the hasty one, aren't you? Wait just a minute, I first have to get everything from my backpack.”
After setting it down and taking out a foldable camping stool, his sketchbook and a set of pencils, he seated himself and told her: “Okay, I'm ready now. Please hold still while I'm drawing, it needs some time.”
Sandra beamed at him in response.

Into his picture he worked all the atmosphere in this scene, the joyful expression on the girl's face, the drops that still clung to her wet hair and yellow cloak, the setting sun behind her, warded off a little by the high trees and the last raindrops falling from the tree's branches and leaves, reflecting the sunlight. After about an hour he was finished. The sun had continued its path and had almost set by that time.
“Good, I'm done, you can move again. You're a good model holding still all that time”, he said.
Sandra jumped up and stretched a little before coming to look at her portrait. He held it out to her and she considered it a while.
“What a cool picture! I can't believe you drew all that in such a short time!”
Lennart trailed the outlines of his beard that already had some streaks of grey in it with his fingers. “Years of practice, Sandra, years of practice”, he mumbled. Then, louder, he said: “Thanks. I appreciate that you like it.”
Sandra put on a knowing smile, then changed to an almost sad expression.
“This day was one of the best I've ever had”, she finally brought forth, as Lennart with an expression like hers watched her figure fade.
“I think so, too. But now, enjoy your happiness and rest in peace.”
As the last ray of light gleamed through the thicket, he could hear a soft “Thanks for everything” before it went silent. He rolled the portrait up to put it into the special pocket in his knapsack where others just like this bore witness of the souls he had met. Finally, he hoisted the huge bag back upon his shoulders and went to continue his travel. He still had a long way to go, after all.