The man who painted the sky

"What colours would you like to see tonight?" my Pop asked, I had come to visit him for the first time in my life. I was too young before now and my mother would not allow me to visit. As a big twelve year old this year, I was able to visit all on my own.

When I first got here I was a little unsure, Pop has a small cabin near a lake. The lake has a very long boardwalk going out to the middle, and what looks like a small shed on the end. This shed had a spherical roof though, something I've never seen. The strangest part is that the boardwalk has a locked gate at the start of it. Nor is it visible from more than 100 metres away. All you can see from the road is a round still lake, with a surface that looks like glass as it mirrors the sky. Pop still hasn't explained it to me, but he said tonight I will be able to understand. He is going to take me on the boardwalk annd show me. After asking and asking he had said to me 'You would not believe me so you must wait until I can show you.' Since that moment I have been biting my tongue and counting down the minutes. The suspense has been killing me. Though I am able to hold it inside because honestly, Pop is a little scary still.

"What do you mean Pop? What colours where?"

"Ah well, see that, is on a need to know basis. Along with the other answers I cannot tell you with my words. How about this, what is your favourite colour?"

"Mm purple I guess"

Pop chuckled "I think I can manage that, I'm just glad you didn't say green."

"Why? What's wrong with green?"

"Nothing deary, it happens to be my favourite colour in fact. You will see soon enough why I laughed."

Do all old people talk without making any sense I wonder. Perhaps it is just my Pop. He must be going a little whacky living out here on his own for so long.

"The time has come peach, let us walk down the boardwalk."

It is going to happen, I can barely contain my excitement. I am a little scared at the same time too. Hungry too actually, it's getting close to dinner time why would we go now?

I try to watch Pop unlock the gate but I cannot see a lock, I'm not sure how it was locked in the first place. Perhaps it has a sensor? A bit high tech for Pops I would have thought. Especially out here in the middle of nowhere.

"While we walk down the boardwalk I would like to tell you how I came to live here...

Now, have you ever wondered how a sunset is made?"

"Mm God paints the sky?"

"Good answer, but he has a little help" Pop says with a wink in his left eye.

Now I am really thinking Pop has gone whacky..

"So back to the story. In truth, I actually don't know how I came to be here. So not a great start to the story...

I woke up on the grass near the lake one afternoon. This was not too many years before you were born. I had gone to take a nap in the early afternoon in my cozy bed in my home near the city. When I opened my eyes I saw the sky above me, sitting up I saw a lake and a cabin.

As you can imagine I was confused and as brave as I am, maybe even a little scared. It's not every day you wake up in a strange, unfamiliar place.

So up I get, wander over to the cabin and that is when I see it. The lake has a boardwalk going all the way to the middle. You know I could not remember seeing it when I woken up on the grass but I blamed that on the confusion at first. Perhaps I'd woken up with a concussion.

I was compelled towards the boardwalk, I walked up to the start of it and found a gate. I pushed and it wouldn't budge. This seemed strange since there was no lock to be seen.

This was when in a dreamlike haze a man appeared to me. I reckon he was even floating. I have never quite been satisified one way or another if he were or weren't. "

"Pop come on, what are you rambling about? I thought you were going to give me answers."

"Patience you, this is exactly what happened all those years ago and it is important, I promise you. Now, stop interrupting me or this will take all night.

Where was I? Ah, he came to me at the gate and he posed a riddle to me. I was drawn into what he was saying. I felt it was important to answer correctly.

The riddle was thus:

after contemplating for a while, I answered. Don't ask me how I knew the answer but it came from somewhere inside.

Satisfied with my answer this mysterious man opened the gate to me. The only other thing he told me was that I would have a very important job from here on out. That at the end of the boardwalk would be everything I would need to fulfil this job for the rest of my days."

I am beginning to wonder if he is just telling me some elaborate story as a joke. What could a small round shed at the end of a boardwalk hold that could be so important?

"Speaking of the end of the boardwalk, here is my office please come inside and find your answers."

We walk in the little shed and my eyes roam around the room, there is a bunch of equipment unrecognisable to me. It's not often that I see machines of any kind. There are many different mirrors, or maybe they are reflectors, all around.

"Uh Pop, how does this answer any of my questions?"

"Take a seat there little Peach" he points towards a stool near the door.

I watch as he goes around to all the machines adjusting them this way and that.

"Purple right?" He says with a slight smirk. He then walked over to me and flicked a switch that is to the side of the door.

Suddenly a loud mechanical sound reverberated around the circular room. I looked over to Pop, the question in my eyes. All he did was point up. The roof, it was opening to reveal the sky above us.

"Wow Pop what is that for?"

"Generally it is what is called an observatory. Although this one has a different purpose."

Again he went around the room, this time adjusting the reflectors. All the while looking up to the sky as he went.

"Now we wait."

And so, I waited. Nothing happened immediately, I was beginning to get fidgety. How long was I supposed to wait? He had to be messing with me.

Then, all of a sudden. Light and colour bounced around the room. The very air was tinged with colour and as I looked up I saw that it was changing the colour of the sky. The colour from this room somehow decorating the sky. A beautiful shade of purple and some pink in there too. The contraptions in this room were painting the sky!

"Pop? Is this just our sky? Is it just above us?"

"This is tonight's sunset, like I said, green would have been a little tricky."

"You create the sunset? Every night?" A nod. "This is the same sky I see at my home?!" "There is only one sky for us all."

I could not believe what I was seeing, this is incredible. And all of it was my Pop! I gazed over at my Pop in admiration.

"This is why I ended up here. Why it is hidden to almost everyone. You must promise to keep this secret for me. To protect the magic. Can you do that?"

"Of course Pop, can I help you paint the sky one day?"

"One day little Peach, that is exactly why I have shown you."