Portrait of Tapairu The Tahitian Sleeping Beauty
Portrait of Tapairu the Tahitian Sleeping Beauty
“What an absolutely beautiful painting,” Sherrielock Holmes the (quite literally) immortal twin sister of London consulting detective Sherlock Holmes gazed at the newest acquisition now hanging in the Dashwood Forrest Art Gallery in London.
Mr. Truffles her orange tabby cat purred in agreement and looked up affectionately at the painting.
“It was painted in Tahiti back in 1894 by one Sean Seamus O’ Gill an Irish painter and artist who lived on the island of Tahiti around the same time as the French artist Paul Gauguin,” Dashwood Forrest the art gallery owner and curator explained, “sadly Mr. O’ Gill is not as well known as Gauguin.”
As the old grandfather clock chimed in the gallery and the statue of a gnome emerged out of a small drawer to turn over an hourglass whose sands had just run out, images from a past time seemed to filter into the present.
Sean Seamus O’ Gill looked at the vision in front of him.
“What a vision,” Sean Seamus O’ Gill remarked to the French missionary priest Father Jacques La Croix.
“It’s like that old Irish hymn whose lyrics begin “Be thou my vision”, eh, Sean?” Father La Croix smiled.
“I guess you could phrase it that way,” Sean nodded, “She does look divine.”
“That she does,” Father La Croix agreed.
“Are you sure she wouldn’t object to being painted while sleeping?” Sean asked.
“No,” Father La Croix shook his head, “She wants to be painted while sleeping. She wants this portrait to be called the Tahitian Sleeping Beauty. She wants to give it as a gift to the man she’s going to marry.”
“She’s engaged?” A look of disappointment crossed Sean’s face.
“Nothing official yet,” Father La Croix answered, “but she hopes to be.”
And so that was how Sean Seamus O’ Gill came to paint the portrait of Tapairu the Tahitian sleeping beauty.
Over the next few months, Sean would sketch drawings and eventually paint pictures afterwards of Tapairu dancing at night in the village center like a royal dancer.
He would sketch drawings and paint pictures afterwards of Tapairu singing to school children during the day.
One of the village matriarchs took notice of his work.
“I’ve been told that an artist likes to depict a subject he loves,” she smiled.
“Um… Tapairu just makes a good subject,” The artist seemed to blush, “That’s all.”
Sean did wonder though which of the many suitors that seemed to want to attract Tapairu’s attention, Tapairu had given her heart to.
On the night of Sean’s birthday, many of the villagers gave Sean gifts.
Tapairu gave Sean a carefully wrapped and rather large present.
Sean opened it.
This was what he saw.
Sean then remembered the words of Father La Croix that she wanted to give the portrait of the Tahitian Sleeping Beauty as a gift to the man she wanted to marry.
Tapairu smiled happily at him.
Sean smiled happily back.
-A short story and
vampire novel chapter
written by Christopher
Sunday March 21st 2021.
Dracul Van Helsing 
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