Chapter 56 Chapter fifty-six

More than two years have passed, or three years, in Tahiti time has passed without knowing it, and it is difficult to keep the time accurate.But Dr. Coutrass finally got a message from someone else: Strickland was dying.Ata stopped a horse-drawn carriage on the way to Papeete, and begged the driver to go to the doctor immediately and tell him the news.But by the time the news arrived, the doctor was out.He didn't receive the news until night.As it was too late to set off, the doctor waited until dawn the next day for his departure.He made it to Taravao first, then walked the seven kilometers one last time, onto the trail leading to Ata's house.The weeds on both sides of the road grew wildly, almost covering the path. It was obvious that no one had walked this path for many years, and it was not easy to find the path.Sometimes, he had to walk along the bank of the creek with deep feet and shallow feet; sometimes, he had to push through dense and thorny bushes.Several times he had to climb over rocks to avoid wasp nests hanging in the trees above his head.There was complete silence all around.

Finally, he sighed with relief when he arrived at the hut built with the original color of logs.The hut was even more dilapidated and dirty now; but there was the same unbearable silence.He walked towards the terrace and saw a little boy, to whom strangers were enemies, playing carelessly in the sun, and running away as soon as he approached.Dr. Coutras had the feeling that the boy was watching him from behind a big tree.The door was wide open.He called out, but there was no answer.He stepped forward and knocked on the door a few more times, but still no one answered.He turned the doorknob and walked straight in.A stench hit his face, making him almost vomit.He put his handkerchief to his nose, bit the bullet and walked on.The light in the room was very dim, and he had just come in from a sunny place, and for a while he couldn't see anything.He was startled as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light in the room.He was a little confused about where he was, as if he had suddenly entered a magical world, and suddenly he seemed to see a large virgin forest, and naked people walking under the trees.Then he saw that these were pictures painted on the walls.

"My God, I hope the sun doesn't make me faint," he muttered under his breath. A slight movement caught his attention, and he saw Ata lying on the floor, sobbing silently. "Ata," he called, "Ata." She ignored her, and the stench nearly knocked him out again, and he lit a chegar.At this time, his eyes slowly adapted to the darkness, and when he stared at the wall full of paintings, the emotion in his heart surged like a tide. Although he didn't understand painting at all, there was something unique in these paintings. Something affected him deeply.Strange, well-conceived paintings adorn all the walls, from floor to ceiling, of a grandeur and mystery that no words can describe.Dr. Coutras felt short of breath, out of breath, filled with emotions he could not comprehend or analyze, and he felt awe and exultation, like a person who has opened his eyes to see the world from the beginning of chaos.The painting is majestic, sensual, and passionate; yet, there is something terrifying about it, which makes the heart jump.It is the handiwork of a man who has delved into the most hidden recesses of nature and learned its secrets as beautiful as it is terrifying; it is the handiwork of a man who has known an evil unknown to most s things.There is something primitive and terrifying in the painting, which does not belong to this world.A vague world of black magic emerged in his mind, both beautiful and nasty.

"My God, that's genius." This sentence told the truth, but at the time he himself didn't know what he said. Then his eyes fell upon the cushioned bed in the corner, and as he passed, he saw a terrible, mutilated, ghastly thing, which was none other than Strickland.He is dead.With great force of will, Dr. Coutras bent over the horrifying body of the long dead.Suddenly he was terrified, and fear seized his heart, because he clearly felt someone behind him.It was Ata, and he hadn't heard her coming, she was standing beside him, looking at the corpse he was observing. "My God, I almost freaked out," he said. "You scared the hell out of me."

He looked at the corpse again, the body that once belonged to a poor man, and then he took a few steps back in shock. "But he's blind." "Yes, he's been blind for nearly a year."