A loan with everybody. Part 2. Bill deftly wiped away the paint with the cloth and tried

once more. This time taking extra care as he dipped the brush, before again attempting

to correct the line from the upper thigh to the knee. He stood back to get a better look

and was immediately disappointed. Damn it, he thought. As he grudgingly wiped the paint

away again. Though the week since the house had been exercised in July had been comparatively

calm, the family's financial situation was becoming increasingly desperate. Things appeared

to be looking up however, when Bill was commissioned out of the blue by his neighbour Susanna, to

paint a portrait of her favourite horse, Echo. Bill wasn't entirely sure if it had been out

of sympathy or genuine interest, but either way he was grateful. Not only for the money, but

also the chance to finally put his mind at rest and move on from the stress the previous year.

It was a fairly simple piece to complete by his standards, constructed in two parts.

The first being the composition of the backdrop, which Bill had decided on himself,

after spending the day scouring the local countryside for the perfect setting.

With that completed, he had then set about painting in the horse on top, using a recent photograph

provided by his neighbour. All was going well until it came to finishing up the back leg.

No matter how many times he tried, the brush just wouldn't do what he wanted.

In the end, despite countless efforts, Bill was eventually forced to admit defeat, hoping that his

neighbour wouldn't notice. Thankfully Susanna, who was clearly very fond of the animal,

was delighted with his efforts. And so it was with some distress when she informed Bill a few

weeks later that Echo had died. It began soon after Susanna had hung up the painting.

Watching the horse in the paddock one afternoon, she noticed he was limping,

and clearly in some considerable pain. A subsequent checkup with the vet revealed a peculiar injury

...