Behind the Canvas (34 page)
Authors: Alexander Vance
Mr. Custos watched her eat in silence. When she finished, he asked, “And your friend in the painting?”
Claudia looked up at the skylight. “He made it out. Tell Granny Custos that he made it out.”
Mr. Custos nodded in satisfaction.
“And,” Claudia continued, “tell her that we have a lot to talk about.
A lot
to talk about.”
She had made her way home after that. She told her mom a series of liesâwhich she again swore would be her lastâabout coming home early on the bus and forgetting to call and she was so sorry but what a great time she had at Aunt Maggie's. Her backpack? And her cell phone? Oh. She must have left them on the bus.â¦
Now in the museum she wandered through the galleries and finally stopped in front of the portrait of the three Dutchmen sitting around a small wooden table. Their swords were still drawn, their faces still stoic, and their eyes still twinkled with adventure. Claudia now understood why.
The blank area of the painting, in the background between Cornelis and Balthasarâshe knew their names nowâwas empty. There was no sign of Nee Gezicht. Hopefully she had moved on to ⦠who knows where.
Claudia's thoughts turned to the other face she had seen in that painting. A boy. And a friend. She pictured Pim sitting patiently in that enormous cavern, staring out of the window-painting, watching her.
It was hard to be sad for Pim. He was free from his prison, free from his suffering. And they had broken Nee Gezicht, which, perhaps, made up for some of the wrongs he'd committed in that world.
But she missed him.
After a time, she turned away and let her eyes roam the gallery. Several patrons milled about, and directly in front of her, sitting on the center square bench, was Megan Connell. Her elbows dug into her knees and her chin rested in her hands. Her eyes stared at the gray carpet and she sighed.
Claudia studied her for a few moments. Her impulse was to walk away, to find a corner nook where she could draw undisturbed. Instead she took a few steps forward and sat beside Megan on the cushy bench.
“Hello,” Claudia said quietly.
Megan glanced at her. “Hey, Claudia.”
“Doesn't look like you're having much fun.”
Megan rolled her eyes. “My dad made me come.” She pointed to a man on the other side of the room, deep in conversation with Mr. Custos. They were gesturing to a painting on the far wall.
“Ah. Gotcha. And you don't like art?”
The girl crinkled her nose. “They're just a bunch of dumb pictures.”
Claudia swung her feet gently against the bench for a few moments. She glanced up again at the painting of the three Dutchmenâand breathed in sharply. The familiar face of a white bulldog had been added to the scene, in one of the lower corners of the painting. Claudia grinned, and the bulldog winked at her. Apparently Cash had overcome his fear of the window-caves. She winked back, thrilled to still be connectedâeven in a small wayâto the world behind the canvas.
Claudia turned again to Megan. “Do you see that painting in front of us? With the three men and their swords?”
“You mean the guys
without
blue eyes?” She flashed Claudia a smile.
Claudia smiled and nodded. “Yeah. But you know who they are, right?”
“I don't think so.”
Claudia stopped swinging her feet and stared at her in mock surprise. “You've never heard of the Three Dutchmen?”
Megan's eyes widened ever so slightly, and she shook her head.
“How they fought a doomed battle with Saint George's dragon?” Balthasar wouldn't mind if she embellished a bit.
The girl's eyes widened more and she shook her head again.
“And how a ferocious heroine with magic in her fingertips swooped in to save the day?”
Megan shifted on the bench to face Claudia.
Claudia made herself more comfortable and looked into the painted faces of the three Dutchmen and the white dog beside them, stretching across the broad canvas.
30
“Well, have I got a story for you.⦔
Â
The original thought for the book you just finished came from a painting my dad brought home from Holland before I was even born. It was of a Dutch boy in a funny hat who stared out of the canvas with parted lips. I spent a great deal of time as a kid staring back.
The thought became a goal with the encouragement of a beautiful wife and four kids who are the best excuse in the world to not sit down and work.
The goal became a story with the help of the Middle Critters Critique Group. Even a reclusive author needs friends.
The story became a book with the help of my agent, Jennifer Weltz, and the wonderful support of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.
The book found its way into your hands in all its artistic glory with the help of Liz Szabla and the talented team at Feiwel and Friends.
Finally, of course, where would we be without the indomitable Dr. Buckhardt, art historian extraordinaire? The only thing bigger than his ego is his mustache. He is one of the few people who know that the world behind the canvas really exists.
And now, my friend, so do you.
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Alexander Vance
's first novel,
The Heartbreak Messenger
, was praised by
School Library Journal
as a “clever read [that] will find an audience with both boys and girls” in a starred review. He works as a multimedia designer, and lives in Western New York with his family. You can sign up for email updates
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Contents
Â
Copyright © 2016 by Alexander Vance
A Feiwel and Friends Book
An Imprint of Macmillan
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
All rights reserved.
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Vance, Alexander P. (Alexander Phillip), 1978â author.
Behind the canvas / Alexander Vance. â First edition.
pages cm
“A Feiwel and Friends Book an imprint of Macmillan.”
Summary: Seventh-grader Claudia Miravista loves art, but socially she is always the odd girl outâbut on a trip to the local art museum she sees a boy in a painting, who moves from painting to painting, and soon she embarks on an adventure behind the canvas, determined to free the boy Pim from the artistic prison he has endured for over three hundred years.
ISBN 978-1-250-02970-6 (hardcover)Â â ISBN 978-1-250-08025-7 (e-book)
1. PaintingâJuvenile fiction.   2. MagicâJuvenile fiction.   3. WitchesâJuvenile fiction.   4. FriendshipâJuvenile fiction.   5. Adventure stories.  [1. PaintingâFiction.   2. MagicâFiction.   3. WitchesâFiction.   4. FriendshipâFiction.   5. Adventure and adventurersâFiction.]   I. Title.
PZ7.V2758Be 2016
[Fic]âdc23
2015004150
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at
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First hardcover edition 2016
eBook edition February 2016
eISBN 9781250080257