Grandma Josephine's painting

I've always loved the painting that hung in my grandmother Józefina's room. It depicted a beautiful landscape—high mountains, a forest, meadows, a charming stream, and amidst it all, a small house. I saw this painting very rarely because my grandmother didn't allow anyone into her room.

I first saw it a few weeks ago. My grandmother sent me into the room to fetch a tablecloth. As soon as I entered, I immediately spotted the painting. It was hanging, so beautiful, in a dark brown frame, on a pristine white wall. I completely forgot why I'd gone there. I walked up to the painting and read the artist's name: T. Wasiak. I stared at it as if enchanted. Its charm and mystery captivated me.

A moment later, I heard footsteps on the stairs and my grandmother calling to me:

"Julianna! What are you doing up there so long? I only asked you to bring me a tablecloth!"

I shook my head. "A tablecloth!" I'd completely forgotten about it. I jumped away from the painting and reached for the tablecloth lying on the chair.

The door opened, and Grandma appeared. Josephine. She gave me a stern look. I lowered my head and hurriedly left the room.

"What a girl!" Grandma grumbled, locking the door. She always did that.

We went down to the living room. Dad was sitting in the armchair reading the newspaper, my older sister, Alicja, was setting the table, and my younger brother, Tomek, was polishing his shoes.

"Tomasz!" Grandma shouted indignantly. "Go out and polish your shoes in the hall right now."

Tomek obediently left, and Dad said,

"Mom, nothing would have happened if he'd polished his shoes here.

" "Robert, what if he'd gotten the carpet dirty? It's a keepsake from your great-grandmother, Elvira."

Dad sighed. He didn't like arguing. He was an unusually calm man.

The doorbell rang, followed by the bark of our dog.

"It's probably Maria and Stefan with the children," Grandma said, and went to open the door.

I helped Alicja set the table and called Tomek. We greeted our aunt, uncle, and cousins.

The adults sat down at the table, but we children had to leave the room. Grandma wanted it that way.

An hour later, Aunt Ania and Uncle Mirek, Aunt Ewa, and Uncle Paweł joined us. Everyone gathered at our house to celebrate the seventh anniversary of my mother's death.

That evening, I found out I would have to sleep in Grandma's room. I was very happy about this.

Before I turned off the light in my room, I stared at the painting for a long time. I think it was too long, because Grandma got angry and turned off my lamp herself.

The cold woke me up. I thought the night wind had blown in through the open window, but it wasn't open. I looked at the painting and groaned softly.

A thin, white mist hovered around him, which after a few seconds took the form of a figure. A girl appeared before my eyes, dressed in a ragged brown dress. Her hair was light and braided into two thin braids. She looked to be nine or ten years old.

"Who are you?" I asked in a frightened voice.

"I'm guarding the sheep in this painting," she pointed to her grandmother's painting.

"What? In the painting?

" The girl nodded.

"But there's no girl in this painting," I corrected.

"I live in this house, and the sheep live beyond the forest. Behind my house is my dog's kennel. Come, I'll show you."

I didn't know why, but I offered her my hand, and she pulled me into the painting.

We fell out of the fireplace onto the floor of her charming little house. A white Tatra Sheepdog ran up to us.

"This is Berg," the girl in the painting explained.

"And what's your name?" I asked.

"Hanka.

" "Julianna."

"I know," she replied with a mysterious smile.

I was surprised. How could she know that?

"I know your grandmother, Josephine," she said, seeing my astonished expression. "She's a very nice

person. "

Now I didn't understand anything anymore.

"Come on, I have to go to the clearing," she whistled for Berg, and we set off.

Everything was exactly as in the painting.

"Your grandmother visited me once," Hanka began to tell us. "She was fifteen then, just like you. She's changed a lot since then. She used to behave completely differently.

" "Grandma? Different?" It seemed unbelievable to me. "So why is she so different now? Why has she changed?

" She had no one to tell about the painting's secret. Only the chosen ones can enter my world.

I nodded. Grandma was chosen, and so was I. Was this supposed to change anything in my life? I didn't know then.

"It's time for you, Julianna," Hanka said. "Dawn is approaching."

She made a vague motion with her hand in the air, and I landed on the bed in Grandma's room. I got up and quickly ran to Alicja's room. Grandma Józefina was sleeping there.

"Grandma, grandma!" I called, sitting at the foot of the bed.

Grandma opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hello, Juleczka.

Julczeka?" She never called me that.

"Hello, Grandma."

She looked at me gratefully, then hugged me.

"Thank you, my granddaughter."

We fell asleep together.

Since I entered and left the painting, Grandma had changed a lot. She became more warm and understanding. She didn't yell at us at all. We never talked about the painting.