Tea in Pajamas: Beyond Belzerac by Rachel Tey

Author:Rachel Tey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish International

The Bigger Picture

“Painters, your sixty minutes start now!”

Painters? Painting? When was the last time Belle had painted anything? She recalled her art lessons with Miss Brady between the ages of six and nine. Back then, she particularly enjoyed doing autumn scenes and nature. There was just something wondrous about the moment when brush met canvas and something new was created.

But with her discovery of Tea in Pajamas and other distractions along the way, painting had taken a backseat – actually, an attic seat, because that was where Belle’s trusty “art stash” sat, patiently awaiting the day when their owner would be bitten by the creative bug again.

Who knew that would be today?

Opening her eyes, Belle saw that she’d arrived in Belzerac, right in the middle of an art contest. A long silken banner above her head read “Belzerac’s Annual Painting Competition” and she found herself in an open field, flanked by life-sized forest animals going about their masterpieces.

Placed directly in front of her was a blank canvas supported by a wooden easel, and as with every other contestant, she was equipped with a small side table that came with an apron, artist palette, oil paints, brushes, thinner, and charcoal pencils.

Presiding over the competition were the town mayor and his wife, Monsieur and Madame DuPorc, the kindest and most popular pig couple in Belzerac. Clutching a loud hailer in his front left trotter, the mayor looked dapper in a powder blue tuxedo, and his wife was elegant as always in a yellow shift dress and pearl necklace.

Tess and Julien were among the competitors and easy to spot, being the only other humans around. Tess, seated two rows behind Belle, had already started painting, and it’d be hard to miss Julien and his hedgehog-like hair, stationed one row behind Tess.

Belle sighed in relief. They’d coordinated their arrivals in Belzerac perfectly, and were now that little bit closer to finding the missing clue that would unlock their way home completely. For now, though, there was a painting contest to get through.

Fastening the apron over her pajamas, she examined her art supplies. Most people began with a detailed sketch, but Belle did not like to spend too much time on an intricate drawing, preferring to start with a very simple outline and improvising as she went along.

She still hadn’t decided on what she’d be painting, but found herself dragging the charcoal pencil around the canvas in circles. As she added shading, she still had no idea what the object was going to be. Bigger swirls spiraled from the initial round shape and extended into a cylinder-like tunnel.

“THIRTY MINUTES LEFT!”

Monsieur DuPorc’s amplified voice heightened her sense of urgency. Half an hour had gone by in a flash without her realizing, and she’d have to pick up the pace if she hoped to complete her painting in time.

Using black and gray paints, she intensified the blackness at the innermost part of the tunnel and lightened its peripheries to create a three-dimensional effect to its walls. But this wasn’t just going to be a boring tunnel leading nowhere.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.