The Pale of Water Inc.,Jack and Jill run an ad agency called The Pale of Water inc, a succesful business now in it’s second decade of operation. They were both A+ students who sailed through ivy league education and started their business with venture capital funding at age 23. They specialise in promoting Interior Decorating and associated products and are the agency of choice. They own their own prestigeous offices and a multi million dollar home. Jack collects a new car every quarter and Jill is often featured in Society magazines sporting the latest fashions. They attribute their success to a combination of factors.

• An excellent education
• Above average IQ
• Quick witted and popular with their peers
• Wealthy families and friends
• Drive, ambition, determination and perfection
• Reputation based on results
• Advanced planning

Nothing is left to chance, every step of their business is rehersed and orchastrated, they are famous for being the best and deliver nothing less than their own brand of perfection.

Dave The Painter

Dave left school at 16 and could not spell IQ or even quiz. Dave is dyslexic, not just reading and writing but comprehension too. It’s not enough to be classified disabled, but enough to see him move from job to job. Although Dave is trustworthy, it’s difficult to find him anything he can be competant at.

A year after school and he was still on welfare. His last surviving parent was old and he’d been told by a councellor that on their death he would not be able to remain in the state owned property anymore.

At 17 Dave was the joke of the neighborhood, he had no home, no family and was broke. No one would employ him and Dave knew he was in a bad way.

While looking for somewhere warm to sleep he found an unlocked door into a building site portacabin. Inside he found a pot of paint, although it took him a while he figured out what was written on a piece of card resting on the paint.

Ask the job applicants to go to the hall at 7am pronto! Ask one of them to bring this paint with them.

Dave couldn’t believe his luck, if he could get the job then he’d be able to find a place to live and wouldn’t need to beg any more. He found fresh water and did his best to cleanup for the interview.

At 6am Dave stood by the door of the portacabin and did his best to look like an experienced painter. He wasn’t waiting long before someone opened the office gave him the paint and instructions to the hall.

It was an entrance hall, the largest he’d ever seen. A marble floor and carpeted walkways surrounded with expensive art and elegent statues. Two men broke from their conversation as Dave entered. One came over and with a pleasant smile asked if Dave was the painter.

Dave was taken to another room with no furniture and the floor covered with paper. A chandelier and expensive edgings were carefully masked. Three of the four walls were beige in color, the forth was black. The man took the paint from Dave and set it down in the corner. He collected a dozen small pots and a handful of oil painting brushes and gave them to Dave.

“The theme is ships passing in the night” the man said and added “So far they’ve had 4 artists try but they have all failed to deliver. I think Michael Angelo would struggle to please them.”

Dave stared at the wall and began to wonder how he’d got himself here. He’d never tried anything artistic before. Ships passing in the night. What were they looking for?

Dave asked the man what kind of pictures had been painted by his predecessors.

The man told Dave about the pictures he’d seen. Some had sailing ships in them, many of them with Galleons gliding over a moonlit sea. It struck Dave he’d have trouble painting a dingy let a lone a Galleon.

Dave stared at the black wall and the man walked toward the door, then turned back and said “You have three days at $500 per day, all materials will be supplied. On the fourth day you’ll probably need that pot of black paint to get it ready for the next artist.” Dave replied with one more question “What do you think I should paint?”

The man said “I think it must have something to do with Longfellow” and left the room.

Dave put down the paint and went to the local library. He told the librarian about the job and asked about Longfellow, the librarian returned with a book open on the right page and Dave read the words slowly.

Ships that pass in the night,
and speak each other in passing,
only a signal shown,
and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life,
we pass and speak one another,
only a look and a voice,
then darkness again and a silence.

Dave now knew what he had to paint. He returned and told the man 3 days may not be long enough but he would do his best. To save time he would like all meals delivered to the room and a bed with a sleeping bag and access to washing facilities on site. This the man agreed too and remarked he was impressed with Dave’s dedication.

The three days passed quicker than ever but Dave was well fed. The man gave him $1500 dollars and asked him if he managed to complete the painting in time. Dave replied that he had and he was confident the owners would not need to use the black paint.

Without wasting any further time the man called the owners and said the new painting was ready for their inspection.

Jack and Jill arrived. As eager to see this new painter’s creation the man followed them into the room.

They stood in front of a wall completely black. Blacker than it had ever been before. Evidently the new artist had used the black paint to put another coat over the entire surface. It had never been as black as it was now, all except for a small inscription in the bottom right hand corner which read “Dave”.