THE DRAWING PAD

     It was pouring cats and dogs outside and there was nothing to do in the house that was of interest. Her twin, Raechel, was playing solitaire. "Gees," thought Haniel, "what a drag; how can she like cards!"   Lorrie went over to a neighbor's house to babysit -- she loved babies. Haniel wondered how her older sister could stand the squiggly, screaming things, and cards were almost as painful a pastime for Haniel as arithmetic. Mom had a pot roast tenderizing in the pressure cooker...it's cover's tophat rocked and hissed a monotonous tune, almost lulling Haniel to sleep. She couldn't wait to ladle the rich, black gravy over creamy mashed potatoes. Just thinking about the upcoming meal made her mouth water! Restless and bored, she picked up a pencil and began to doodle. Dad had just finished reading the Sunday paper. She noticed a picture of a striking woman on the front page of its magazine section. Fascinated, her eyes began to move slowly over the image before her, drinking in every shape and color. "That's a pretty person," she thought. "I can draw her!" And she did, perfectly. Our voyager had finally landed on solid ground!

     The nine-year-old artist-prodigy became instantly obsessed with drawing figures. Every spare minute found her in a quiet corner of the house studying all the twists and turns of the human body. At this young age, art had become a calling, a passion. It happened in an instant -- a light-bulb moment. Her heart had found its Wondershire.

     The vistas of line and color were filled with unlimited possibilities. Never was there enough time for drawing. It was all she wanted to do. Schoolwork came to mean even less to her than it had before. Figuring out numbers and structuring sentences was something she suffered through only because she had to. Making geography maps, however, was where she shone! Pasting cotton in Georgia and rice in China took first place on her list of homework priorities. The tactile world of pictures and form was the only one she wanted to live in. And this would continue to be so throughout her life.  * * * * *