Tonight marks the Birth of Venus

Madam Alice was squatting down next to the portrait. She was wearing denim overalls with a creamed sweatshirt that matched her buret. Her style was matched by the visitor, who too carried a certain class to her appearance.

"What can you tell me about this painting?" She stood up and lit a cigarette, fondling it between her red painted fingers.

"It's harsh."

She started walking to and froe as if trying to size it up. Her ginger locks swayed as she commented. "It's depressing."

Alice was amused."It is called The Anguished man, of course."

Light cascaded from the large windows in her studio, speckling across the painting. The impasto was apparent, the paint was thick.

"You used that name for the serial killer?"

Madam Alice walked towards the wall, leaned on it with her hands in her pockets. "Ah, that is."

"Tell me, Belle, what do you feel?"

Belle turned with a smile." It doesn't work that way."

"Then tell me what you see."

Belle walked towards the painting, welcoming it into her space. Belle continued," Is this the original?" She touched it, felt its try acrylic." How did you get hold of it?"

"It appeared to her." Madam stepped forward. "As did it to you, in your vision."

Belle shook her head."No, those visions are not mine. I am a medium, not a psychic. The woman you're after is my friend, Willow."

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A familiar portrait was marked around the restaurant, on a pole, near graffiti.

"Poor thing." A passerby noted.

"What has this world come too?"

Before Dona got swept away by the missing person poster Harry entwined her hand in his. 

"Babe, you sure about this?"

Harry held Dona's hand as they entered the unfamiliar cafe on the other side of town. Dona turned to him with a wink."She won't bite."

"It's not her that I'm worried about."

It was rustic, comfy. There were booths housing not many people, except a couple nuzzling against each other. There was a friendly face noticing their appearance, she stood. Came towards them with coffee-breath.

"I'm guessing that you're Dona." She looked at Dona. " And Harry." She smiled at Harry. 

"Seems about right." He commented.

"You were expecting Belle, weren't you."

"Oh, you aren't Belle?"

"Oh no dear."Dona started noticing her age. She bore the wrinkles of a woman who had seen much in her lifetime. "We are twins though." She smiled and motioned towards the tables. "If you would let me explain."

They sat and got serviced by a waiter.

"Belle told me that her expertise wasn't needed in your case." She looked at the floor. "She told me that you needed something less reassuring."

"What do you mean?"

She clapped her hands together."How rude of me, I forgot to mention my name. Willow, Willow Peaks."

"Much obliged," Harry said. 

"What did you mean by, we need less assurance?"

Willow's eyes clenched, she was an avid glasses-user. She tried to find the words by searching her surroundings. "You see, my sister is a medium. I am not sure how much you know about them, but they connect you the non-living. he looked up at Dona with hazel eyes mixed with the sorrow of blue. "In your case, you don't want to contact the dead."She continued," The only reassurance that you need is that yes, there is something paranormal about the painting. No, you are not going mad. And no, it is not after you."

Harry held her hand, she could feel his worry. She looked at him and stilled his unease with a responding clench of the hand.

"How do you know that it isn't? I've been seeing these, things." Her voice started to shake.

"Those things love, is how it toys with you."The waiter had served them coffee, Willow took to her coffee. " They're merely hallucinations."

Dona cleared her throat. "They seem too real to be just a figment of my imagination."

"Do you dream in your sleep?" Dona was cut off guard by the question.

"Yes."

"Is it real?"

"No."

"A dream is only real until you wake up."

"Now nightmares are different, a nightmare can follow you into reality. But only if you let it."

She swatted her hand through the air. "I have visions. These visions are only real in the sense that they play a part in my reality." She smiled."They make me who I am."

"A psychic?" Harry asked. She nodded.

"So, you're going to help me? Help us, in this case?"

"Unfortunately because of my health, I can only help you to a certain extent"."She could feel Dona's disappointment and said," But don't worry, you're not alone."

Dona remembered."You told me that it wasn't after me. Does that mean that I'm just in the way of what it is looking for?"

Willow tilted her head, muttered something under her breath. "I suppose."

"Then who is it looking for?"