- Every day, Bridget and Merle visit Eric. Bridget is amazed that Merle and Eric can always find something to talk about.
- One day, Bridget eavesdrops on their conversation and hears Eric explaining to Merle about painting. She also hears Merle talking about being more than one person—why just be one Merle when you can be a whole bunch.
- Later, though, Merle doesn't remember anything about this.
- After a while, Eric is better and he comes to Bridget and Merle's house to visit; he wants to thank them for their help and to give them a little background on himself.
- Before he started the painting he is currently working on, Eric hadn't painted anything for twenty-five years.
- He used to paint loads. He was born poor, but would sketch on the streets, and then he started making money from painting. Real money. He had a wife and three daughters, but his wife died during the birth of their fourth child. Then, the ideas just dried up.
- The idea for his current painting came to him about a year ago, and he's been working on it ever since. And now it's finished.
- Bridget is very excited for him, but Eric has more news: Some folks from the Swedish National Museum are coming to check out the painting. Folks want to see what Eric Carlsson has been up to lately.
- He invites the two ladies to be there when the people from the gallery stop by the next day. They'll be taking a peek at his latest masterpiece, which he has titled Midwinterblood. Hey, that's a pretty good title for a book, too.