"No one knew how he came to be in the water. Perhaps he had lost his way and slipped at some steep spot by the river bank; perhaps he had been thirsty and had lost his balance; perhaps the sight of the beautiful water had attracted him and when he bent over the water the night and the pale moon had seemed so peaceful and restful that weariness and fear drove him with quiet inevitability into the shadow of death."

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I painted this after finishing Herman Hesse's Beneath the Wheel, an absolutely astounding piece of literature that is mind opening and breath taking. This may be considered a slight spoiler, but I wouldn't say so, only because there are a few character deaths throughout the novel. I highly recommend the read. Hesse is a very enlightened novelist. If you enjoy a story that can always be reread, he's definitely a writer to look into.

I painted this while listening to The Fray's "How to Save a Life" which is an oddly fitting piece for the entirety of this novel.

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Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through.
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came.

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to safe a life.

Let him know that you know best
'Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along.
And (I) pray to God he hears you
(And I pray to God he hears you)

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to safe a life.

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice:
Drive until you loose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed.
He will do one of two things:
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came.

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to safe a life.
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to safe a life.
(How to safe a life)
(How to safe a life)
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to safe a life.
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to safe a life.