An Ontario man became fascinated with a vintage painting he saw at a small store. The picture depicted a dark and gloomy castle, with every window dark except for the room at the top of a high stone tower. The man was curious as to why the artist had only painted one window bright yellow. He bought the piece of artwork and hung it in the hall of his home. The only piece of information he had on the piece was that it was a castle in Scotland. The painting lacked a signature and date.
One day while cleaning the picture, he noticed there were latin words written in the corner. Curious, he asked a friend to translate them for him. The message meant “Every century, it will be dark.” The inscription did not make sense to them and they subsequently forgot all about it.
The painting continued to hang in the man’s home for many years. His children were entertained by speculating and pondering who lived in the singular lit tower.
One evening, the owner was hosting a few guests at his house. He shared the story of how he acquired the painting and his curiosity about its background and meaning. The intrigued guests wanted to see the mysterious art. When they arrived in the hallway, they were astonished to see the brightened tower was dark. Black paint resided over the light yellow; it was cracked like the rest of the picture, with no traces that the window had ever been different. The guests left. The embarrassed host tried to solve the confusing puzzle.
On the next morning, the tower was lit up again. He recalled the Latin inscription: “Every century, it will be dark.” He made a note of the date. After diving deep into Scottish history, the man found the background he’d been looking for. The castle belonged to an evil man with two sons: the younger son had all the wealth and delights his father could afford, while the elder son – whom the evil man detested – was locked in the tower. Exactly five centuries prior to the painting’s tower changing, the elder son died imprisoned in the high tower.
