He wanted to paint her. He wanted to paint her in her wedding dress, but his hand shook before the brush touched canvas. He wanted to paint her at the altar, a halo of light arching behind her face. He wanted to paint her at the reception, twirling around shoeless. He wanted to paint her naked form hiding under the blankets of their hotel room—but he could only see her lifeless eyes staring back at him from the passenger’s seat of their car, blue and red lights dancing on her face as he struggled to maintain consciousness.
About the Creator
Stephanie Hoogstad
With a BA in English and MSc in Creative Writing, writing is my life. I have edited and ghost written for years with some published stories and poems of my own.
Learn more about me: thewritersscrapbin.com
Support my writing: Patreon
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The Grand Experiment
The others blame me for the experiment’s failure, but it wasn’t my fault. Everything ran smoothly at first. Then I was told to introduce a new element, something that would accelerate the subjects’ mental growth. I just did as commanded. How was I to know that it would end like this—in the world’s end? I told Him we should have focused on the Neanderthals, but Adam and Eve will always be his favorites.
By Stephanie Hoogstad12 months ago in Fiction
Comments (6)
Wow, didn't see that coming. I guess, nor did he.
Beautiful and devastating.
Oh my goodness, this is gutwrenching. So few words with such high impact. Wow!
He wanted to paint her and have his art imitate her lifelikeness. Now, the lights of police sirens paint her in bright cherry red and blue raspberry, though they may look pretty, just like the scene they do not taste just as sweet. Now, the color that her soul painted life wife will fade from her canvas that is her body. Yet, will his fade too, or will he become more vibrant, more vivid, for her?
Excellent microstory. So much emotion and depth captured in so few words. Great job.
Wow, that is quite the sucker punch at the end, Stephanie! Great entry for the challenge. I felt lots of emotion.