It had been Agatha’s request: black on canvas, peeling.
Beneath a partially dissolved top coat, black was reduced to an irregular shine. The underbelly peered out, and the absence there–Agatha craved it.
It was a specter's form between the muted and the gleam, suspended within the oil and acrylic. It was a nuclear shadow reaching toward an unseen light and hunched in a void of sharp crevices and expanding paint.
Agatha asked her husband to hang it between the south-facing windows, across from the butter-colored daybed. From it, the gaping hole dissected the view of manicured lawns and monarch butterflies.
* * *
Thank you for reading! This is part of a micro fiction series where I take a photo and write a story inspired by it. Each story is 100 words.
I actually wrote two stories for the same photograph. I tweaked the featured photo for this one, to (perhaps lamely) attempt to avoid confusion. I'll link the other below:
And if you want to read more in this series, you might enjoy this one:
About the Creator
Mackenzie Davis
“When you are describing a shape, or sound, or tint, don’t state the matter plainly, but put it in a hint. And learn to look at all things with a sort of mental squint.” Lewis Carroll
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Copyright Mackenzie Davis.
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More stories from Mackenzie Davis and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Dancing in Sunbeams
You called them angels, but I felt their weight as an avalanche burying my last breath. They froze me in their coverings, and as I stood, I watched you dance between. We were unreachable to each other in that moment. Your words trilled in the alleyway, “It’s like church in the street!” and my groans of pain sunk below your energy. How could such suspension polarize us like this? You leapt every minute or so until you caught a handle and I hunched over the prodding cobblestones. It was the last moment I saw you before they caught you up.
By Mackenzie Davis11 months ago in Fiction
The Blossoms of Friendship
Himako Yuki remained at the entryways of Sakura Secondary School, her heart beating with a blend of fervor and apprehension. It was the start of another school year, and Himako, a modest yet merciful young lady, expected to make companions in her subsequent year. Her most memorable year had been a haze of moving to another town and acclimating to another school. She had burned through the greater part of it alone, her modesty frequently holding her back.
By Dreamscape 6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (3)
Well now...this was a great bit of chin-stroking and thought-provoking microfiction. So little said, so much unsaid, so many questions. Love these little challenges you set yourself too! Impressive stuff, Mackenzie!
Oooo, this was so profound! You never fail to amaze me with these photo inspired microfiction!
We enjoyed this, as much for what is said as what is implied. Interesting to contemplate.💙Anneliese