Fiction logo

Cursed painting

This story inspired by the painting “The Crying Boy” by Giovanni Bragolin and all the inexplicable incidents associated with it.

By Ana FrowleyPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
Like

Do you believe in supernatural? Do you believe in something that exists “above” our physical world and doesn`t submit to the laws of nature? Do you believe in something that we can`t reveal with our external senses, but only with our insight?

Well, I didn`t. All my life I`ve been a rational person, thinking that supernatural is nonsense and people using it as an excuse for their poor choices and neglect. Everything changed when my husband Michael bought the painting of one obscure Italian artist.

I should mention that my husband has fine taste. Michael admires Blake in poetry, Wagner in music, but his true passion is art. He doesn`t have any preferences in this matter, just one thing – the work of art must be eye-catching and tug at heartstrings. He attends all the exhibitions in our city and browses art catalogs on regular basis searching for a new masterpiece. So I wasn`t surprised when he told me that he purchased a painting for his office – “Josephine” by Giacomo Leoni. Michael hung it above his table and called me to his office. He couldn`t wait to show me his new finding. When I looked at the painting, I froze. “Josephine” was a portrait of a young and utterly gorgeous woman – creamy white skin, narrow shoulders, thin waist and ample breasts. Almond-shaped face, rimmed with caramel locks of hair, scarlet pouty lips, fine nose, thick dark brows – Josephine was a perfection. However, it wasn`t her beauty that amazed me so much, it was her stare – cold and hard, it made me feel uncomfortable, causing anxiety and fear. Dark-brown almost black eyes didn`t reflect anything, piercing right through you and reaching for your soul. I felt like I was looking at the heart of darkness. I didn`t share my emotions with Michael. I didn`t want to upset him, and, honestly speaking, I chose to ignore my foreboding, because I couldn`t explain it.

Maybe it`s just a coincidence, but from the moment that portrait found its place in our house, some strange and inexplicable things started to happen and I lost my peace. My belongings started to disappear, moving from place to place. Couple of times I heard strange noises and quick steps in Michael`s office, but when I opened the door, the room was empty. In the beginning, I tried to explain those things rationally, blaming my raging imagination and overstrain. Then things became more intense – the wine glass exploded in my hands, when I was trying to take a sip, the old iron coat hanger near our front door fell at the exact spot where I was standing a second ago. Moreover, when somebody invisible pushed me when I was walking down the stairs, I genuinely got scared. I was terrified. I started to believe that the painting was haunted and Josephine meant me harm. I was trying to find the way to convince my husband to get rid of the portrait, either sell it or throw it away. I couldn`t care less how much money he spent on that diabolical thing, all I knew I want it out of my house and my life.

It happened faster than I thought. That day I was suffering from an excruciating migraine, probably caused by stress and overthinking. That`s why I went to sleep really early, before 10 o`clock. All of a sudden, I woke up around midnight thirsty and decided to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I was moving silently, trying not to disturb Michael`s slumber. When I opened the door, my eyes filled up with tears and I started to cough. The entire hall was covered with thick acrid smoke. I ran back towards the bed screaming “Fire! Michael, wake up! The house is on fire!” My husband sat in the bed still sleepy but as soon as my words reached him, he jumped to the window, tearing chiffon curtains. Thanks God, when we built our house all those years ago, we decided to make the master bedroom on the first floor. Michael pushed me out of the burning house and ran back inside to get our Siamese Kitty, who usually slept in the chair in the living-room. They came out of that burning hell in three minutes but for me it was eternity. The last thing I remember was the sound of sirens, apparently our neighbors called the firefighters.

I was unharmed, but Michael got second-degree burns and had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. Meanwhile I was dealing with the insurance company and the consequences of fire. As it turned out the ignition started in my husband`s office, but firefighters couldn`t figure out the cause of fire and in the end made the conclusion that it was a faulty wire case. When I entered the office to see the damage myself, I gasped, forgot how to breathe for a second. The wicked portrait was still there. The fire absolutely destroyed the office and half of the hallway, leaving a simple piece of canvas untouched. Even wooden frame didn`t blacken.

I knew what I had to do. I went to the kitchen and grabbed the first knife I found. First, I broke the frame and then I turned to the painting. I slashed across once, twice, third time. I stopped only when I almost destroyed that bloody portrait, leaving just tiny pieces. I carefully collected all the remains, making sure I didn`t leave a thread behind, and buried everything under the old pear tree in the farthest corner of our garden. I told Michael that the fire consumed “Josephine” and now he can start looking for another masterpiece to replace it.

From that moment our life went back to normal. The strange and inexplicable things were not happening anymore. Just the old pear tree, where I inearthed the devilish portrait, stopped blooming and soon dried out. Two days ago Michael cut it down. Honestly speaking, I`m relieved, nothing reminds me about “Josephine” anymore.

Horror
Like

About the Creator

Ana Frowley

I`m so excited to share my world with all of you.

IG: @ana_belle_11

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.