The Statue

Juan didn't feel like he was obsessive. He just recognised that he got comfort from watching her when he was away from her during the day. That if he wasn't able to return to view her during his breaks, he would feel unsettled and nervous. It never occurred to him that what he was doing was wrong. He was very much of the school of "What they don't know, won't hurt them."

The camera was in a bespoke statue that he had made at his pottery class. He was actually rather proud of it. The glaze hadn't come out quite right in the firing but the shape was upright and for a Cyclops, it was pretty accurate. He'd always had a shrewd interest in Greek mythology and liked his learnedness on show as well as his creativity. It was unorthodox, his sculpture, with its phallic proportions, its rather lumpy form in certain lights and its lurid purple shine, but he loved it.

It seemed right to him then to marry the two: the statue and its prideful significance to him, and the camera, where he could view his love whenever he wanted.

He ached when he was not with her. It was not about control or being fooled; it was about being ever present but part of him knew that she would not understand, despite his justifications to himself about how it just showed how much he loved her.

It was time for his break and he took out his phone. In his usual quiet spot, he took out his apple and his can of Diet Coke and opened the app. Nothing. Maybe she was out. But he was sure that she'd said she was having a domestic day. Ah, there she was! His heart leapt! Cleaning. Doing a bit of dusting. She must have music on. Here she comes! Closer. Oh, how he loved her. Stopping. Gazing thoughtfully. At him? No, the statue. Picking it up...

And then the picture went kaleidoscopic as the statue fell to the floor.

He was shocked.

She was back. Up close. Peering at him. The camera!

Then, floor.

Then the sole of a shoe. Hers.

Then, "Signal Lost".

***

366 words

I would hate the thought of being watched, even if Juan makes out that it is innocent in this story and that he is not doing it maliciously. Still, it's creepy, whatever the motivation as well as an extreme invasion of privacy.

And that statue? Sounds hideous, doesn't it?

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