I smear color on tiles, watching different shades swirl together under my fingertips.
“Dammit, girl!” Heels click down the hall. “Why do you insist…” The woman’s eyes are wild, searching the corridor. She kneels in her nylons and clean skirt to look at the mess. “Well,” she tilts her head, “it’s a pretty one you’ve made here. You could have been an artist.” She yanks her sleeve over her hand and wipes away the colors. “No more. You’ll get us both killed. Understand?”
I stare at the women. She is always nice to me but I will find more colors.
Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch
March 16, 2017 prompt: No Art – In 99 words (no more, no less) go down the rabbit hole to a place where art is not allowed.
Lemon Shark Reef 
Tight and bold. The final quote shows Dystopia, for sure. The final sentence tells us there’s courage and hope.
Love it!
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Lovely comment. Thanks, Liz. Yeah, I suppose it’s not until that last line of dialogue you really get it’s Dystopian. And the girl certainly has pluck if not hope. 😉
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Beautifully evoked as ever, Sarah.
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Thank you, Anne. 🙂
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Your write with a chilling vibe that leads me to wonder, where is the girl getting the colors? Sharp details and unstated, but underlying fear that’s felt.
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Ah! I thought the same! I wanted this one to be a bit longer (not too much) just to explain where/how she got the colors. But, since I didn’t have the space, I figured I’d use that to make the ending a bit…forceful and sad. She has to search to find things that make color and she’s going to do it again even though she’s putting this woman’s life at risk.
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When we put our lives at risk, what is the underlying value? We say art is not important, cut programs from schools and communities, yet without it, we risk our lives to create. Interesting.
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Hi Sarah,
I love the physicality of this piece – smearing and swirling the colours. My fingers are tingling at the thought of the soft, cool, malleable paint.
Then the heels click down the hall, and the work is wiped away. The woman is obviously not against the girl’s art, but fears repercussions should the activity be discovered.
Great piece. Reminds me a bit of what’s happening in schools.
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Yes, I can feel those cool, squishy colors. Though I’m not sure it’s paint. Could be food? I’m not sure where she found this “color”. No, the woman is supportive and the girl got a reprieve by being discovered by her (again) but there is a good dose of fear and regret in this one. Thanks, Norah. 🙂
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Food? Didn’t think of that. Nice to be off the hook again.
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