Awarded 2nd Prize. Short Story and Poetry Competition 2010

The portrait


I was once walking across the city when I saw a garage sale, I didn’t have anything to do so I decided to stop and watch. Many of the items on sale were normal objects that didn’t call my attention but there was a portrait with a lady sitting on a chair that looked really strange and had something that made me want to have it. I asked the man if that work of art was on sale. The man looked at the portrait then he looked at me and warned me, “Before you get that picture I must tell you that it is not a normal picture, it can make the owner’s personality change, but to be honest I don’t want to see that picture any more because it is starting to affect me too. So if you want it I will give it to you for free” At first I was shocked because of this warning and mostly because of the disturbed look on this man’s face, but I convinced myself that there was nothing to fear so I told the man that I wanted the picture anyway. He gave it to me and returned quickly to his house.
I carried the image to my home and put in on the wall that was in front of my bed. When I was going to go to work I looked at the lady in the frame and noticed that she wasn’t in the same position than before. I told myself that it was a product of my imagination so I left and went to my job without taking a second look at the woman. I had a really busy day at work so I didn’t think about that portrait while I was there but when I went back to my house I found that the woman was clearly looking to the other side. I stared at the picture for a moment and realized the woman was slowly moving. I continued looking at it, and before I could realize, a whole hour had passed since I started to look at that woman. As I wasn’t hungry, I went to bed without having dinner. When I woke up the woman on the wall was looking at me. This time I didn’t have any doubts she had definitely moved. I continued looking at her for a very long time. I lost the sense of time so I didn’t attend work. The day had passed but I couldn’t stop looking at that old painting. That happened all the week, day after day. The woman looked alive in the picture; she sometimes looked at me, but nothing she said and nothing she did. I looked at her until I realized I was getting crazy. I left the house and started to walk across the city again, but I couldn’t get her out of my head. I was really afraid. At that moment I told myself that I should have listened to the salesman’s warning. When I got back to the house I was determined to throw away that painting but when I entered my room and looked at the portrait I couldn’t see the woman. I looked at my bed and there she was, sitting on it waiting for me. Suddenly she stood up grabbed me by my arms and forced me to get inside the picture.
And here I am, inside this picture, betrayed by that woman that used to be here and is now free. I’m here in my portrait just waiting for the opportunity to find another person to get inside this picture and become free once again.


Pen name: Tuke
Category: C