Real LJ Idol : Week Three : "In Another Castle"
Claire hated the painting in the hallway. Grandmama Wynnie had purchased it two months ago at an estate sale in Chesnutt County. She the delivery men brightly as they carried the wrapped painting into their old house and fussed around them with a "Careful of the corner, dear!" and a "Do try not to scuff the frame!" She'd made them hang, rehang, and rehang again, looking for just the perfect spot.
When Grandmama had finally declared the hanging acceptable, the men had tipped their hats, muttered "Ma'am," and left to finish their route. She had called Claire back into the hallway to admire her new purchase. Claire had no idea why she was so excited about this piece when she spent the majority of her free time at estate sales finding other equally dull treasures. Grandmama stood admiring the painting. Claire looked at the canvas and was immediately filled with a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. There was nothing particularly special or interesting about the painting. It depicted an old chateau in the far right corner. The main space was filled with a winding grey river that flowed across the canvas. A black bird flew above one of the chateau's turrets, and a woman with dark brown hair looked up at it from a window. The sky was a hazy yellow against the vivid green of the grass along the riverbank. It was a simple painting, and Claire looked at her grandmother quizzically. It was not the sort of antique the old woman usually brought home.
Claire shrugged, muttered something about it being very nice, and went upstairs to finish her homework. Nothing else was said about the painting that night at dinner, the next day, or the rest of the week. Claire occasionally passed it in the hallway, but after a few days she realized she'd unconsciously begun to leave the house through the back door off the kitchen, avoiding the front hallway altogether.
One afternoon while her grandparents were out - Grandmama at an auction and Grandpapa at the club bar - there was a knock at the front door. "Delivery!" a voice called out, and then footsteps walked away from the door, down the porch, and a truck drove off. Claire rolled her eyes. They never waited to get a signature like they were supposed to. She went through the hall and opened the door. A small box addressed to her grandmother was sitting on its side; Claire could see the large "THIS END UP" stamp on what was supposed to be the top of the box. She sighed and picked up the box, meaning to leave it on the hall table.
She glanced at the painting and the package dropped from her hands. All of a sudden she felt cold and there was an emptiness in the pit of her stomach. The woman in the turret was no longer watching the black bird. The bird had landed on the window ledge. The woman was looking out of the painting. She was looking at Claire. Claire stepped back and shook her head. When she looked again, the painting had changed again. From the right side, at the edge of the canvas, there was a giant red wing. Claire turned and ran from the hallway, up the stairs, and into her room where she slammed the door behind her. She did not go back to the hallway for many days.
She saw the painting in the hallway only once more before her grandmother had it taken down and stored in the attic. It was late one night, when Claire had crept down from her room and into the kitchen for a snack. She heard a noise from the hallway, and paused in front of the open refrigerator. She waited. She listened. There was a flapping sound, like very heavy wings beating against a small enclosure. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to know. But her feet took her there anyway. She peered into the hallway and saw a flash of red move just out of her line of sight. Claire winced and forced herself to look at the painting.
The original castle was barely visible, a small painted grey blur in the background. A new castle painted in oranges and reds loomed front and center. It was surrounded by a black thicket of thorns. An enormous red dragon took up the rest of the space in the painting. He was clutching the side of the new castle with his impressive talons. His long tail stretched across the canvas, obscuring the river in front of the first castle.
Claire looked at the small castle for the woman, but she was not there.
She was in the other castle.
This is my entry for Week 3 of the Real LJ Idol. Please consider voting for me!
When Grandmama had finally declared the hanging acceptable, the men had tipped their hats, muttered "Ma'am," and left to finish their route. She had called Claire back into the hallway to admire her new purchase. Claire had no idea why she was so excited about this piece when she spent the majority of her free time at estate sales finding other equally dull treasures. Grandmama stood admiring the painting. Claire looked at the canvas and was immediately filled with a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. There was nothing particularly special or interesting about the painting. It depicted an old chateau in the far right corner. The main space was filled with a winding grey river that flowed across the canvas. A black bird flew above one of the chateau's turrets, and a woman with dark brown hair looked up at it from a window. The sky was a hazy yellow against the vivid green of the grass along the riverbank. It was a simple painting, and Claire looked at her grandmother quizzically. It was not the sort of antique the old woman usually brought home.
Claire shrugged, muttered something about it being very nice, and went upstairs to finish her homework. Nothing else was said about the painting that night at dinner, the next day, or the rest of the week. Claire occasionally passed it in the hallway, but after a few days she realized she'd unconsciously begun to leave the house through the back door off the kitchen, avoiding the front hallway altogether.
One afternoon while her grandparents were out - Grandmama at an auction and Grandpapa at the club bar - there was a knock at the front door. "Delivery!" a voice called out, and then footsteps walked away from the door, down the porch, and a truck drove off. Claire rolled her eyes. They never waited to get a signature like they were supposed to. She went through the hall and opened the door. A small box addressed to her grandmother was sitting on its side; Claire could see the large "THIS END UP" stamp on what was supposed to be the top of the box. She sighed and picked up the box, meaning to leave it on the hall table.
She glanced at the painting and the package dropped from her hands. All of a sudden she felt cold and there was an emptiness in the pit of her stomach. The woman in the turret was no longer watching the black bird. The bird had landed on the window ledge. The woman was looking out of the painting. She was looking at Claire. Claire stepped back and shook her head. When she looked again, the painting had changed again. From the right side, at the edge of the canvas, there was a giant red wing. Claire turned and ran from the hallway, up the stairs, and into her room where she slammed the door behind her. She did not go back to the hallway for many days.
She saw the painting in the hallway only once more before her grandmother had it taken down and stored in the attic. It was late one night, when Claire had crept down from her room and into the kitchen for a snack. She heard a noise from the hallway, and paused in front of the open refrigerator. She waited. She listened. There was a flapping sound, like very heavy wings beating against a small enclosure. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to know. But her feet took her there anyway. She peered into the hallway and saw a flash of red move just out of her line of sight. Claire winced and forced herself to look at the painting.
The original castle was barely visible, a small painted grey blur in the background. A new castle painted in oranges and reds loomed front and center. It was surrounded by a black thicket of thorns. An enormous red dragon took up the rest of the space in the painting. He was clutching the side of the new castle with his impressive talons. His long tail stretched across the canvas, obscuring the river in front of the first castle.
Claire looked at the small castle for the woman, but she was not there.
She was in the other castle.
This is my entry for Week 3 of the Real LJ Idol. Please consider voting for me!