The Gallery of Shadows

Despite the accident she refused to touch a brush. The studio that used to shine vibrant colors had transformed into an offensive rotten smell. A secret exhibit called The Gallery of Forgotten Hands granted its visitors access to resurrections old art from the past.

Inside the dim warehouse, one painting seized her: Portrait of a Drowning Muse. Within the artwork's frame a woman took the shape of Clara as she sank halfway into the scene while her fingers fought for the canvas. "It will become yours but only if you are brave enough" said the gallery owner who stood as a thin man with paint from his hands.

During her efforts to recreate the museum piece that night her hands experienced uncontrollable shakes. Her paintbrush movements produced an intense awakening which caused the room to fill with briny air as water waves created waves across her painting surface. Her wild laughter turned into gales until she emptied sweat from her sleeves.

A child lost their life through drowning while people nearby were attempting to awaken from their sleep.

She shredded the painting. The owner returned, leaving a new horror: a man burning alive. When she set fire to it she woke up to hear people screaming while the café building burned around them. Because of her desperation she ran away yet her studio door solidified into a golden golden frame which constrained her.

The walls released her desetced paintings as she sought more prophecies that ultimately came true. The owner’s voice coiled through the room: Keep working on the Muse to survive or you will both sink together.

Seawater pooled at her feet. Clara painted herself in a panic moment as the waves invaded to submerge her legs. The storm drains exploded and released torrents that enveloped the streets beyond.

When daylight arrived the abandoned studio became an empty space. The Muse stood isolated with Clara and the dead woman merged together in the frame as their hands held underwater.

The gallery vanished. Paintings appeared on countless doorsteps throughout the city serving as spiritual signs.