Long wait. Overcrowded room. Zig-zagging like the airport line. Chattering anticipation. Phone camera poised. Bated breath for your turn.
Hmmm. Smaller than you thought. Shift your head to see if her eyes follow. The foot-tapping and tsks from behind make you move after barely a moment.
It’s just a painting.
About the Creator
Joe O’Connor
New Zealander
English teacher
Short stories and poems📚
Please be honest- I would love your constructive feedback, as it's the only way I'll get better. Would rather it was pointed out so I can improve!
Currently writing James The Wonderer
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More stories from Joe O’Connor and writers in Critique and other communities.
Hey Avatar, someone wants her story back
So you were the highest-selling movie of all time huh? I guess space + 3D = genius. Those fancy glasses of yours made people miss the real crime. Not mining Ubh-310, but taking what isn’t yours. How appropriate that it’s called Pandora.
By Joe O’Connor2 years ago in Critique
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH4 days ago in Critique
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days To The Attack
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days To The Attack by Steve Twomey I really wasn’t expecting much of this read; I grabbed it while I was at Pearl Harbor because how could I not get a book while I was there?
By Matthew J. Fromm3 days ago in Critique
A Failed Artist, A Disillusioned Poet, An Underpaid Game Show Host
I took my son and niece to Gori, a small town in Georgia where Joseph Stalin was born. They talked me into visiting the Stalin's Museum, the largest in the post-Soviet space. I had resisted going there because I just can't stand the monster and know enough about him, or so I thought.
By Lana V Lynx5 days ago in FYI
Comments (2)
Hi Jo' - I'm so glad that I've just discovered your eclectic presentations. *As I scroll through them I've subscribed with pleasure - So terrific and a rarity to see 'original' stories of late among the snippers with sharp scissors. I'm not a writer, just a retired legal professional; a simple storyteller to archive 'For the Kids Someday.' Not into contests or self promotion. I just enjoy sketching and leading into my own stories that way. But, this one caught my eye as a coincidence: I've just written a Mona-Lisa schtick (to be published next week) using the same framed pic as the one you've featured here. But, I promise I didn't copy yours/a very-very different slant. btw; Please send my regards to Rachel. I so respect our VillageBucketMate. I will be following your offerings. Jk.in.l.a. Jay Kantor, Chatsworth, California 'Senior' Vocal Author - Vocal Village Community -
It's a phenomenon more like. I was surprised by the size of it but it was less busy when I saw it too. I have to say and I hope Leonardo is not upset, but I have seen better paintings and I don't really get what the fuss is about. I wonder if it's like The Emperor's New Clothes.