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The Endlessness of Everything

A Snow Micro

By Caroline JanePublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 1 min read
Runner-Up in Snow Micro Challenge
The Endlessness of Everything
Photo by Fabrice Villard on Unsplash

The police lights strobe across the white moorland in manga licks of blue softened and soaked by rolling drifts of dawn's breaking mists. The distant wintered trees hang as ghouls in the flanks, silhouettes seamed with indigo against a fading brittle grey sky.

I stand next to Kate's body. Her gravestone. Her murderer by neglect. I watch the neon yellow coats approach, their searchlights bleeding trails. How am I going to explain her death to these logical creatures? I look down; her golden skin, covered in frosted lace, appears lilac in the undulation of blue. Her shock of turquoise hair shimmers with ice. She lies as art within nature's canvas. Beautiful in her death.

My heart races with guilt. My breath judders in shallow puffs, freezing in beads against my ghostly skin. She had stared so long at that easel. I had assumed she could not paint; weeks had passed without a stroke of colour passing from her brushes onto canvas. I had tried to encourage her, not understanding when she said, "It's ok; I am simply enjoying the endlessness of everything. There is joy in a blank slate; its infinite potential is intoxicating. I am obsessed with it. I could stay here connected to the possibilities of new beginnings forever."

I look at her embalmed in nature's winter canvas, splashed in synthetic blue, and I know how she died.

She walked into the nothingness to become one with it.

It will take the appreciation of an artist to understand.

Short Story

About the Creator

Caroline Jane

CJ lost the plot a long time ago. Now, she writes to explore where all paths lead, collecting crumbs of perspective as her pen travels. One day, she may have enough for a cake, which will, no doubt, be fruity.

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Comments (27)

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  • Lamar Wiggins2 years ago

    'She lies as art within nature's canvas. Beautiful in her death.' 😮 great line! The whole thing was 😮🤩. Happy belated placement, Caroline!

  • Joe O’Connor2 years ago

    Beautifully written Caroline. This piece flows despite being a micro, and you manage to use your words to show so much! I especially liked “The distant wintered trees hang as ghouls in the flanks” as an image, and the overall tone here feels so haunting. Well done😊

  • Teresa Renton2 years ago

    Stunning lyrical writing Caroline! Congratulations for placing.I love the surreal undertone throughout 🥰

  • Call Me Les2 years ago

    Wow so much literary colour in something so bleak! Congratulations 💕

  • Tiffany Gordon2 years ago

    WOW such hauntingly beautiful prose! You truly rocked this challenge! Stunning work my friend! Congratulations!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

  • JBaz2 years ago

    And this is why you continue to be in the winners circle. Absolutely poetic, I can feel the dark anguish as you hold our attention throughout the entire story.

  • Rachel Deeming2 years ago

    There is some great descriptive writing here, Caroline, to create a sense of place. Atmospheric and chilling. It's like the opening scene to an art movie.

  • A. J. Schoenfeld2 years ago

    Such powerful imagery. Congratulations on a well deserved win!

  • Wooohooooo congratulations on your challenge win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • Congratulations Caroline on your win in the Snow Micro challenge!!!

  • Paul Stewart2 years ago

    Oh my, Caroline! Congrats on another great placement, loved this. As bleak and sad as it was, it was also beautifully written!

  • Mackenzie Davis2 years ago

    Goodness, Caroline, this is incredible writing. The journey to that third paragraph feels like it takes months to arrive; you're literally controlling time from the very start of this story. I can't express just how perfectly satisfying it was to read about Kate's artistic shift in that graph. Her obsession with the empty canvas...ugh. You rendered this so well. I'm at a loss for words.

  • Rachel M.J2 years ago

    The imagery in that second paragraph is stunning. The description of the coats and the strobe of light makes me see a water colour painting or an old story book. So lovely.

  • Shirley Belk2 years ago

    You most definitely are an artist with words and creativity! loved it

  • D.K. Shepard2 years ago

    Your construction of imagery is astounding! This is a striking micro!

  • Ashley Shiflett2 years ago

    Wow. Very beautiful!

  • Meg2 years ago

    So descriptive and deliciously beautiful! Love this story

  • “I watch the neon yellow coats approach, their searchlights bleeding trails” so good well done Caroline

  • Oh wow, her death was definite aesthetic. Your story was so deep!

  • Heather Hubler2 years ago

    Such rich language, loved this :)

  • Paul Levinson2 years ago

    Powerful, sage little story!

  • Holly Pheni2 years ago

    Very deep and thought provoking.

  • Babs Iverson2 years ago

    Marvelously descriptive story - the endlessness of everthing!!!💕♥️♥️ Loving everthing except the artist's death!!!

  • Cathy holmes2 years ago

    Oh wow. Beautifully descriptive, as always. Well done.

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