Monday, July 2, 2012

The Painting


This is a fictional story written for Sandra’s Writer’s Workshop Blog Hop about a possession that means the world to me.


    Edie loved nothing better than a road trip that included exploring small towns and shops.  Today she had headed north into Michigan for a drive along the coast line of Lake Michigan.   For some reason she was always fascinated with antiques and loved collecting them.  She loved the glassware when it sparkled as the sunlight hit it inside her china cabinet.  She loved the china dolls in all their finery.  She adored the china cats.   Precious treasures made a house a home in Edie’s opinion and she was always on the lookout for just one more spectacular addition to her collection.


     She drove into another small burg and spotted a small obscure antique shop along the main drag with a large open sign in the window.  She quickly found a space and eased her car into it.  She had been through this little town many times but this was the first time she had noticed this shop.  After locking the car door, she grabbed her purse and made a bee line for the shop advertising antiques in the front window.  A bell jingled as she pushed open the door.  The shop seemed deserted at first.  The clerk came out of the back room offered her a friendly hello and a promise of help with anything if needed.  “I am just browsing, thank you”, Edie said with a smile.  Among the large collection of dishes, china dolls, and other knick knacks she noticed several paintings leaning against the far wall near the back of the store.  She normally never went for paintings; still she was drawn to where they were on display.




     One painting sitting along the wall stopped her in her tracks.  Framed in an ornate brown frame, the subject of the painting was a little girl with golden brown curls fast asleep in a white and gold brass bed.  Standing guard over her was a white dog.  There was a stained glass window of green, blue, and muted gold in the background and a large ornate blue flowered vase filled with lilies at the head of the bed.  What was even more extraordinary about the painting was that the little girl could have been her twin when she was that age and the dog resembled a faithful pet she had owned when she was a little girl.  




     There was little doubt in Edie’s mind that she had to buy this picture and she said a silent prayer that she could afford it.  The clerk had noticed how interested she seemed, and wandered to her side.  “How much do you want for the painting?” Edie breathed with unconcealed excitement.  The clerk nodded toward the painting and named her price and Edie jubilantly agreed to pay it.  She had to have this painting!


      With a smile that lit up the shop, Edie counted out the bills and then hugged her painting to her breast as she rushed to her car.  She felt giddy and over the moon with excitement.  She couldn’t wait to return home and hang up her new painting.  Since the little girl was sound asleep Edie felt the perfect place for the painting would be on the east wall of her bedroom.  She hung it in precisely that spot when she returned home and it looked perfect.  It looked as if it had always been there.  It belonged there.   In the gilded brownish frame the little girl dressed in a blue nightgown slept on white sheets, under a soft pink blanket, and flowered green coverlet.  The white dog sat on the bed behind her watching her sleep.  She was at peace, and a subtle smile formed on her lips.  


        Years past, and Edie’s daughter loved imagining that the sleeping little girl was in fact her mother.  The painting had a certain serenity that her daughter loved as much as her mother before her.  The painting hung in the same spot for years.  Time passed, and Edie died.  Of all of her possessions, the painting called to her daughter much as it had drawn Edie in the beginning.  She had to have it!!  It made her happy just to look into it.  It made her smile.  It made her feel as if her mother hadn’t left after all. 


       She claimed the painting, took it home, and hung it in her living room so she could see it everyday and remember the little girl her mother must have been, the woman she became, and the mother that would live forever in her heart.  Even today it still makes her happy until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.


25 comments:

  1. *Blinks rapidly and sniffles* Of all the blogs connected to this particular prompt, yours touched me the most, Kathy. I think it's because it talks to me about what how a daughter and a mother can share so much love. I never had that and stories like this get to me, probably because of that. But I don't want to detract from your writing. Your style is easy to read and you wrote with a fluidity and emotion which was perfect for the story. Bravo!

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    1. Mojo Writin, I am so pleased that you enjoyed my story and it touched you so deeply. Thank you for your praise! Thank you so much for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!♥

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  2. What a great story Kathy!! I loved this. The picture has become part of a bond between mother and daughter--or something like that. Beautiful tale!! Cheers, Jenn.

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    1. Jenn, it kind of has. I have always loved this picture. I don't know where my mom got this painting or when so after thinking about it for several days the story emerged in my head. I am so pleased you enjoyed it. I probably spent more time on this particular story than about anything I have written simply because fiction terrifies me! LOLOLOLOL Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words and comments. They go a long way in giving me the guts to write more fiction in future. I am proving to myself I can do it with baby steps. ♥ Thank you for stopping by to read!

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  3. You've a wonderful way of telling a story. You pull the reader in from the get go and hold us there until the end.

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    1. Brenda, WOW thank you!! I am so pleased you enjoyed it and simply grinning from ear to ear with your praise. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!♥

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  4. Oh Kathy...I see your name on that picture. Is it your painting? I love it, regardless. I also absolutely positively think this is your very best writing to date. It is perfection. Every detail, every word is exactly necessary to hold your reader and tug at their heart. You know I am very close to Momma and had she such a possession, it would have to be mine and I would also have it in my living room.
    Kudos and the highest praise I can imagine to you on this masterpiece. ♥

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    1. Jo, I did not paint this picture. But like you, I love it. I love antique style paintings best. I am honestly beaming and glowing from your praise. I am so pleased you enjoyed it!!WOW! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  5. Loved your story. What a sweet picture.

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    1. Suzy, thank you! I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  6. Such a delightful story, Kathy. I couldn't wait to see where it was going. Loved it!

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    1. Corinne, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  7. Kathy, this is so well done. What you did so well was describe the painting perfectly without our actually having to see it. And then using the painting to give us a true sense of the character of the girl would bought it. And then having it passed on through a generation...great material and so patiently written. Great attention to detail which always makes the reader want to read through to the end.

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    1. Sandra, I am so pleased you enjoyed it and that I met the challenge head on. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your encouragingly kind comments! ♥

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  8. Kathy how lovely you write this creative fiction piece, weaving in the true life details and your emotions as well. The picture is just breathtaking and exactly as you described it. Very well done!

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    1. Amy, thank you! Honestly I have no idea where my mom actually got that painting. That was all a figment of my imagination. I always thought that little girl looked exactly like my mom in the face and that is what fascinated me the most. Thank you for stopping by and for your amazing comments! ♥

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  9. I so enjoyed your story too, Kathy! And, I loved how you described each detail of the picture. The story was so delightful. You go, girl!

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    1. Betty, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story. I am just tentatively testing my wings writing fiction. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  10. Sweet story, Kathy. Such a lovely legacy for the daughter to have from her mother. Nice job.

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    1. ElaineLK, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story!! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  11. When a person has a treasure that is visible every day as they gather memories of that place, it becomes a part of them. It sounds as though the painting had a home on the wall where it hung from its conception. Descriptive... yes :-)

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    1. November Rain-k, it has. I hope it will always stay in the family and one of my kids will want it as well when I am gone. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  12. I love the way you put this all together from one generation to the next. The details describing the painting is well done. I could actually see it from your description. Well done!

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    1. Lucy, thank you! I am so pleased you enjoyed my story. Thank you for stopping by to read, comment, and put a silly grin on my face! ♥

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  13. Ray Batchler did a painting like this one, with a little black girl.you can see it at oransblackmuseum.org

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