Biography of a Captive

by uselessness

Add to AIMShare

He was the greatest craftsman our town had seen. He painted the mayor (and family), he painted the infamous entrepreneurial Five Bachelors (and pets), he painted Cliff Arbuckle (and prize-winning kokanee) on the shores of Lake Shawmut.

We always told him he was meant for bigger things. No one knew what kept him here; his ability to continue on in obvious discontentment remained something of a local mystery.

He seldom smiled, and the light in his studio could often be seen late into the night, long after the rest of us had retired. He would paint portrait after portrait in silence on those nights. They were, undoubtedly, masterpieces, scenes pulled straight from his imagination without need for models or props. But with rare exception he burned them all in a private ceremony the following day, and never spoke of them again.

It’s said that he had no passion, no capacity for happiness. He never married. He just painted, all the while gazing wistfully at the clouds through the window, and he died very young.

Prequels

Write a prequel

Sequels

Write a sequel

Comments

Average Reader Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5

  1. Biography of a Captive

    pie_is_good's Buddy Icon pie_is_good

    Posted 10 months ago

    Oh, I love it. It’s written in such a matter-of-fact way, like someone explaining how this man lived without hardly caring and yet it manages to be completely heartbreaking. Good job.

  2. Biography of a Captive

    Fyora Cartagan's Buddy Icon Fyora Cartagan

    Posted 10 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    I love how you continued your experiment in Point-of-Views. This sounds like it was told from the POV of the village gossip, and that’s perfect after seeing it from “the gods’ ” perspective.
    Thank you for the sequel. :D

  3. Biography of a Captive

    Fyora Cartagan's Buddy Icon Fyora Cartagan

    Posted 10 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    THE * experiment in Point of Views.

    My mistake. :D

  4. Biography of a Captive

    horrorfan13's Buddy Icon horrorfan13

    Posted 10 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    This is really good. It interests me to know where this is going exactly.

  5. Biography of a Captive

    Ben Paddon's Buddy Icon Ben Paddon

    Posted 10 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Magnificent! Wonderfully written. I’m starting to feel really sorry for this poor gentleman I have helped to create.

Want to comment on this ficlet? You need to sign in!