Write a story about an artist whose work has magical properties.

Posted in Fantasy on Feb 23, 2024

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✍️ 99 stories

“Cucina Magica a Firenze” by Courtney Caruso

Submitted to Contest #239

In the heart of Florence, Italy, nestled among the ancient cobblestone streets and the Renaissance architecture, stood a centuries-old building exuding charm and history. Courtney and her family stumble upon a small, quaint cafe that seems straight out of a storybook. Its facade, adorned with creeping vines and colorful flower boxes overflowing with blossoms, exudes an irresistible charm that beckons them inside. As they push open the heavy wooden door, a tinkling bell announces their arrival, filling the cozy interior with a melody of war...

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“La Dolce Vita” by John Heard

Submitted to Contest #239

Wanda began drawing when she was a young girl. When her family lived in Sweden, her father would take her on walks along the Strömkajen, where the ferries departed for the Stockholm archipelago, the chain of islands that connected the city to the Baltic Sea. Wanda had a drawing pad and she sketched the ships, seagulls, and fluffy white clouds that drifted overhead. A sympathetic art teacher gave her some extra pointers about detailing and shading and soon Wanda’s simple drawings improved dramatically. When the family moved to Rom...

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“Mint Honey Tea” by Page Bard

Submitted to Contest #239

A young artist twirled a pencil in between his long fingers. He pondered the question that always seemed to haunt him. What to draw? He watched people bustle by, their minds revolving around their phones, ignoring the outside world. They were all the same, from the little girl- with a dull gray dress and braids- to the old man motoring around in his wheelchair. They were all in rapture with their tiny mobile devices, not seeing the world as it should be. The little girl should be out playing in the sun with a kite in hand. The man should be ...

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“The Eye” by Nina Yaney

Submitted to Contest #239

It was a very strange gift. In ordinary months, quite a few mugs exchange hands, due to sentimentalism, favors, or both. The sculpture standing in front of her was neither; it seemed quite excessive; and what was worse, expensive.“Thanks! This is amazing. are you sure though? Like, sure, sure?” Ella said moving her head towards Alma but keeping the eyes locked in the bizarre object.“Yes, please take it, to guard you in your studio,” Alma answered looking directly at her with her eyes dark under her thick eyebrow, while rubbing her apron.&nbs...

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“Distortions” by Jay Wayne

Submitted to Contest #239

When he asks to paint me, I readily agree—not out of vanity, or desire to be immortalized, but out of curiosity for him. I know how art is made, how the shape of the artist can be found like a shadow across the canvas. One can trace the outline, step behind their eyes, and see what they see for a brief, still moment captured in oil on canvas. Like a crystal lens, the artist is the focusing point of any piece, the fulcrum of reality and surreality. I settle on the chair in his studio, wondering how I should sit. What reality will I have him...

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“Thus and Therefore with and an incorrect Semi-colon.” by Ann McIlwee

Submitted to Contest #239

Spells are tricky things that remedy or destroy. A curse is infinitely more personal than the other as I have lately discovered. A profoundly debilitating year has brought me back to that discover the truth of what happened during the New Orleans Mardi Gras. If a hex had been administered was it done so unintentionally as a good luck charm caste by Boniface the Tarot? Possible, and I like to think that it would have negated the curse applied by Dinah the Inker. Both self-proclaimed New Orleanians I recalled, albeit I was in a bit of an inebr...

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“Venus' Playpen ” by Vesta Bartholomew

Submitted to Contest #239

Pagall -Thursday June 12 1975 Pagall leaned back in his beloved, worn brown checked recliner- his dear friend. His right pointer finger caressed the burn holes in the fabric that had been created over the decades from his occasional careless smoking. His left hand held a half-finished Camel and his penetrating blue eyes were fixated on the space just above his head. The large, yellow-brown diaphanous smoke rings, newly created, floated aloft to th...

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“An Artistic Journey” by JP G

Submitted to Contest #239

Chloe moved a few steps back to admire the final product. The once vacant canvas now boasted an exquisite panorama of majestic mountains, lush trees, and meandering rivers. This heavenly paradise served as the flawless backdrop she had envisioned for her inaugural portal. This time, she could feel the certainty resonating within her—this time, she was destined to succeed. Carefully, she arranged a flickering candle, a substantial bowl of water, and a petite Joshua tree in a strategic arrangement before the scenic painting. With each elemen...

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“Thaumaturgic Tattoos” by Marceline Snyder

Submitted to Contest #239

On a very busy street, on a very busy day, voices rang throughout a very busy building. Music rang through the ears of men and women sitting on a bench waiting patiently for their turn. Some people were laying down on their stomachs, while others were placed upright, eyes pinched shut, and hands filled with heartbeats from the continuous squeeze of their nails digging into their skin. Outside the door in bright neon lights hung a sign; “THAUMATURGIC TATTOOS” “Alrighty, my coworker over there can help you at checkout. Yo...

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“Forest of FIre and Spells.” by Rehaf Imran

Submitted to Contest #239

I stood atop a crumbling hill that flourished with flowers and weeds. A sky hung with narwhals wailing, and birds singing. In the vast distance, I could see a village with crooked little houses in rows upon rows with little fences bordering them. Fountains were streaming with bright blue water and trees blooming with vivid flowers. But the thing that attracted my eye the most, was the cracked white marble statue in the middle standing higher than the other buildings.” This is my next city,” I said as the howling wind buried my words into the...

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“Two lattes, please” by Emily Cummins

Submitted to Contest #239

Quiet evenings were Carter’s favourite. The lengthy respite between occasional customers provided enough time for him to get the shop cleaned and restocked before closing. There was one customer in at the moment, an elderly man sitting in the booth directly across from the bar. He had only ordered tap water and a biscotti, as evidenced by the crumbs sprayed over the table and the floor, which would certainly require a second sweep. Behind the bar Carter delicately restocked the jars of loose-leaf tea, removing each lid and releasing an int...

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“Property of Calypso” by Karol P

Submitted to Contest #239

The twelfth tree in front of Allen Redvers Middle School bloomed pink two months early. It was only March; the flowers were the effect of the striped blue-and-yellow crochet wrapped around its trunk and branches like a sweater. Carden Bailey and Ozri Geller stood in front of it, gazing up. “Calypso strikes again,” said Ozri. Carden didn’t answer, touching the tree with one pink-gloved hand. It was warm, as if it had gotten there by time travel from some distant May. A laminated tag zip-tied to one of the b...

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“Art in all its crazy forms” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #239

Art in all its crazy forms I had a very unusual up-bring. Let me explain. I was born to parents that were well known portrait painters. In fact to be more precise the definition would be traveling portrait painters. By the time I was born their mood of lifestyle had proved quite successful. That meant they regularly traveled between New York, London, and Paris. They could afford keeping an apartment in each capital and renting a studio when required. They were well known in each city and in fact had a waiting list of clients anxious to hav...

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“The Magician's Daughter ” by Kayla Wikaryasz

Submitted to Contest #239

(CW: Mention of death, without graphic details.) Nahmeda lived peacefully in the untamed wilderness of Yrlyria for her entire life. At eighty, Nahmeda was considered quite the catch for young elven bachelors of yrlyria. Though her village was located far from Elma Asradi, the nearest major city in the kingdom, elven men sought out Nahmeda instead of traveling to secure a wife. Men often passed up younger elven women for wives (of whom were in their fifties and sixties) just for a chance at claiming the hand of a Magician’s daughter. ...

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“Most Likely to Succeed” by Cassidy Sunday

Submitted to Contest #239

Note: This story contains mentions of substance abuse, physical violence, terminal illness, mental health, and self-harm.Sadie Woo was Most Likely to Succeed. It wasn’t a guess. Lily Lancaster plucked tiny strips of Bluetac and stuck them to the corners of Sadie’s photo. Flipped it over. Pressed it against an A4 page. Admired the way she’d captured Sadie’s serious eyes and sharp chin. She scribbled her prediction beneath the photo in black permanent marker. The midday sun had baked the Middleton Prep Yearbook ...

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Write a story about an artist whose work has magical properties.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 99 stories

“Cucina Magica a Firenze” by Courtney Caruso

“La Dolce Vita” by John Heard

“Mint Honey Tea” by Page Bard

“The Eye” by Nina Yaney

“Distortions” by Jay Wayne

“Thus and Therefore with and an incorrect Semi-colon.” by Ann McIlwee

“Venus' Playpen ” by Vesta Bartholomew

“An Artistic Journey” by JP G

“Thaumaturgic Tattoos” by Marceline Snyder

“Forest of FIre and Spells.” by Rehaf Imran

“Two lattes, please” by Emily Cummins

“Property of Calypso” by Karol P

“Art in all its crazy forms” by David Nutt

“The Magician's Daughter ” by Kayla Wikaryasz

“Most Likely to Succeed” by Cassidy Sunday

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story where a regular household item becomes sentient.

Start your story with it raining… anything but rain (e.g. flowers, cutlery, seashells, running shoes).

Write a story where the laws of time and space begin to dissolve.

Write a story where your character is traveling a road that has no end.

Contest #239

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

515

Contest entries

132

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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