Write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night.

Posted in Fantasy on Mar 15, 2024

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✍️ 66 stories

“The Night Watchman” by Trudy Jas

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #242

He comes to work just before closing time, as he does every night. His uniform is pressed, cap on his head, belt with keys and other useless stuff hanging on his hip. Every evening, he politely listens to whatever the man from the day shift wants to tell him. He knows nothing will happen. All will be well. He'll make sure.After he has smiled warmly, listening to everyone wishing him a cheerful goodnight, after he has locked up and turned off most of the lights, he walks to the small side room and sits on the bench.The man sits quietly and wa...

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“La Luna Negra” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #242

Isabella’s note said, “I am sorry, my love. I’ve decided. I won’t be coming back.” His heart seemed to stop beating.Gabriel journeyed out among the thin outline of the green coast, traversing the rough crags bordered by multicolored thatched rooves of sailors’ homes which clung to the slopes and cast terrible shadows down along the coastline. The shadows looked like the menacing fingers of a deformed giant trying to reach down and snatch living souls.Isabella had erased his entire history. Was he an amnesiac? A stranger to himself? He could ...

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“The Last Man Kneeling” by Stephanie I

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #242

(*warning; Implied racism and mentions of slavery. *) THE LAST MAN KNEELING The man in the painting was nameless, but he knew three things for certain:1. He was depicted kneeling on a plush red carpet, his face locked in a stern expression as he gazed into the flickering flames of a grand fireplace.2. The artist who had brought him to life and placed him on display was known as Asher Vanderbilt, his elegant signature adorning the bottom of the canvas in golden letters.3. And most importantly - at night, the nameless man would come alive. It ...

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“De Nachtwacht” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #242

Breaking News – Missing figures from RijksmuseumReporter Daan StampReporting for Amsterdam GazetteThe world and this reporter are shocked to the core, with the breaking news announcement that certain figures are missing from the Rijksmuseum world famous collection. The Director of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s famous building and collection of precious masterpieces of art, Mevrouw Lembrandt, stood on the front steps of the building after calling upon the world’s press to make this groundbreaking news announcement today, this morning at 10:00,...

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“Rapha and Kafka ” by Claire Trbovic

Submitted to Contest #242

“Won’t you get sick from sitting on a cold floor?” the baby asked.“Sounds like something she’d say to scare us into doing something without really knowing why,” I retorted, trying to sound authoritative with a voice that still hadn’t broken.“But we don’t have anyone to go to now if we get sick. What do we do if we get cold and die?” The baby’s tone was strangely calm, almost in acknowledgment that something this extreme could actually happen, which was a concern and news to me.I didn’t dare admit I needed the guidance, so I decided to wait a...

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“Plight at the Museum” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #242

The car’s tyres skidded over the rain-wet road, squealing in the night.Edward Rakee gritted his teeth. He didn’t like driving this fast, but the situation called for it. This had been the first night after changing the museum’s exhibits, his first actual decision on the job. At midnight, he’d gotten a call. The motion sensor alarms had detected someone inside the building. Someone had broken in – what a disaster. He gripped the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip and fought to keep control of his 2-tonne beast.Burnhelm Museum’s windows gl...

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“Fireflies at Night, Art Appreciators' Delight” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #242

Souvenir was coming to the Grand Met. He was the biggest painter in the biggest gallery and it was just down the road from where I lived. How lucky was I? I couldn’t wait to go. I could feel the anticipation building inside me like bubbles rising and popping in cola. I’d heard excellent things. We all had. It was a paying show and it was notoriously hard to get tickets. I’d secured mine months in advance. People were peddling fake ones on street corners to make a quick buck. That’s how popular they were. I was going with my friend, Se Yung....

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“Where Blue Orchids Bloom” by Pamela Moore

Submitted to Contest #242

She stood gracefully in an old garden, the sun constantly kissing her autumn skin. Behind her, emerald green sycamore trees grew in the middle of the breezy meadow. She gently held onto her snow-white bonnet with one delicate hand, and she clutched a bouquet of orchids ranging in different shades of blue in the other. Her dark, curly hair was tied up into a bun with loose strands hanging beside her darling face. God, her face. She had an exquisitely curved nose that was placed perfectly between her sweet, almond eyes. Her smile w...

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“Apparition in Blue, No. 5. ” by Darya Black

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #242

“There is a hidden side to every picture—the conception which was in the artist’s mind and heart. That conception, when he formed it, expressed itself clearly in the astral and mental matter, even though he may have succeeded but partially in bringing his idea down to the physical world.” — C. W. Leadbeater, The Hidden Side of Things, Vol. II, 1913 1: Separation I don’t know much about the man who created me. I feel only threads of him, currents of his energy seeping through the paint in my veins. In my mind, he is a bearded man, ...

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“Souls of Great Chiefs” by Sirref Pen Name

Submitted to Contest #242

In 1839, fifteen-year-old Cole Jasper Coaler sketched in his Greek and Algebra rule books maps of the United States, beginning east of the Mississippi, he drew the states and their borders green shadings for the wild forests, then finally on its own page, the Republic of Texas: the state itself as big as the entire eastern part of the country he drew, bordered by the shape of repeating rifles and colt revolvers and arrows and lances separating it distinctly from the rest of the world, horses and phantom humans of mythological shape dabbed by...

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“Legends of the Midnight Gallery” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #242

Joe Klimazawa knew the secrets of the Midnight Gallery. He knew what happened when the clock struck midnight. He knew because he had been the night watchman for over ten months. While the De Young Museum was the most popular in the city, Zaroff’s Museum of the Occult attracted many patrons who were curious and fascinated with the bizarre displays of ornamentation from all over the world such as head hunters’ trophies and voodoo dolls left dangling from the rafters of the Dark Arts Wing. Joe knew that strange things happened at mi...

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“Eschatology Exhibition” by J. I. MumfoRD

Submitted to Contest #242

[tw gore, insane ravings, eldritch corruption]Sarah's palms left moist patches on the worn desk as she cursed the volunteer manager for leaving her to conduct the "Relics of the Occult" tour alone. Her notecards were smeared with sweat stains. She was not ready, but she had run out of time.She slid past the massive alcohol filled container of an immature leviathan and shelves full of specimen vats. Their unblinking eyes upturned in perverse supplication.She let herself through the armored door, piercing the insulated, fireproof glass wall, b...

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“The Poor Poet” by Renate Buchner

Submitted to Contest #242

The walls of an ancient Scottish castle arranged with paintings of people, animals, and abstract figures began to come to life as darkness fell and froze as daylight returned. My aunt used to tell me this fairy tale all the time. Yes, it was a long time ago, and I have since gone to the museum several times at night to write down my thoughts. I even pursued it as a career. You could think I'm a loser. But I'm telling you, it's all true. Do not give me this look. I noticed you staring at me with your enlarged, weary eyes. The art historian's ...

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“Night Bird” by Martin Marriott

Submitted to Contest #242

Paris, 1954 There are things in the world that can’t be explained with rational thinking or scientific logic. Sometimes, there are phenomena that baffle the mind, and no matter how hard we try to rationalise the irrational, we will never arrive at a rational conclusion. That is precisely what happened to Étienne Dubois in the spring of 1954 when he secured a part-time job as a security guard at the Louvre.Étienne Dubois was a man of scientific reasoning. He took the part-time job as a security guard to help fund his final year at the Univers...

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“Salle des États” by Peyton Fleek

Submitted to Contest #242

I know what you’re thinking. Really? Mona Lisa? Again? Why is she even famous? I get it. People- critics, men, women, kids, celebrities, politicians- have been asking these questions for centuries. Who is she? What is she feeling? That’s not really the point of my story today, nor will I be answering any of your long sought after answers. However, I think if you will just hear me out you’ll find my account rather frivolous. It began when the final guard locked the doors this evening. The paintings waking up, as we subjects like to call ...

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Write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“The Night Watchman” by Trudy Jas

“La Luna Negra” by Jonathan Page

“The Last Man Kneeling” by Stephanie I

“De Nachtwacht” by John Rutherford

“Rapha and Kafka ” by Claire Trbovic

“Plight at the Museum” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Fireflies at Night, Art Appreciators' Delight” by Keelan LaForge

“Where Blue Orchids Bloom” by Pamela Moore

“Apparition in Blue, No. 5. ” by Darya Black

“Souls of Great Chiefs” by Sirref Pen Name

“Legends of the Midnight Gallery” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“Eschatology Exhibition” by J. I. MumfoRD

“The Poor Poet” by Renate Buchner

“Night Bird” by Martin Marriott

“Salle des États” by Peyton Fleek

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who accidentally destroys a museum’s most valuable artifact.

Write about an art thief who is struggling to commit the perfect heist.

Write about two characters who meet and/or fall in love in a museum.

Start or end your story with a character who gets trapped inside a museum overnight.

Contest #242

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

264

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: