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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night.

Posted in Fantasy on Mar 15, 2024

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 66 stories

“The Secret Life of Paintings” by Denise Glickler

Submitted to Contest #242

The door below closed upon the inverted cupcake which was the museum. From 92 feet above, the light from the glass dome dimmed as the sun set, and the night lighting came to life, automatically signaling the end of another day and the beginning of the secret adventure.The ramp that swirls around the building’s interior, leaving a void – a heart, of sorts – in the middle seemed bare, empty of footprints and sound. For the briefest of moments there was a lull, a silence. No breath heard, no sound. It was peaceful.Then things changed.It began w...

6 comments 6
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“The Mountain of Light ” by Julia Rajagopal

Submitted to Contest #242

As his painting slides out of the crate, the Maharaja, Duleep Singh, opens his large brown eyes. Several white-gloved conservators carefully grip his frame and ease him onto the wall. Duleep freezes while the livings are there. A dozen men and women stand before his painting as the conservators gently adjust the security features behind the frame.A warm, dry breeze blows through the silk gathered at Duleep’s waist. He feels the breeze, but the fabric remains still. It never moves while livings are present outside of the frame. The artist pai...

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“Red” by Christine Johnson

Submitted to Contest #242

The curator prepares my crate for departure. It was not supposed to be this way. My long-term exhibition cut short by the damn kid in white. I think you would feel the same way if you knew my story. For years, I sat above the mantle in a stuffy newly decorated poorly done vintage-vibe den in a benefactor of a benefactor’s home. He had me outlined in mahogany to emphasize my red dress. I am not sure if my creator was trying to highlight my wearables, but this so-called art affinando chose my red dress as the element he car...

5 comments 5
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“Favors and Promises” by Oliver Gray

Submitted to Contest #242

I refuse to give her more power over me than she already has by admitting she was the one who drove me crazy. I had always been insane and had always been bound to lose all sense of reality the way a wet painting or an uncapped marker were bound to go dry. She just happened to be the one who wrenched it out of me to present to the whole world, like a magician showing his audience - which really wasn’t all that surprised - the dove he had just pulled out of his hat. …I wanted the job because I loved art above everything else and I got th...

2 comments 2
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“painted in.” by Lara Deppe

Submitted to Contest #242

Fallon caught a glimpse of her reflection as she finished washing down the last sink in the first-floor bathroom. Fallon’s bruise surrounding her left eye was a patchy red but fading to yellow at the edges. She looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t missing her last job where all the other girls on shift would pepper her with questions about her life. She didn’t like explaining her situation. It had always been complicated. She graduated from high school last month and she was determined to find something else. Mrs. Waltham, her Englis...

3 comments 3
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“The Permanent Collection” by D.J. Bogner

Submitted to Contest #242

“I can’t get that painting out of my head. I’ve got to go back again.” Gabby studied her husband. “What, you mean, as in, now?” “It’ll only take a few minutes.” Gabby leveled her eyes at him. “We’re standing here in our bathing suits. The sandwiches and drinks are in the cooler at your feet, which you’re going to carry.” She tapped an oversized bag on the floor with her foot. “That’s our towels, blanket, suntan lotion, and chips.” She raised her hand and dangled a keychain in front of him. “I’m holding the car keys, Charlie. But you’re telli...

1 comment 1
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“The Drenthian: A Gothic Pastiche” by Drew Herman

Submitted to Contest #242

Editor’s note: The following story first appeared in the premier issue of Gundersen’s Christmas Annual, published in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in December 1894. One of the myriad general interest periodicals that flooded the market during that era, the magazine came out at irregular intervals through 1914, its producers apparently feeling themselves constrained neither by the “Christmas” nor by the “Annual” of its title.As for Gundersen, clearly the driving force in a provincial attempt to emulate Godey’s or The Delineator, only fragmentary ...

2 comments 2
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“Mona Lisa's War” by John Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #242

(Note: There is mention of war in this story, and in the title.)It was a cold day in summer at Le Louvre and Bernardine had a problem. He'd lost his keys again. It was time to lock up for the night and he was at a loss for how he would accomplish his duty. In record time, he sprung into action. Was it in the African section? The Middle Easter tapestries? Was it in the bathroom? He knew he'd left his set of keys there before. All the while, time was ticking away. As he was looking around, something felt heavy in the palm of his hand, but...

6 comments 6
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“The living Museum” by Jeff McDonald

Submitted to Contest #242

In a small town in America, there lived a teenager named Alex. He was an ordinary teenager who loved playing video games and hanging out with his friends. One day, his mother, who worked for a big tech company, had to go on a business trip to Inverness, Scotland. Reluctantly, she took Alex along with her, much to his dismay. He was not excited about spending his summer vacation in a foreign country. As they arrived in Inverness, Alex's boredom only grew. The city seemed dull and uninteresting to him. His mother, noticing his lack of enthusia...

2 comments 2
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“"Step Up"” by Karla S. Bryant

Submitted to Contest #242

Next week will make it a year since I became a security guard, more politely called a “gallery attendant”, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I’d lived in Philly my entire life, but when I got the position and reported for training, it was the first time I’d ever entered the building. I grew up in Roxborough and in the ‘90s would have perfectly fit the description of a Roxy Chick. Big hair, small clothes, and make-up that rocked. Just like in the Bruce Springsteen song, our glory days were in high school. After that, most of the girls got ma...

4 comments 4
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“Midnight in the Gallery 2” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #242

Following the miraculous events described in my previous story Midnight in the Gallery (which you can read on my Reedsy page under the prompt about somebody being locked in a museum overnight) I continued to volunteer at the gallery. To be completely honest, it was quite dull but dullness was something that I wanted at that stage in my life. I didn’t want too much excitement. I wanted a level of stability that wasn’t too stressful or difficult. I wanted calm and security.We approached the one year anniversary of the weird events of that magi...

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“The Boy and the Lion” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #242

 The castle was in the young boy’s eye, like the glint of a small gray linnet that lives in the eye of a falcon whose home is the sky. It stood on a hill in the distance, he had been inside it only once when his mother was mistress to one of the gentlewomen there. He thought the word “mistress” meant something honorable, not a word that means a boy has no father.Inside the castle was glittering stained glass that cast its glow on canvas and velvet walls, woodwork carved from uniquely large knots filamented with spirals of gold dust. But...

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“Night at the Gallery” by Patrick De La Vega

Submitted to Contest #242

The Studio Valley Island Gallery. An art gallery located near the beach and is well known in the local area. While it is not as notable as other more famous galleries and museums as, let’s say, the Louvre in Paris, it does its job.  However, while the Louvre may have its Mona Lisa, the Studio Valley Island Gallery has its own quirk. One that the world does not know of.  “Clear!” The crow calls out.  “Finally.” She stretches her body, as Max and Carl, the monkey and cat respectively, go about their business once the owner of th...

1 comment 1
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“Rooms with a Hue” by Bailey Primus

Submitted to Contest #242

BEEP BEEP BEEPThe incessant calls from my alarm clock woke me from absurd dream about wandering aimlessly in the scorching heat of a barren desert while melting clocks dripped numbers from the sky. I was equally as happy to be awake as annoyed that it was so early. Today I begin my new job as a museum guide; I’ve been looking forward to this new job venture for weeks. I stumbled out of bed and sleepily made my way to the kitchen to start the coffee pot. The aroma reinvigorated and motivated me to get moving. I sipped on that first cup lazily...

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“After-Hours in the Louvre” by Barbara Myatt

Submitted to Contest #242

                                         After-Hours In the Louvre At the end of the day, the Louvre closes its doors on the last visitors of the day. The night porter checks through the echoing galleries, switching off lights as he goes. Silence reigns. “I think they’ve all gone now,” whispered Victorine. “Can I put some clothes on. It rea...

2 comments 2
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