THE PAINTING

CW: Domestic violence, death, suicide, depression.

"No, she can't"

"No way! Do you wanna bet"

"What cannot I? What are you guys talking", Nancy asked. 

Nancy, a high school teenager who didn't care about her grades as she was forced to study by her parents. But she was really a hard core aesthete. Ask about any painting, didn't matter how old it was, she will never disappoint. She was a dab hand at that.

" Nothing Nancy", said Chuck.

"Backbiting me"

"No..."

"So what is it"

"Brian wants to challenge you for a dare", Chuck hesitately told her. He admired her, ever since she moved to that place.

"what dare"

"Going to Mr. Simp's house at night"

"What's the big deal in that"

"Haven't you heard"

"What"

"Mr. Simp went totally insane last night. To the extent that he is hospitalized in a Psychiatric Hospital. Words are spreading that it's all because of a painting."

"Painting", Nancy exclaimed.

Chuck looked towards her astonished face and continued, "He brought that painting two days before"

Nancy was lost at her thoughts. "How a painting can make a person go mad. What type of painting is that" She interrupted Chuck who was busy telling her all the rumours going around at the neighborhood.

"What else do you know about that painting"

"Aren't you following me Nancy"

"What painting is that"

"I don't know. Nobody does but...."

"But..."

"As I have heard he didn't bought that. Someone has gifted him" 

"Who"

"I don't know. Maybe one of his well-wishers"

"Well-wishers....", Nancy said while raising her eyebrows.

Nancy started to inquire about such paintings, which can manipulate someone's brain that much to make him hospitalized in a Psychiatric Hospital. Local newspapers were flooded with the news about Mr. Simp went mad because of a painting. She read every news but nothing attracted her attention. She didn't even find, what that painting was. Everyone including reporters were too scared to go and look at it. She was confused and lost. She knew Mr. Simp, she had been to his house often especially during Christmas eves but hadn't seen any paintings in his house. She had talked about her passion in paintings with Mr. Simp during morning walks and never found him to be excited about paintings. "He didn't even know who painted the famous Monalisa painting", she mutters to herself. Talks were going around in the locality that Mr. Simp was screaming loudly that night before he was admitted. There were noises of utensils falling in the kitchen but nobody actually knows what had happened. 

After few days struggling to find answers, she finally decided to meet him. She was allowed to talk with him in a dark room, lighted with a yellow bulb and a cctv camera was recording them from the corner. She rushed the conversation, knowing she had limited time there, 

"What was that painting, Mr. Simp"

"What happened that night"

There was no answer. Room was filled with the sound of their breath. She repeated her questions but Mr.Simp wouldn't even looked at her once.

Suddenly he spoke with a feeble, low voice,

"My wife"

"Your wife...."

He took a deep breath and continued,

"My wife was an abuser. I didn't know. We got married after knowing each other for 6 months. The wedding was simple with my family and her's. I really loved her. She was normal at the beginning. After two months she started arguing with me and it only got intense and worse as time passed. I thought it was just mood swings or maybe she was struggling with her office. She was never like that before. I thought maybe that house had some kind of negative energy, so I even asked her if she would like to move to another place, closer to her office. She really got annoyed and that was the first time she harmed me physically. I didn't know what to do. I was traumatised. The vows that we took on wedding day were falling apart just after two months. I didn't know whether should I tell anyone or not. What if they would have separated us. I really loved her. I never talked about my wife to anyone. Not even to our families. I was getting used to her tortures, I couldn't make sense that time whether my decision of staying silent was right or wrong. And one night everything changed. My whole world collapsed, better saying burnt. My wife was home late that night. She might have messed up her presentation in the office. I didn't dare to ask her what happened, she was cussing as soon as she arrived home. I was at the bedroom. Suddenly she was yelling my name, I went down to the hall. I was stunned, she was holding a knife, I tried to calm down her. I called her name but maybe she didn't listen. She was over-headed with anger. That time I knew I had made the wrong choice. My heartbeats skipped as I got closer to her, she was holding the knife, I was afraid she might hurt herself. She put the knife on my neck. I was calling her name, pleading her, telling her, I really love her. Inside, I was asking for one more chance to sort out all the mess that shouldn't have happened. Tears were falling down my cheek. Suddenly I felt the air around me and opened my eyes. I saw her going upstairs to our bedroom. Her shoulders were in pain. She might have regretted what she had done with me. My mind and body got stiff. I needed to calm down myself. I drove far away. Few hours might have passed. I didn't know. I believed in my love, I thought of talking to her. I returned. There was a crowd in front of my house. A bright light was coming from my house, like something was in flames. I went closer and broke down. My wife had burnt herself along with the whole house. I might have been away for more than 4 hours, for the fire to spread over our 2-floored house. I don't know how to express what was going on my mind that time. My in-laws came and they blamed me. Well, maybe they were right, I should have talked about her with someone, atleast to her parents. Maybe, she would have been alive today", he was continuing without any pause. Nancy didn't know what to say. She was thunderstrucked, her body was sweating. She knew her parents were in such relationship. She had seen the bruises in her mother's body. Her mother didn't talk about it to anyone. They were like a sweet small family from outside. Nobody knows what was going on inside but Nancy does, even though her mother had tried her best to hide those bruises and pain. She was scared what if they would turned like Mr. Simp and his wife. She didn't know what she should do or what she can do. 

"That painting", Mr. Simp continued after wiping his tears. The pain in his voice was clearly visible to Nancy. "That painting was gifted to me by my brother-in-law. He is a great artist".

"What was in that painting, Mr. Simp", Nancy asked with a low voice. 

A staff of the hospital entered, "Visiting hours are over". 

Mr. Simp told her about the spare key of his house. Nancy directly went to see the painting. She made her steps to the bedroom where painting was hung. She was nervous, she knew that painting will surely shock her. Being an aesthete she couldn't stop herself being curious about the painting. She hesitately opened the bedroom door with her trembling hands. Her heart was beating louder and louder. She was stunned to look at the painting. It was the painting of burning house. It might be the same house in which Mr. Simp's wife had burnt herself. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She fell down and was crying heavily. 

She was devastated. After hearing about Mr. Simp's wife and that painting, her mind was blocked. Few days passed, she didn't move out, she even hadn't been to her school. One day as usual she was staring out of the windows. She had a lot going on her mind but her expressions were still. She didn't know what to do. Nothing was exciting her. Even she missed the art exhibition of her school. Her body was pale and dehydrated. She heard noises coming from her parents' room. She tried to ignore the voices but couldn't. It was louder that day. She was scared what if her family would get victimized of a tragedy. That tragedy which Mr. Simp and his wife had met. She came out of her room, encountered her mother who seemed to be leaving the house but changed her track after seeing her daughter. Nancy followed her mother to the kitchen, her mother was shaking, trying to hide her bruises and pain from her daughter.

"You don't have to do this"

"What are you talking about Nancy"

"I knew everything, even you gave your best to hide it, I saw everything".

Nancy was crying. Her mother left the kitchen while controlling her tears. Nancy followed her to the hall where her father came out of the room. His eyes were still burning red in anger. Nancy avoided his gaze and calmly approached her mother,

"We can sort out everything, mom"

"You don't have to do this"

"I will be there for you"

Her mother sat on the floor, crying while slipping down through her hands. As her father tried to make his way to her mother, Nancy pulled out the knife in her hands. 

"Don't move"

"Nancy, what are you doing", her mother yelled while standing up. Nancy knew her father will not let her mom leave, neither he will leave her. She was scared that what Mr. Simp's wife had done, her mother will do the same, she is weak, she never went against her father during their 20 years of marriage. Mr. Simp's story made a flashback in her mind and that painting, she thought maybe that house in the painting will become their's. She fell on the floor, saw her mother running towards her calling her name and everything got blurred in front of Nancy's eyes.

After 2 weeks, Nancy found herself in the hospital. Her mother was sitting beside her. Tears were still falling down her cheeks. Her eyes had swollen. 

"Why did you do that, What have I done if you haven't woke up"

Nancy stared at her mother.

Suddenly she asked with her sick voice,

" Did you signed divorce papers"

Her mother didn't reply. Nancy knew what that meant. Her mother said, 

"You should go to your aunt's house for your vacation. Spend some time in fresh air and forget everything that happened". She was leaving the room.

"Did you signed or not", this time Nancy's voice was strong and loud, filled with frustration and fear.

Her mother didn't look back and left.

After few days, she was discharged and left for her aunt's house. She was silent all day. She didn't liked to talk about anything, especially about paintings. She had thrown all her books related to paintings. She sat in a chair whole day while staring out of the window, with a cup of coffee and a week old newspaper, showing a bold headline and a picture of housefire. 

NEWSPAPER HEADLINE: A COUPLE, MR. AND MRS. CRIMSON FOUND DEAD IN A HOUSEFIRE.