by Red WolfDrew stepped out of her makeshift darkroom, a bundle of photos in her hand. She sat at the dining table and spread the photographs out, shuffling them into chronological order.
She ran a fingertip over the images, following the contour of a shoulder, an eyebrow, a hip. She loved the way his hair fell over his eyes in the third picture, it was just the way she wanted to remember Pete, with his dark hair and darker eyes.
It would have been perfect if she could have had the sound to go with the images. She'd tried video once, but it wasn't her medium. She found it too jerky and the footage she shot always looked cold, clinical and tawdry, it never showed the love she put into her work. And it was that love that saw her photographs exhibited all over the world.
Simple images capturing disembodied elements. Photos that showed a human being in all their component parts in such a way that they were mistaken for fruit and plants, trees and landscapes. She worked in black and white to aid to the illusion.
There was only one drawback to her work and that was finding models that she could strike up a rapport with. Pete had been the best so far. It was a shame they could never work together again.
Drew scratched her head and was not surprised to see dried blood under her fingernails. Pete had been a feisty model, she had to give him that.
She smiled as she picked up the last photo, it was the only full body shot in the series. Pete lay on a dark rug, curled in a foetal position, he looked so sweet.
Taking the photograph across to the kitchen, Drew kissed it once before she set fire to it in the sink. Pete may have been sweet, but it would take ages to completely wash his blood out of her hair. Such was the way with her models.
Looking out the window and saw the lawn man at work in her neighbour's yard. Long strong limbs, good build, perhaps she should get his number. You never knew when a good model would come in handy.
15 Minute Ficlets — challenge #84: freeze
Published Babble Horde — 12.12.2004
Published FictionPress — 16.12.2004
Published Wrasp.Net — 01.01.2005
fiction | horror | original fiction
Thanks. This was the first thing I thought of for the challenge, the muse may need to do some Spring cleaning — via LiveJournal
— posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 22:24 AEST | 
Thank you. Nice to hear that you thought so — via LiveJournal
— posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 22:25 AEST |
Oh — chilling. Lovely turn at the end, there — via LiveJournal
— posted by Willa at 13.01.2005 22:27 AEST |
Dear Drew has most definitely left a trail of ex-models behind her. She must be quite good at body disposal.
I must be a bit slow, I just realised that Drew and Dru are pronounced the same. I was watching Charlie's Angels last night, so I used Drew Barrymore's name rather than Drusilla. How odd — via LiveJournal — posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 22:27 AEST |
I must be a bit slow, I just realised that Drew and Dru are pronounced the same. I was watching Charlie's Angels last night, so I used Drew Barrymore's name rather than Drusilla. How odd — via LiveJournal — posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 22:27 AEST |
Thanks. Sometimes I need to play in the dark — via LiveJournal
— posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 22:28 AEST |
What is it with you and serial killers anyway? Not that I'm complaining — you write them well — but it makes me wonder sometimes, you know? ;-) — via LiveJournal
— posted by Elizabeth Culmer at 13.01.2005 22:32 AEST |
I never really think of them as serial killers, just people who kill things. In this case kills things and takes photos of killed things.
I like the off kilter aspect of the nice quiet man with the perfectly manicured lawn, who's a pillar of society and keeps runaway children chained in his basement. The real nuts are never the ones who look like nuts — via LiveJournal — posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 22:33 AEST |
I like the off kilter aspect of the nice quiet man with the perfectly manicured lawn, who's a pillar of society and keeps runaway children chained in his basement. The real nuts are never the ones who look like nuts — via LiveJournal — posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 22:33 AEST |
Aye, she can be rather scary sometimes. ;-) Just recently, she was stalking my LJ with scalpels! ::wonders if I need a restraining order:: — via LiveJournal
— posted by IrishVampire13 at 13.01.2005 22:34 AEST |
I can't write anything for 15minuteficlets anymore because all the words make me think of smut. (I might try for a ficlet of two tomorrow.) My mind has degenerated into porny-mush from so much time spent in front of my computer muttering to myself.
That said, I don't know who Drew or Pete is, but I liked Drew, that darling homicidal sociopath — via LiveJournal — posted by Jetis at 13.01.2005 23:00 AEST |
That said, I don't know who Drew or Pete is, but I liked Drew, that darling homicidal sociopath — via LiveJournal — posted by Jetis at 13.01.2005 23:00 AEST |
Fucking shit. I should at least be able to speak English by now. I'm going to bed — via LiveJournal
— posted by Jetis at 13.01.2005 23:01 AEST |
I always notice the spelling mistakes and wierdness right after I hit post. Still haven't learned to preview first.
I quite like Drew too, but I like all my sociopaths. As for Pete, he's probably buried in the garden or in a several dumpsters or embedded in the foundations of the new office block in town or ground into fertiliser.
I think I put too much thought into that — via LiveJournal — posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 23:01 AEST |
I quite like Drew too, but I like all my sociopaths. As for Pete, he's probably buried in the garden or in a several dumpsters or embedded in the foundations of the new office block in town or ground into fertiliser.
I think I put too much thought into that — via LiveJournal — posted by Red Wolf at 13.01.2005 23:01 AEST |
Originality/Concept: 9
Grammar/Style: 8
Overall Rating: 9
I am guessing you are a photographer. In the beginning you are getting the impression that this is a lonely artist, but that's a nice twist at the end. It leaves a whole lot to the imagination, like was she crazy, and why does she do this. All in all, good story — via LiveJournal — posted by Gil Alexander at 18.01.2005 21:36 AEST |
Grammar/Style: 8
Overall Rating: 9
I am guessing you are a photographer. In the beginning you are getting the impression that this is a lonely artist, but that's a nice twist at the end. It leaves a whole lot to the imagination, like was she crazy, and why does she do this. All in all, good story — via LiveJournal — posted by Gil Alexander at 18.01.2005 21:36 AEST |
Originality/Concept: 8
Grammar/Style: 8
Overall Rating: 8
A nice story. A few nitpicks must be spoken, however.
Grammar/Style: 8
Overall Rating: 8
A nice story. A few nitpicks must be spoken, however.
Looking out the window and saw the lawn man at work in her neighbour's yard.— posted by Sean Chase at 06.03.2005 19:58 AEST |That is grammatically incorrect.sheshould replaceand.That andneighboris spelled incorrectly.
Earlierfetalis spelled incorrectly as well.
Such an unfortunately short story. Perhaps you should take the story and go on to develop it without the challenge. Very nice job with setting the scene and descriptions. Apart from a tense confusion at the end where you switch from past to present at the very beginning of the final paragraph and the aforementioned there was nothing really to mention that was wrong with this story. Not too original, but that's to be expected with serial killer stories. Overall it was enjoyable — via Wrasp.net
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