Microfiction challenge #1: Childhood

Microfiction is what you’d imagine—very short. It can be as short as you want, but for this challenge I’d like you to set yourselves a word limit of 200. I could be cruel and make it less, but you should be able to tell a short story in 200 words maximum. For this first story challenge I’ve chosen this painting by Alvin Arnegger.

 

Is this just a sweet, chocolate box portrait, or is there more to it? Who are the children—siblings, friends, enemies? Is the little girl’s expression sad, or simply thoughtful? Why do they seem to be thinking such different thoughts? What happens to them? Are they even still alive?

Children are notoriously difficult to paint. They don’t pose; they don’t dissimulate or try to show themselves in a particular light. Perhaps because their world is so different to ours, it’s hard for an artist to know what they are thinking about. But this artist has captured something about these two that makes me slightly anxious. I feel these two children have a story to tell, if not several. I’d like to read your version.

If you want a word to ponder, try:

yesterday.

Please join in and leave a link to your blog post in the comments. If you would like readers to leave critical comments, just say so. We’ll see how that works out. And pass the word along—the more the merrier. I’ll do a round up next Thursday and post a new theme on Friday. Have fun!

Advertisement