Microfiction for Sonya’s weekly photo prompt.
photo by Watari via Unsplash
Inspired by the stories of Walter Scott, he built the house, mimicking the Gothic he never really appreciated or understood, believing vaulted ceilings and cloisters created a ‘sophisticated’ atmosphere.
When his cruelty to the womenfolk of his household shaped Gothic horrors that haunted the nights of the mock-up castle, his line dried up, faded, and he died screaming in a straitjacket.
Now junkies haunt the lonely rooms and fake cloister, weaving their own horrors, painting the walls with their own madness.
Jane Dougherty Writes 
Looks exactly like an abandoned asylum. But they are never totally abandoned, are they? (K)
I can’t think that any building that has absorbed cruelty and violence could ever be easy.
Oh! This is so sad 💜💜
It is a bit.
It is too💜
Ooh, I love this idea. Feels like a biography you’ve plucked from the 19th century, some louche lord caught up in the neo gothic, living his life pretentiously, selfishly, and running through his fortune. It has a hint of Hogarth in there too, that asylum ending. Fantastic story, Jane
Thanks Lynn 🙂 It’s an atmospheric photo. Why don’t you join in? The prompt image is often a good one.
I read ‘louche’ without noticing, but is it a word that’s used in English too?
I did take part in the end – yes, a very atmospheric photo. And yes, louche is definitely used in English, though it’s not very common. I like it though, the way it conjures sordid decadence 🙂
I saw you’d given in to temptation. I’m glad 🙂 Louche definitely has a sordid feel to it. Young people use it a lot here, usually to describe something not quite kosher.
Ooh, yes definitely that – not quite kosher. Louche leads to trouble, there’s no doubt 🙂
I shall use it with impunity now that I know it’s not franglais 🙂