This post was written for Friday Fictioneers. Today is also a Creature Feature day, so do check out that post as well if you have time. Also, this month’s Storybook Corner and Six on the Sixth linkups are still active if you’d like to have a go. I’d love to have you, dear minion. Just click through the links in menu at the top of this page for more information.
Photo copyright: Janet Webb
It’s hideous.
“You don’t like it, do you?”
“It’s not that.” Except it is.
Hands on her shoulders, he spoke. “I painted it for you.”
“I know. Thanks.” The corners of her mouth turned upward at his touch.
“But you don’t like it.” One hand crept into her hair.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
Her face smashed against the painting and the stone wall behind. Blood gushed from her nose, mixing with the sticky, wet paint. Her drink tumbled from her grasp and splashed across her bare toes. With fingers entwined in her hair, he pulled back for another go round.
———
Have you liked my facebook page (Adam Ickes – Author) yet? Go on, be a good little minion and give it a like. Don’t worry, I won’t bite. I can’t promise the same kindness from the characters in my stories though.
While you’re at it, you should follow me on the Twitter machine as well, immediately and henceforth: @AdamIckes
Adam Ickes 
February 13th, 2014 at 9:53 AM
I never expected such a dastard ending!
February 13th, 2014 at 10:06 PM
Expect the unexpected, as they say… whoever they is. 🙂
February 13th, 2014 at 9:59 AM
Well done. He seems to offend easily, and dangerously. What an ending!
February 13th, 2014 at 10:07 PM
Yeah, he isn’t one to cross. Too bad no one told her that.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:07 AM
Yikes! Some people just can’t handle criticism! You write vicious very well, darling. This isn’t the first time I’ve cringed at your violence. (In the best possible way, of course)
February 13th, 2014 at 10:08 PM
Thank you kindly.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:23 AM
Good grief, that took a turn for the worse! Beautifully done… written I mean.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:09 PM
It took me several tries to get it right… the writing of course, not smashing a woman’s face into a wall.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:37 AM
Yeowzah! Is that how he takes all criticism? And are you just making up for all the sweet little stories you’ve been giving us lately with a nice vicious one?
February 13th, 2014 at 10:10 PM
My weekly writing challenge: 1000 words post was to make up for all the sweetness, this is just a bonus.
February 13th, 2014 at 11:00 AM
I love your dark side! That caught me off guard and left me wanting to read more.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:11 PM
I must admit: I love my dark side too. And I seem so well rounded. You’d never know it was there unless you read my writing. Strange.
February 13th, 2014 at 12:29 PM
Now Adam this man needs a bit more then anger management. I wonder what his art teacher looked like after critique his technique. You definitely took a darker turn this week. It was viciously good.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:12 PM
Yeah, I don’t think anger management would help much. He just needs locked away somewhere dark and alone. Of course that would probably make him even more insane. The world would be in trouble if he found a way out…
February 14th, 2014 at 12:32 AM
I think the world may already be in trouble once he finished with his wife.
February 13th, 2014 at 1:50 PM
Holy cow!What a madman!Poor girl!A shockingly gruesome ending Adam but my dark side(the prominent one,you know,wink,wink)loved this.(sshh…don’t tell anyone) 😉
February 13th, 2014 at 10:14 PM
Evil won this week. Perhaps good will win next… who am I kidding? Evil almost always wins in my writing.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:58 PM
Ha!ha!And some of us,like me,love that-so keep that coming Adam 🙂
February 13th, 2014 at 2:54 PM
Geez. Was that necessary? That was in the gut. Wow.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:15 PM
100% necessary. It would have been a rather boring story if he just accepted her criticism. Also 100% cruel and probably quite painful, but necessary nonetheless.
February 13th, 2014 at 5:53 PM
I’ll be more cautious with my art appreciation.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:16 PM
Might be a wise decision. Although I hope this guy doesn’t actually exist. Though some of the news stories lately suggest he might very well be out there somewhere.
February 13th, 2014 at 6:24 PM
I like it! I like it! You can tell that from my story! I like it! I love it!!!
February 13th, 2014 at 10:17 PM
So I’m getting the feeling that you like it? Maybe I’m interpreting that wrong though. 🙂
February 13th, 2014 at 10:26 PM
Another tally mark on the week’s body count. I like the choice of weapon here. Poor girl, getting a portrait of herself that she hates. Poor guy, being rejected like that. Is it too late for anger management classes?
Cheers!
Marie Gail
February 16th, 2014 at 10:51 PM
If there is one thing us ficioneers are good at it’s adding to the body count. I doubt anger management classes will be much help for this fellow.
February 13th, 2014 at 10:34 PM
holy sh… when his hand crept into her hair, i felt it coming but didn’t realize it was gonna be so damned bloody. brilliantly brutal or brutally brilliant, whatever, i liked it 🙂
February 16th, 2014 at 10:53 PM
Thanks, K.Z. I’ve been itching to write something like this for awhile. Most of my deaths are a bit more understated, especially with the 100 word limit.
February 14th, 2014 at 8:00 AM
The girlfriends and wives aren’t faring too well this week. I liked how you built the suspense and yet the final act wasn’t so much surprise as inevitability.
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/sweets-to-the-sweet-farewell/
February 16th, 2014 at 10:56 PM
She had to die. It was entirely unavoidable.
February 14th, 2014 at 12:39 PM
Holy cow, man!
February 16th, 2014 at 10:57 PM
Sometimes you just have to go for shock value when you can’t come up with anything better.
February 17th, 2014 at 10:13 AM
Well you definitely did that with this one. Very creative.
February 14th, 2014 at 2:33 PM
Your artist is as highly strung as mine! You’ve really got to watch what you say around some of these arty types.
February 16th, 2014 at 10:58 PM
I had no idea he was quite so high strung when I started the story. He surprised even me with his actions.
February 14th, 2014 at 3:02 PM
Like in Mel Brooks’ History of the World Part One, “then came the art critic.” Well, I guess you can’t win ’em all when it comes to art. The story wins, though. Super!
February 16th, 2014 at 10:59 PM
Someone has to put those pesky critics in their place.
February 15th, 2014 at 5:29 AM
Dear Adam,
Artists are so often misunderstood. Guess he never learned to take constructive crit. I hope he won’t try to write for Friday Fictioneers. Love the story. No sweetness baton for you this week, though. 😉
shalom,
Rochelle
February 16th, 2014 at 11:00 PM
I think my sweetness baton privileges may be revoked entirely after this one. 🙂
February 16th, 2014 at 2:10 PM
Powerful imagery, Adam! The end was intensely dark and jarring. Well written and memorable.
February 16th, 2014 at 11:01 PM
Thanks, Dawn. Dark and jarring was pretty much the target this time around.
February 17th, 2014 at 1:17 AM
Bull’s Eye!
February 16th, 2014 at 4:58 PM
Damn, he’s kinda mean.
February 16th, 2014 at 11:01 PM
Minus the “kinda.”
February 17th, 2014 at 3:09 AM
Wow…um remind me not to criticize his work of art ever lol 🙂 well done
February 17th, 2014 at 3:26 AM
Golly Adam, you have a scary, wicked, sinister side and, you write it well! Honestly, very, very good! Thanks, Nan
February 17th, 2014 at 11:32 AM
Oops. If I ever meet this guy, I’ll make sure to tell him how much I just love all his art and every creation of his….I hope he doesn’t get pissed off on too much appreciation too though 😀
February 23rd, 2014 at 8:52 AM
The ultimate solution to what to do with people who don’t like my artworks.