Paint

"What a beautiful color!"

"So deep!"

"Luscious, even!"

The prima ballerina smiled as she made her way to her dressing room.

Slamming the door shut behind her, she ignored the muffled scream of the young ingénue she had tied to her sink.

The girl's pale white skin was covered in cuts--some old and scabbing, some new and still bleeding.

Wiping the old, dull red from her lips, the prima ballerina stood up and tip toed over to the girl, the silver knife clutched in her hand.

"They love my new color," she smiled as she knelt down before the trembling girl. "But it's not quite what I'm looking for."

Without a word, she sliced the girl's throat, the bright red blood splattering her face.

Standing to look in the mirror, the prima ballerina rubbed her finger along her lips, painting them a deep, vicious red.  

She smiled. Finally, it was the perfect color.

"They'll love it."

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Bloody-Ballerina-259300819

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

There's just something fun about ballerinas and twisted creepy stories. Ballet is supposed to be this beautiful, poetic performance, not twisted and wrong... but if you think about it--how the ballerinas contort their bodies and feet, maybe it isn't as perfect as we think it's supposed to be.

 

I know I'm a few days late to this writing prompt, "paint," but I immediately wanted to work with lipstick and blood (of course). Ballerinas, blood, and madness... what's not to love?!? This is starting to sound like Black Swan now...

 

Only 8 more days until Halloween!

 

a.r.w.

Cupcake

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Yes, this is a cupcake. Yes, it's a heart.

 

I wish this idea had been my own but I can proudly say that I did not come up with this idea--one of my students did!

 

For two weeks, I traveled over the river and beyond the city center to a small school called Chudo Chado. At first, I had no desire to travel so far on my Saturdays but the minute I met the students who were desperate to learn from a native speaker, I fell in love with them and their zeal. My second week there, we read a ghost story and for an activity, I asked them to create their own scary story. The result was impressive.

 

Almost all of them clapped their hands in glee before setting to work. I got stories about a megalodon (these are ten years old studying English as their second language), animatronics that kill kids at a pizza place, and this one--all about cupcakes.

 

Kate, the quiet girl who sits in the corner was the most excited about this writing assignment and she did not disappoint. Her story was of a young girl who had a birthday party where none of her friends came to celebrate. In response, the girl went to their houses, cut out their hearts, and put them in the cupcakes.

 

Brutal, sadistic, and so creative! After being in China for two years where the kids barely understood the idea of creativity and now being surrounded by kids who are not motivated at all and bored with everything they do, it was a breath of fresh air to see these kids create and think up these stories all by themselves... and have fun doing it! I was slightly disturbed but even more impressed by Kate and her story... and she inspired me to paint this macabre image.  

 

I've learned that I don't like drawing anything real or lifelike... Human hearts are hard! I tried a few times and then gave up on being realistic and I decided to create my interpretation of what a human heart looks like.

 

Enjoy the blood splatter...

 

Only 22 days until Halloween!

 

a.r.w.