Clay

"He wanted to fly away, to escape from his failed life. He wanted to leave. He wanted to live. " Seldom do we realize that death is a form of freedom.

            It came again, that desire.  The urge to move, propelling through his flesh. 

            He wanted out.  He wanted to leave.  He was sick, so sick of it all.  Every day had long since blurred together.

            He wanted an escape.

            The office was stuffy and repulsive; he’d spent years there, doing the same thing.  Seven monotonous years.  He’d been swept along by time; he’d been doing his time, figuratively, in this prison that was his life.

            He wanted to be free.

            He thought of his past, and the gift he had forsaken.  A gift which now seemed dead, but which still thrived within him.  He thought of it, and the yearning grew. 

            Red clay, hands.  A figure, created amongst those heart-shaped cracks in the medium.  Her name was Salome, and she was beautiful.  He gathered her up in his arms.  Together, they would start anew.  He would reclaim his gift, that wonderful knack for beauty which thrived in his gentle hands.  He would shed his mundane existence to truly live.

            He wanted to leave, needed to leave.  A car, a key.  Wheels that peeled out from the driveway and made for the road.  He drove faster and faster, swerving onto the highway.  Salome lay at his side, her silence a foil to his desperate, giddy chatter.

            And then he was crying.  Crying for the futility of his attempt.  He just wanted to live, nothing more.  The silence of the clay figurine at his side suddenly took on meaning.  It was he himself, and his gift, and the culmination of his life " which had amounted all to nothing.

            As the tears streamed down, he accelerated.  He wanted to fly away, to escape from his failed life.  He wanted to leave.  He wanted to live. 

           

The flashes of red and blue reflected in the shards of bloodied glass.  Jagged terra cotta hearts lay upon the ground, the shattered hopes of a life.

 

Author's Note

I saw these shards of clay and glass one day on the road while I was driving. This was the result.

Reviews

[Treo LeGigeo]

Love the short sentences, you have quite the way with words. Very nice. And it's really interesting hearing about your inspiration too!

[Max_E_Stone]

Wow. This was absolutely beautiful. I loved the way you used your words and interwove the situations and characters, making your reader think one thing and have it actually turn out to be something else. You're a great writer!

[Ama May Cooper]

You weave your words with a brilliant power. A short but immensly descriptive and strong piece.
I love your eding the idea of the glass just being the remains scattered with the colour of a demolished corpse. Its dark but sincere...

The protagonists feelings are clearly written there is no way a reader could ignore or misunderstand the torture and desperation to escape even without a back story you feel connected. Dragged into this fast paced write alongside him alsmot like your n the car when it goes over.

Another thing i adore about your ending is the way the use of colour actually makes his race for death all the more beautiful , as if what he craved was such a relief that his body merely became a decrative art piece. that the ugly head of depression was written over by a colourful kind of relief and happiness.

[EternityWolf101]

Imagination is one of the greatests gifts we can have, well, at least it is to me, and you give a nice punch to it. Great piece.

[Lina Grey]

Wonderfully inspired and inspiring. The idea of death being freedom is one I have had to explain to a number of people, many of whom still don't understand my logic. The ideas you present in this story are not unknown to me, but your perspective refreshes my old thoughts. I love how beautifully you've illustrated this and how relatable this man has been writ. Stunning piece. Thank you.

[Allie]

It is wonderful that you can be so inspired by such a simple thing. It is inspiring. Great write.

[Owlgirl]

Wow! great writing! I love the whole suspensful edge that keeps you on the tip of your chair while reading. Amazing story!