The Portrait in the Closed Studio
Bell’s Studio
The photograph appeared in the window on a Tuesday morning.
No one saw who placed it there.
Bell’s Studio had been closed for twelve years, ever since old Mr. Bell died behind the counter. The door was still chained from the inside. Dust covered the display glass, and the faded blue sign above it had lost all but three of its gold letters.
Yet there it was: a fresh black-and-white portrait standing among the dead flies and sun-bleached wedding pictures.
It showed a little girl in a white dress.
Her hands rested neatly in her lap. Her hair had been combed flat and fastened with two dark ribbons. She was not smiling.
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This story runs 1 chapter — most readers finish in one sitting, and you can stop and return to any chapter using the contents list.
Who wrote it?
Nimra Khan — original fiction published on RapidTale.