The Silent Auction ~ Short-Stories

 

A nameless antique store nestled between lost alleys in the heart of an ancient city. It never seemed to actually be in service but every few years rumors would race through the area about an auction that took place there, it was one of those auctions where bids will silence and things select who has earned their ownership.

Sophie was an artist who lived in the neighborhood. She had known about it for years, but she didn't want to know. One night, however, curiosity got the better of her. The door creaked open on its rusty hinges, as if waiting for her.

The inside shelves were littered with curious treasures: dusty clocks, tarnished silverware, and faded paintings that seemed to scrutinize her from the walls. Centered in the room was a long oak table with nothing on it but one thing: an ornate wood box.

Sophie felt drawn to it. Her finger was outstretched right to there, her mind hearing "Choose wisely" in a soft voice. The air in the room rang with an invisible static.

She took a deep breath and opened the box. It was contained within a single, very old, yet sparkling clean brush. With no hesitation, Sophie reached out and picked it up, letting the weight settle into her hand as if it belonged there all along.

That night she painted, as if for the first time ever, colors from the brush flowing out onto the canvas as though by an external power. Each stroke was revealing more than what her eye was able to see; it revealed her memory, deepest emotion, hidden desire. The brush painted not what she saw but what she felt.

Days turned into weeks, and Sophie's paintings started acquiring attention. Critics couldn't cease to wonder at her new brilliance. She was selling pieces for sums she'd never dreamed of, but with each piece, Sophie felt wrung out, as if the brush was eating parts of her.

One evening, as she finished, hauntingly beautiful that scene from her childhood, the brush slipped from her fingers. She stared at the painting with a hollow ache in her chest. It was the last thing she remembered of her mother, now trapped in paint.

Sophie walked back to the antique shop, wearing out. The door creaked open for her once again and sat down in front of the same empty table, but this time holding the box. She placed the brushback, hands unsteadied. With that, the shop air lightened, and the humming stopped.

Sophie walks away from the nameless shop, memories still intact, passion for painting gone with only the whispers of the silent auction following her on end.

Here are a few questions based on this story:

1. What kind of shop did Sophie discover in the alley?

Ans. An unnamed antique shop.

2. What was in the box that Sophie had purchased from the old antique shop?

Ans. A magical paintbrush.

3. How did Sophie feel when she first picked up the paintbrush?

Ans. She felt an affinity for it, like it was meant for her.

4. What had happened when Sophie painted with that special brush?

Ans. She made beautiful paintings but it was sucking out all her energy.

5. Why does Sophie want to take back the paintbrush from the shop?

Ans. It was taking her memories and making her empty.

6. What kind of portrait did Sophie draw of her mother?

Ans. Detailed, emotional portrait of her mother from memory.

7. Was the brush friend or foe to Sophie? Explain.

Ans. Hurting, because it was taking something from her.

8. If you ever found a magic object like Sophie's brush, what would you do?

Ans. I would be careful with it.

9. Why do you think the shop had no sign?

Ans. Because it was mysterious and magical.

10. If you ever found an enchanted shop like Sophie did, what would you wish to find?

Ans. Something special that can make me creative.