Not quite lost

For some time, I'd been wanting to portray a child again, as the main in one of my pieces. I dont often portray children in my work as most of it is considered dark in nature, so I usually keep the two subjects separate. With that said, this portrayal though a little sad, does convey some hope for our little heroine in this lonely unfamiliar place. She's lost but not quite as alone as she thought and is about to meet some little fluttering friends that could possibly show her the way home. Read the tale of Chloe, below.

(My disclaimer about working with kids: As a proud father and an artist with morals I will never, ever show harm coming to any child in any way, shape or form. No bad endings.) I welcome your comments.



The story... written by Radar Victory 1 <---Visit her page!

Not quite lost...

Cassandra Jenkins and Joseph Sanderson stood in the woods and eyed the find with a mixture of frustration and fear. It was rare enough for them to actually find a skeleton in one of their cases, let alone the battered remains of the teddy bear close by the small pile of bones.
"Well, what do you think?" Joe rubbed his unshaven chin with a now dirty hand.
"Young and lost." Xandra said slowly as she considered the bleached fragments broken up by scavengers and rodents.
Even the once plump stuffed animal was ripped and the inwards scattered. The two investigators had been hired by the family to find any clue as to where and how their child had vanished. Xandra was the brains and heart of the two with Joe providing the brawn and protection for any job.
"Call it in, Joe. We found the remains but I still want to look around." Xandra stirred restlessly as she pushed a long strand of red hair from her shoulder.
"Got it." Her partner gruffly replied as he smoothed the brown stubble on his chin once more and searched in his full coat pocket for his cell phone.
Xandra wandered about the woods as she extended her empathy in a wide search for some essence of the spirit that had once been housed in the fragile form. A delicate butterfly flicked past her and caught her eye to lead her through the trees to a small grove where the burned out frame of a small cottage was. She approached the structure with caution and paused at the doorless entry to gaze inside where she saw the single butterfly joined others by the window as they danced in the pale light.
In the far corner of the cottage was the dainty shape of a young girl holding onto a gleaming teddy bear. Xandra stopped in surprise as she raised her dark blue eyes to the empath and smiled slightly.
"Hello." The phantom spoke softly with the sound of a faint cool touch of spring in her voice.
"Hi." Xandra swallowed before moving a step or two further into the cottage.
As she stood in the tiny front room, the butterflies flicked about her and then to the glowing spirit. It was as if they were telling her that this...child needed her help. She came within an arm's reach of the soul and sat down with a slight stumble and a harsh exhale.
"Chloe, you need to follow the butterflies..." Xandra said after a long look with both her eyes and empathy.
"Why? I am not lost and this is a fun place." Chloe countered as she traced her fingers in the dirt on the stone floor.
"Chloe, you need to go home. This place is not home and there are others waiting for you." Xandra added a firmer tone to her voice as she could sense Joe approaching the cottage.
Her partner disliked dealing with the dead and she wanted to spare him the shock. He had enough to deal with a while back and this child lingering in the real world would not be easy to face.
"Are you sure?" Chloe stood up with her teddy dangling from her hand.
"Yes, after all, you are not quite lost. Go and follow the butterflies." Xandra insisted and the flock danced closer and soon Chloe was surrounded by the white wings as she glowed brighter.
Seconds later as Joe entered, the light was fading and the butterflies flying out the open window. Xandra brushed away a single tear before turning to him and tried to smile. He shook his head and gathered her hand to pull her closer in silent comfort. She sighed and snuggled close to him as a breeze cleared the air and circled them before disappearing as they kissed.


The credits:

Chloe ~


Abandoned building ~


Teddy Bear ~


Forest ~


Wagon ~


Butterfly brushes ~
[link]

Cracked paint brushes ~ Raven Mackay
[link]