© Ayr/Gray
From Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr’s photo prompt, The Unicorn Challenge (11/24/23). No more than 250 words in length. Otherwise, let your creative flag fly!
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Temperature fluctuations from global warming had made our job a lot more challenging. If crime-solving technology had kept up to environmental press, we might’ve had a chance in solving this case that’d happened sometime in the snowy months. As it turned out, the body hadn’t been discovered until Third Spring Thaw. We were called in determine: murder, or societal neglect?
And there it was, lying on the bench on its side, as if asleep. Lower arm cradled upper shoulder. A thick blanket covered the head completely, leaving slender, bare feet exposed to the manic elements. Under its blanket, the head was turned slightly upward, as if to thank the angel that came with the blanket, or maybe simply to collect a soul.
We started evaluating.
The body would’ve frozen quickly as snow fell, because the bench was hard iron. There’d been some decomp, some staining of the stone tiling beneath, and organic matter had collected near the bench’s center. From this, a small but healthy green plant sprouted. Flower or weed, either were welcome; our job had become increasingly grim as the environment declined.
Neither of us wanted to be the one to lift the blanket and move the body.
Except for those feet; same environmentally-stressed color of the blanket and bench, but beautifully, artfully preserved.
So did this individual die by one person’s hand, or from starvation, and exposure? If it was murder, who could we blame for the death? All of humanity?
We checked the box: Homelessness.
© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2023)
Valley of the Trolls 
A heartfelt and heart-breaking piece, Liz.
Very glad you’re enjoying and contributing so much to the Unicorn Challenge.
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It’s my pleasure, and a growth-inducing challenge! Thank YOU!
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Aargh! I typed a response, then got distracted – and it’s gone! I’ll try again (but it’s never as good the second time!)
‘If it was murder, who could we blame for the death? All of humanity?’
A damning indictment of our world today, Liz, told with clinical detail that makes it all the more brutal.
And as Michael says, this could easily be non-fiction.
A powerful story, well worth waiting for.
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Thank your for keeping an eye out, and for such a great photo prompt. I’m loving these!
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Great detail on the feet!
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They really captured my attention and focus the pathos of the sculpture (for me).
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Social neglect. What a concise and neat way of putting it.
There’s no reason for this ‘social neglect’ to exist, Liz; not a single one. It is a pandemic, but an easily curable one. If only the rich bastards got off their fat asses and put their money where the mouths are. But, as you know, indifference and evil start at the head of the snake.
A sadly, brutally beautiful take on this pic. I loved it, even though my heart broke.
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High praise, Nancy. Thank you! May the energy behind this inspire a few movers…
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Chapeau, Nancy
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A very tragic, but common place incident 😢
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We can do better, no?
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Of course we can and should
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There’s the spirit! (Active hope)
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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This could easily be non-fiction which is very sad.
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Sometimes fiction is simply the truth, seen through a glass, darkly.
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