by Marty Coleman | Jun 6, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories |
Prologue
They had their conversation in the shade.
Chapter One
She was talking about her pain. She told of her silly assumption that her best friend would overlook a very minor annoyance given the circumstances and how it hurt to realize no benefit of the doubt was given.
Chapter Two
Her best friend sat back, her heeled sandal dangling from her big toe, saying nothing for a long time. When she spoke, she defended herself and said she had been under pressure too. That it wasn’t her responsibility to know everything.
Chapter Three
She picked up her purse and held it in front of her chest as she explained that it wasn’t just her, but all the girls in the bridal party, who had messed up. “Why did I deserve to be treated so badly?”, she asked.
Chapter Four
Her best friend kept pulling her dress up under the table to scratch in the same locale high on her thigh. It was turning red. She would then pull the dress down again and smooth it out.
Chapter Five
She kept pressing her open hand hard against her chest, gesturing with the other, sometimes turning it into a fist and pressing it also against her chest. She was crying but determined to be discreet.
Chapter Six
Her best friend crumpled and uncrumpled a napkin, sucked on her iced drink and avoided eye contact for most of the conversation. She sighed repeatedly. She sat up straight at one point and her back had a deep lined impression from the back of the chair. She slouched back down within 20 seconds.
Chapter Seven
She kept her purse in front of her, leaning forward, wanting to leave. She wanted her best friend to understand before she left. But she was getting frustrated and realized it wasn’t going to happen. She finally said, “Well, that’s all I wanted to say. Thanks for coming. I will see you around.” and stood up to leave.
Chapter Eight
Her best friend didn’t get up but did say, “Ok, I will see you. Sorry.” and sucked on her drink as she walked away.
Epilogue
The best friend left a few minutes later and two women immediately grabbed the table. One had a string of pearls around her tan neck, the other had on large diamond earrings and a bag from Saks.
The End
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Drawing and Story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | May 7, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories |
Your Turn
I liked doing my ‘Unnamed Series’ so much last week that I decided to try a variation on it. This time I am showing a drawing from my sketchbook. It has no title.
What I want you to do is tell me the story you imagine, then post the story in the comments. The only limit is the story must be five sentences or less. I will write my story based on the inspiration from your stories. I will then post the stories with this drawing in a blog post later this week and we can vote on our favorite story.
Ready to give it a try? GO.
Drawing by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Apr 22, 2014 | I Draw in Church, Illustrated Short Stories, Judgment - 2013 |
Practicing at a Church I Usually Don’t Go To – A Short Short Poem
She is walking out of church with very long legs and very short shorts.
I am behind her, noticing, with a remnant, a wafting of judgment,
That I discard and think instead,
You are wonderful, as are your friends, and I love you.
The End
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Drawing and Poem by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Apr 8, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories, Marty Coleman |
A Short Short Story
Transcript:
5 seconds in her mind while we were in a church and she was in front of us and I watched her for a while before I made this up
Second One: I am alone, I am still cold, I wish I was married, I wonder if I am getting sick.
Second Two: I don’t think I am sick; it’s just allergies, I need to pay attention & eat better but lunch sounds good maybe a cheeseburger. No, a salad.
Second Three: No, maybe I will skip lunch and fast. I need to pray more so I can lose weight & be happier. Maybe just 20 pounds.
Second Four: But I am already happy I think because I am saved and that means I am going to not go to hell. I think I don’t chew well.
Second Five: But if I lose weight I will have to buy new clothes and I am broke. I am going to close my eyes now just for a little while then I will fell better again maybe.
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Drawing and story by Marty Coleman
Model unknown
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by Marty Coleman | Mar 26, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories |
Prologue
I knew these girls. They were the girls I liked in High School. Not always the smartest, but definitely the smartassiest.
Chapter One
They were way too smart for school. Nonetheless, school they were in. And they weren’t doing very well. Especially in Chemistry. It wasn’t that they couldn’t learn Chemistry, it was that they didn’t care about Chemistry. What did chemicals have to do with anything? I mean, yea, you have ‘chemistry’ with someone, like your boyfriends. And yea, you don’t want to blow yourself or stuff up by accident so you should know how to not do that. But organic and inorganic chemistry as a whole class, a whole YEAR? That was pure torture.
Chapter Two
To save money parents had the option of having a group tutoring session. So now these two girls were at the bookstore sitting with the same tutor. They didn’t know each other, they just knew OF each other. They weren’t in the same clique and didn’t do the same school activities. The girl in blue, Amy, was a jock. The girl in gray, Abby, was in Band. Amy had a reputation for being really funny. Abby had a reputation for being really funny too.
Chapter Three
The tutor was a nice lady who wore a pink wool top and gray skirt. Amy thought the skirt was too short for someone so old. Abby thought the pink top made her look like she was from the 60s, like the President who got killed’s wife, whatever her name was. The tutor had been a full time teacher but had to quit when her mother got sick and needed care. Now she tutored 3 days a week and made almost as much money as she did teaching with nowhere near the hassle.
Chapter Four
The tutor was explaining chemically how gas is formed. This was an unfortunate topic for Abby, who at that very moment was having severe gas pains in her bowels. She was waiting to excuse herself until the tutor finished when it happened. Abby tooted. It wasn’t really loud or really long, but it was loud enough. The tutors eyes went wide. Amy put her hand over her mouth and tried to suppress a laugh. It didn’t work. Amy laughed loud, louder than the toot. Abby blushed, then looked at the tutor and said, “Sorry, may I go to the bathroom please?” The tutor scowled, rolled her eyes and said, “Yes, please do.”
Chapter Five
Amy immediately asked if she could go too and the tutor said yes. When they both got in the bathroom they started laughing hysterically. Abby said, “I don’t know what she was so upset about, that’s chemistry in action, right?” Amy caught her breath and said, “Exactly, that’s the chemistry they should teach in school, everyone would pay attention then!”
Chapter Six
The tutoring session ended a few minutes later with both girls barely able to keep it together. They stayed behind after the tutor left. They did homework, looked at magazines and talked about a million different things for another 2 hours before they both had to go home for dinner.
Epilogue
That day was the day they both met their best friend. Now, 25 years later, they live a mile from each other. They talk every day. Ironically enough, Amy actually did become a Chemical Engineer and Abby became a Science Writer. They have helped each other through college, graduate school, marriages, divorces, babies, moves, jobs, firings, illnesses and everything else. They love to tell the story of how they met.
The End
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Drawing and Story by Marty Coleman ©2014
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by Marty Coleman | Mar 25, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories, Sketchbook History Tour |
#1
I’ve gone to the same Starbucks in Tulsa about 3 times in a row now. It is not where I usually travel but I had to get my car serviced a number of times and it’s the coffee spot closest to the dealership. Each time I’ve spent time working and drawing, usually about an hour or so. Each time the same woman was there. The first time I noticed her but I was faced the opposite direction and ended up drawing a couple talking at a window table while it snowed.
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#2
The second time I drew her on a napkin and showed it to her. I also showed her the sketchbook drawing from my first trip there and the sketchbook drawing I was doing that day, of a woman being interviewed at the end of my table.
I haven’t finished her napkin yet but I did take a photo of her with it, as I always like to do if possible. I emailed her the photograph. While we talked I found out she liked to hang out there before her job at Dillards, a department store at the nearby mall. I also found out she had taught English in Korea for a year and had just got back in the summer of 2013.
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#3
The third time I sat across from her and drew her in my sketchbook. She told me that she had decided to go back to Korea for at least another year to teach again. I admire the courage it takes to go off to a new part of the world all by yourself. To go back a second time, that really says something about what you discovered about the place, and about yourself, the first time around. I wish I had done that in college or afterwards.
I wish her great fortune in her journey to Korea!
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Drawings and writing by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Mar 1, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories |
Shades of Brown – An Illustrated Short Short Story
She was intensely focused on her writing as I had a Prague Mocha & Oatmeal Raisin cookie and drew her.
The End
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Drawing and story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Feb 26, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories |
The Interview
Prologue
My car was being serviced. I was sitting at Starbucks.
Chapter 1
She was there a long time before he arrived. She had nothing to eat or drink. She had pale and rosy skin that glowed against the gray painting behind her.
Chapter 2
He arrived on the windy day. He immediately came over to her and shook her hand. He said, “You look just like your picture.”
She responded, “I’ve colored my hair since then.”
He said, “I like it. It’s fun.”
Chapter 3
They talked a long time. He gestured a lot with his left hand but never with his right. He had a small mocha and stirred it with his left hand when he wasn’t gesturing. She frequently looked down at her phone, using both hands to text. He didn’t stop talking or gesturing. She asked him some questions. She said “uh huh” and “like” often.
Chapter 4
He excused himself to go to the bathroom. When he got back she stood up and shook his hand. She said, “Thank you, it was nice meeting you.” Then he left. She watched him go out into the windy day.
Chapter 5
She put her phone to her ear and waited. Then she said, “Yea, it went ok. He’s not a good fit though. He doesn’t even use Twitter. Plus he wore brown shoes with a grey suit, who does that? When is the next interview for again?”
Epilogue
I saw her again a week later at the same Starbucks. She had a young man with her. He was dressed in purple and grey and they were going over a spreadsheet. She was doing the explaining and he was looking at her with awe. She had a Wired Magazine and a Vogue Magazine beside her computer. She had nothing to drink.
The End
Drawing and story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Jan 28, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories, Marty Coleman |
The Shower in 1992
Prologue
Shannon was excited to go skiing but she didn’t realize until they got there that they were going to be living dorm style for the week. It made her nervous because she was very shy about her body.
Chapter One
The first 2 days she was able to avoid being in the bathroom when anyone else was by going very early in the morning to shower. Shannon freaked out the second morning when she heard the door open while she was washing her hair but whoever it was went to the bathroom quickly and left, leaving her alone again. She was relieved.
On the third morning she overslept and by the time she got into the bathroom someone was already in the shower. She was going to go back to the room and just forget the shower when the shower turned off and a woman emerged from it. She only had to take 2 steps to get her towel but she only took one step out and stood there. Shannon was frozen, looking in the mirror as the woman squeezed her hair to get out as much water as possible. She looked past the woman’s body to the snowy hills in the window above her. She could feel her face flush with embarrassment.
The woman, without looking at Shannon or asking if she was going to shower, said, “Sorry for taking so long but I think there is plenty of hot water left”. She grabbed a towel and started drying her hair.
Shannon, still looking anywhere but at the woman, said, “That’s ok, I don’t take long showers so it probably will last”.
Shannon’s body stiffened when she saw the woman take a step towards her, still with just one towel, which she had wrapped around her head. She could see her reach out her hand and knew she was going to introduce herself. She didn’t know what else to do but turn around and face her. She reached out her hand and the woman took it, saying, “Hi, my name is Sinann, what’s yours?” Shannon introduced herself in return. “Nice to meet you.” Sinann said as she turned back to get her second towel. She started to dry herself.
Sinann moved over a number of steps to a bench and said, “I’m out of your way, you can get in now.” Shannon was freaking out. She absolutely panicked anytime she anticipated people seeing her body, even in a bathing suit at the beach or a pool. She always wore a t-shirt and shorts over her bathing suit and never, ever took them off, even when going in the water, unless she was alone. The idea of someone seeing her naked was completely unbearable.
Finally, she realized she was going to have to say something. She looked at Sinann and said, “I’m sorry, but I am really, REALLY self-conscious about my body so I am going to wait until you are done, is that ok?”
Sinann, looked up, covered herself with her second towel and said, “Oh my god, I am SO SORRY! I didn’t even think about that. I will get out of your way asap. And I am REALLY sorry for not covering up right away. I am so bad about that.”
Shannon let her shoulders relax and smiled. “It’s not your fault, I am just super weird about it. It’s something I need to work on.”
Sinann smiled back and said, “Well, we both have something to work on I guess, right?”
Shannon laughed and said, “It seems we do!”
Epilogue
Shannon and Sinann found themselves on the same ski lift later that day and laughed hard about the morning’s start. They decided to have lunch together in the ski chalet and by the time they were done they had both made the decision in their own heads that this was the friend they had been looking for their whole life.
They have been best friends for 22 years now. Shannon still doesn’t get naked in front of anyone and Sinann still does.
The End
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Drawing and short short story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Jan 10, 2014 | Illustrated Short Stories |
Chapter One
Art lived in a museum. Many people touched her. Even the guards would touch her when no one was looking. She liked being touched. A few people thought she was stupid or that she was ugly. Some thought she was old looking. Some thought her lips were too big while others thought they were too small. Some felt sorry for her, others ignored her. Some wanted to know what she was made of. A few wondered how she got there. But most thought she was very beautiful and almost everyone took a photo of her.
Chapter Two
One lady used to come and stare at her every Friday afternoon. Sometimes the lady would cry. Art didn’t understand that but she liked the lady a lot. The lady looked like her, which Art thought was odd. Her hair was longer, and had some gray in it, and she had more wrinkles than Art did, but she had the same pinkish skin color and the same red lips, blue eyes and strong eyebrows. Art thought she was very beautiful.
Chapter Three
At one point the lady disappeared for many weeks. Art wondered where she had gone, wishing she had legs so she could go find her. Finally, one day the lady came back, this time in a wheel chair. She had a scarf around her head and her skin had changed color. She cried a lot that day. Art didn’t know what it was all about but she was very sad as well. She didn’t see her again after that.
Chapter Four
About a year after the lady’s last visit a new person started to come to see her regularly. This was a young girl, probably no more than 15 years old. Art didn’t know who she was but she also looked a lot like Art, and she liked that. The girl started coming by on Saturday mornings with a bright pink sketchbook. She would sit cross-legged on the floor in front of Art and draw her again and again. When she first started coming to visit she cried just like the lady did. But after a while she no longer cried. She would smile a lot though. Her drawings got better and better. Sometimes Art thought the drawings looked like her and other times she thought they looked more like the lady who used to visit. The young girl did this for many years.
Time passed and Art continued to enjoy the company of many people. She liked where she was and never complained but her young friend had stopped visiting many years before and sometimes she missed her. She often wondered what happened to the lady and the young girl.
Chapter Five
One day, many years later, workers in the museum came into the room where Art lived and took down all the paintings in the room. It was very lonely for a few days but then they started bringing in new paintings. All the paintings were wrapped so she didn’t know anything about them but she was hopeful they would be as friendly as the old paintings had been. Finally a few days later the workers took off the wrappings. Art couldn’t believe her eyes. All the paintings were of her.
Chapter 6
That very same night a lot of people came into the museum and walked around looking at all the new paintings. They also looked at Art a lot. They talked about how much the paintings looked like Art. They talked about how beautiful and meaningful Art was. Art was happy for all the attention.
It was very loud with everyone talking at the same time until all of a sudden a beautiful woman walked in the room. Everyone stopped talking and looked her way. The woman smiled a big smile and waved at everyone. She stopped right in front of Art and stared at her. Art stared back. It was the young girl in front of her, all grown up. But it also seemed to be the lady who used to come visit. They had the same blue eyes, red lips, pinkish skin and strong brows. The beautiful woman leaned forward and kissed Art on the cheek. She held the kiss for a moment, leaned close to Art’s ear and whispered, “Thank you Art, you saved my life. I love you”. Then the beautiful woman straightened up, turned around to face the crowd and said, “Thank you for coming to see my Art. I hope you love it as much as I do.”
Art smiled and cried inside.
The End
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Drawing and story © 2014 by Marty Coleman, who also loves Art
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