The Fading Park by Chipka
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Description
The sky sang with traffic: high-altitude shuttles left wispy, anodyne vapor trails like anti-protons speeding through seas of liquid propane. Below them, clouds like smoke and curds dappled the featureless blue of open sky with the shapes of oil-smears and blood clots.
Cregier, his face a little blank, his mouth a little open, sat in deftly manicured grass. His shoes had been a burden, and so he'd removed them. His socks too. Now, he felt the little red mites that were ubiquitous here, ambling in the shadow-spaces between his toes, probably feeding on what salts and skin-flakes they could find. He was never sure what they ate, but city wisdom and world wisdom maintained that they took what castoffs the human (or any other species of) body shed.
The park was a necessity today. He needed the sunlight, the solitude, the sight of vapor trails high overhead. He stared--transfixed--at the graceful intersection of two trails. He thought of departures and poignant arrivals. Elsewhere. He thought of the man in Service grays behind the desk in that spartan office at city-core. The meeting had gone well, and though there were no ships inbound, no ships in need of experienced crew, he was--at least!--able to place his name on the Qualified Service Personnel List.
With name and credentials at swim in the data-sea, it was only a matter of time before a captain found him. It was only a matter of time before he wore the familiar comfort of ship grays, in the company of others--veterans like himself, perhaps.
He relaxed in that knowledge, content--for the first time in months--with his place on this world. In three months, or perhaps less time than that, he'll take flight on a shuttle such as those streaking overhead and break into hard vacuum before docking with the one ship that will carry him out there. Back there. Home.
****
As usual, Cregier popped up unexpectedly. I'd had a different vignette in mind, but for some reason it didn't work.
The image that accompanies this text might actually reflect more of that other vignette and it's sure to find its way into another post. Both original text and image were in response to the recent "grunge works" I've seen, and being forever interested in trying new things, I decided to attempt to overtly grungify an image. The one I'd chosen was of a park here in Chicago. I liked the original picture, but it didn't really do very much...and along came...well...grunge and numerous layers. For those of you with sharp eyes, you may just be able to make out Franz Kafka's stare as well as at bits and pieces of other works in my gallery used as grunge material.
As always, thank you for viewing and reading and commenting, and hopefully everyone is having a great weekend.
All postwork done using The Gimp, used in a pinch until I can get back to photoshop.
Comments (27)
auntietk
I love your Cregier character, and I'm glad to hear he's taken steps to finally get off planet. The combination you've used for grunge works well! Nicely done!
junge1
Nicely done!
beachzz
Creiger rocks, seems like he's ready to move on. And of course, your first foray into grunge is hugely successful, you do with it exactly the perfect things!!
bimm3d
wonderful!!!
durleybeachbum
A perfect use for this technique that I'm still in three minds about. A compulsive read as usual!
Roxam
"The sky sang with traffic: high-altitude shuttles left wispy, anodyne vapor trails like anti-protons speeding through seas of liquid propane. Below them, clouds like smoke and curds dappled the featureless blue of open sky with the shapes of curds and blood clots. Cregier, his face a little blank, his mouth a little open..." is especially beautifully illustrated by your image. Bravo! on experimenting with "grunge"---and always such wonderful prose.
danob
Great image and prose!
photostar
Super special effects you have used on this, Chip. Looks 'old world' style.
ladyraven23452
you did it agean great work.
Meisiekind
I agree with Andrea - a compulsive and always fascinating read and a lovely image to accompany it! :)
tamburro
Excellent effect!!!
romanceworks
A marvelous combo of visual and story. As always your words captivate and take me to another place I didn't know I wanted to go but am always glad when I get there. :o) CC
Sea_Dog
Stunning! You've used the grunge technique beautifully here. Complements the narrative so well.
anaber
Beautiful use of grunge and the resoult is magnificent!I love your image..fits with the story.
bpclarke
Beautiful image work and great story. Very well done.
elfin14doaks
Interesting storyline as always,great work with the grunge. Lots of layers involved here I see. I can make out bits and pieces here and there.
elfin12u
Love the story, your words are always so incredibly descriptive, painting a picture in our minds as we read on. I've been to Chicago several times in my life, and have seen a lot of the cities best and worst. There are also good days and bad. Had you not mentioned the grunging of this shot, I probably would've accepted it as having been taken on one of the bad days. Love your stuff!!
NefariousDrO
As usual, your story is very moving. I like this image, too. It's a nice accompaniment. I'm always fascinated by what kind of mind-set someone would have in order to choose to live in space.
MrsRatbag
The image is a perfect fit with the story; you made a wonderful blend of the two, and came up with true art...
ledwolorz
Fantastic work.
M2A
Excellent illustration and effect.
CoreyBlack
I really like this, both the image and the story. Cregier is always interesting and I'm curious to see where he goes next. I like the "in limbo" feel of this, because being unemployed along with half of the rest of the country I can identify, that and it's well-written, interesting stuff. The photograph is nicely distressed: it looks modern, but also very, very old. It also conjures up a mental state, that kind of bizarre head-space that you enter when you're following your muse...usually after your muse has had a bit to drink. I like all of the work that went into this and how it really does show, and that it keeps surprising you. When you walk about 5 paces away, you can see the Franz Kafka outline clearly and wonder why you hadn't seen it before. Great work. In my head, I've taken to calling this, "The Windmills of Your Mind."
KatesFriend
I thought there was something like a face blended into the image but I could make it out until you confirmed it. When I glaced down from my computer screen it seemed to look at me in my peripheral vision. Very clever effect. An interesting contradiction in Cregier's character. He finally finds his place in the world once he plans his escape from it - or at least the one he is on. Rather fitting you used Kafka to represent a nebulous, not easily seen intelligence or purpose in the universe - the mechanism of The Trial comes to mind. Maybe the same force that is pushing Cregier to venture the dangers of space again.
elisheba
grunge work or not, I totally love your edit of this image, all textures and tones work pretty well and what's even greater is Kafka's face appearing when looking away!!! Super effect and work, and your writing is always part of your gallery and greatly appreciated, too :)
LovelyPoetess
Very nice postwork, and I'm impressed you did it with gimp (I'm not too handy with that one) and of course, it goes without saying that your writing is its usual superb stuff. Would you mind telling which park? I was born and lived in Chicago through a good part of my childhood and it looks familiar in my memory, maybe by the Buckingham fountain but I don't recall for sure (if I ever knew at that age). : )
katy555
Excellent composution...
YorkBerlin
wonderful artwork - very nice greetings York Made in Berlin