The photo prompt this week is courtesy of Ted Strutz. His photo of the Icon Grill in Seattle has prompted many stories from the talented group of people who, each week, submit a story or poem to Friday Fictioneers, which is hosted assiduously by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.

 

 

Genre: Historical fiction

Word Count: 100

VINCENT

Hunched over a glass of absinthe, he listens to des prostituees making their arrangements with the drunks in the corner.

The pain in his head is back again.

He drains the glass, reaches for the small canvas at his feet and hands it to Albert; they also have an arrangement.

His paintings, though brighter than ever, remain unsold.  The allowance from his beloved brother is not enough.

Later, as Albert hangs the new painting of a vase of flowers next to one showing a pipe on a straw chair, he shakes head.

They are worthless, but they brighten the walls.

 

(Vincent Van Gogh, spent some of his last years in Arles in the South of France. Amongst others, he painted many scenes of café life. One entitled The Night Café, is of the interior of the Café de la Gare, allegedly frequented by prostitutes– des prostituees and drunks. They could stay all night if they had nowhere else to go. It is reported that he gave the picture to the owner in settlement of his debts. Although he painted many hundreds of paintings, he sold only one during his lifetime and was supported by an allowance from his brother Theo. Although these facts have been documented, the story above is entirely from my imagination).