Writing a story involving Painted Prison, and a frame.

Go on, splash color across the walls. Give yourself forests, oceans, impossible skies. Cover the concrete completely. If you’re lucky, you may even forget it’s there.

Art is meant to be an escape, but sometimes it’s fresh varnish over rotten wood. A forgotten bird in a gilded cage. Tattoos covering pinpoint scars. The clown’s face is always happy despite the pain layered beneath. No one said a prison has to be ugly. Vibrant greenhouses and iridescent fae courts. Memories, ah, sweet memories, nostalgic, safe, and not real. A self-portrait you no longer recognize. When did security become preferable to freedom? Contracts in calligraphy. A fancy dress and family crest, auctioned to the highest bidder. Matching mailboxes put the finishing touch on HOA-approved paint jobs. Still, there are worse places to be trapped. Neon cities glowing with ads for vice and sin. Occupied towns brightened by graffiti. Soothing shades keep us from questioning the men in white coats. Comfort. Control. Captivity. So make your mark. Make it a masterpiece. Just remember to color within the lines.

This contest invites you to explore Painted Prison, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome.

Submissions close October 31st at 11:59 pm EST. Contest only open to new writers.