She placed the piece on the highest shelf in the kitchen, where no one would knock it over. Then she went to bed, and for the first time in years, she dreamed in color.
That night, after the house went dark, Carla carried the piece to the kitchen table. Under the single pendant light, she turned it slowly. The dent. The ridges. The way the light pooled in the shallow curve. She thought about the gallery submission she would never send, the residency she would never apply for, the person she used to be before dishes and laundry and the endless math of bedtime. carla piece of art
“It’s finished,” Carla said, her voice quieter than she intended. She placed the piece on the highest shelf