The Boy From Barcelona, by Craig Proffitt

Various ceramics by Pablo Picasso (Spain) 1950s

The Boy From Barcelona
 
The old man in the striped shirt was unpacking the crockery from the factory when the boy from Barcelona with the indignant eyes kicked in his door and said: “What are you doing, old man?” 

“Trying to make money. Why are you back in my studio?” 

“Studio?” laughed the boy. “This is a brothel!” 

The boy spotted the old man’s dusty easel, broke a leg off, and used it to smash the crockery. Then he stomped the shards into powder.  

“Why did you destroy my art?” asked the old man. 

The boy from Barcelona plucked his comb out of his shirt pocket, looked at his messy reflection in the old man’s eyes, then carefully parted his black hair to the side before saying: “If you know how to make money at it, you’re doing it wrong.”

Craig Proffitt

Craig Proffitt is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. Speculative fiction is his first love, but he enjoys following the muse to unexpected places. He published his first novel, The Opulent Life Option, in 2021. His short story, “Devoted,” can be found in Flora Fiction Literary Magazine. Craig was born in Puerto Rico and has lived in Tucson, New Orleans, DC, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Philadelphia, Austin, Atlanta, Santa Fe, and he spent a summer studying Japanese law at Doshisha University in Kyoto. He now lives with his family in the Pacific Northwest. Visit him at www.craigproffitt.com.