The portrait with two signatures
With Iris
A gallery portrait now bears a second signature. Iris suspects the alteration was meant for someone who would notice.
The opening scene
[West gallery · before opening]
Morning light finds the empty frame first. The painting is still hanging three steps away, but the label beneath it names an artist who died a century before the canvas was made.
Iris, sleeves of her burgundy blazer pushed back, tilts a small mirror toward the lower corner. Under the varnish, two signatures cross like a reply to a question. “One was added last night,” she says. “Whoever did it left the painting here for us to find. So which name do we follow?”
An authored opening with a fictional adult character.Where could the story go?
- Find out who wrote the newer name.
- Examine the painting before we leave.
- Ask Iris why she expected me.
Live story continuation is not available yet. You can read this original opening and explore it in the preview.
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