Sculpture - Short Story by Mykyta Ryzhykh

 

Sculpture

Short Story

by Mykyta Ryzhykh

– This war continues because no one loves anyone. What happened to him... What happened to his penis?

– It's from old age. There was a crack there. Cannot be restored.

Rеnata shook her head with displeasure and went to the next sculpture. The guide followed her.

– What is it? Some strings.

– This symbolizes the confusion of the future.

– How much did you pay the artist for this exhibit?

– Nothing, this is a charity exhibition. Sorry, I need to communicate with other guests.

Renata waved her hand and the guide left.

– Do you want to buy something? – asked Mikhayl.

– No, you’ll pester me again later at night.

– Yes?

– You always do this when you give me something, as if I owe you something for your gift.

– Do you want to buy that statue right at the entrance?

– No, I do not want to.

– But all the money from the exhibition will go to the relief fund. There is chaos all around, one war after another.

–This is all because you don’t love me. You just give me money and make love in bed. That's all.

– I can give you everything.

– Except true love. I know. I need to go to the toilet.

Mikhayl waited until Renata disappeared from view and angrily slammed his fist on one of the sculptures.

Renata met her lover already on the street. Earlier, Mikhayl was taken out of the building by security for violating the order.

– It's so stuffy there. Let’s go to the city, let’s take a walk, get some air, – Renata got into the car, and Mikhayl signalled to the driver. The car started moving.

– Oh, listen, we didn’t buy anything there at the exhibition, – Renata recalled in the shopping center, handing bags of clothes to Mikhayl.

– I can buy them all and even people. I do not care.

– Then buy me another brooch around the corner.

 

Renata, as always, asked Mikhayl during sex: “Do you love me?” Mikhayl, as always, automatically answered: “Yes.” This lie once again suited everyone.

In the morning, when dawn broke, Renata began to persistently repeat: “You don’t love me. You don’t love.” Mikhayl continued to pretend to be asleep.

– Come on, in front of the fitness club I’ll stop by and buy a sculpture at the exhibition. I made my decision. Art is a great power.

– Forget about this shit, Renata! – Mikhayl lit a cigarette right on the seat of the car.

– What are you doing, are you crazy? Give it back immediately.

Mikhail gave the girl the lighter, but started smoking.

– Tell the driver that you need to open the window. And stop at the exhibition.

- Yes, that’s it. Enough! – Mikhayl got angry, ordered to stop the car and went out into the street.

After a working day, Renata found Mikhayl hysterical in the bedroom:

– Why did you buy this squalor?

– Do not shout at me! You've never yelled at me before, I didn't think you were so emotional. This is charity, there is war all around.

– You could have just given the money to a volunteer organization.

– No, I couldn’t. Listen, I bought a new sexy outfit, I'll show you now.

Renata went to the closet, and Mikhayl began to examine the sculpture in detail.

– Why did you put this horror in our bedroom? – Mikhayl almost whispered.

– This is temporary. I’ll clean it up later, – Renata’s voice rang out, – Do you like my outfit? Are you going to cum a lot today?

But Mikhayl was never able to finish. Therefore, Renata had a lot of worries.

– There’s been some kind of trouble for a week now. What happened to his penis? – Renata asked in a whisper over the phone. Mikhayl, standing behind the wall, pretended that he had not heard anything.

– There are cracks everywhere around the sculpture, do you see it? – Renata pointed her finger in detail.

– Yes, this is my job. What's with his groin?

– At the sculpture? There was a crack there too.

– Curious.

– I will go. You will undertake something about sculpture, please.

– It’s unlikely that anything can be restored here.

– Throw it in the trash?

– It sounds very categorical. Art is a great power. But in some ways you are right.

– I feel sorry for the money. Mikhayl will be angry.

But Mikhayl will never be angry again. The ambulance team was unable to save him.

Mykyta Ryzhykh - is the winner of the international competition Art Against Drugs and Ukrainian contests Vytoky, Shoduarivska Altanka, Khortytsky dzvony; laureate of the literary competition named after Tyutyunnik, Lyceum, Twelve, named after Dragomoshchenko. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Published many times in the journals Dzvin, Dnipro, Bukovinian magazine, Polutona, Rechport, Topos, Articulation, Formaslov, Literature Factory, Literary Chernihiv, Tipton Poetry Journal, Stone Poetry Journal, Divot journal, dyst journal, Superpresent Magazine, Allegro Poetry Magazine, Alternate Route, Better Than Starbucks Poetry & Fiction Journal, Littoral Press, Book of Matches, on the portals Litсentr, Ice Floe Press and Soloneba, in the Ukrainian literary newspaper.