Tag: Fantasy

Trina: The Shadow Boy Finds the Android

Flash fiction, Photography and Art, Virtual Photography

A belated introduction.

The character named Trina first shows up in my work in 1986.

Trina: A Slice of Death

A digital photograph of an avatar that represents an alternate named Trina
The Snake in the Grass

Trina has the power of imagination and uses it to control her world, for this she uses a journal and dolls.

Trina is probably based on the character of the Little Prince by Antoine de
Saint-Exupéry.

The Little Prince on his Asteroid

A prompt from D. Wallace Peach inspired this new, ongoing fable.

The story begins when Trina meets a little shadow boy In the Land of Tall Thin Shadows and continues with Trina and The Android at Saks. 

‘Trina and the Android at Saks’ closes with the disappearance of a golden android.

The May #PhotoPrompt from Myths of the Mirror
The May photo prompt from Myths of the Mirror

In this section, Trina and the Shadow Boy find the android at Macy’s.

A digital photograph staged in VR depicting a shadow boy standing in front of three robots
The Little Shadow Boy Finds the Android

One day the little Shadow Boy found the golden android on a display stand at Macy’s.

He was giddy with joy and raced to find Trina, who was by the duck pond in Central Park with her doll Madison, and a doll he didn’t know.

The shadow boy paused.

Trina saw his gathering shadow and waved him over.

“I saw him!” cried the little shadow boy.

“Trina gave him a cup of tea, “The android?” she asked.

“ Yes!” grinned the shadow boy.

“Oh yay!” Trina clapped. “Where is he?”

“He’s in the robot department at Macy’s,” then the shadow boy
pointed at Trina’s new doll. “Who’s that?”

“That’s my new doll,” said Trina.

Trina’s new doll smiled.

“What’s her name?” asked the shadow boy.

“I don’t know, do you?”

The little shadow boy cocked his head and thought.

“Her name is Felicity.”

“That sounds right.” Trina replied; then she stuffed Felicity
into her bag and said, “Let’s go!”

A photograph staged in VR depicting a little girl and a shadow boy standing in front of three robots
Trina and the Shadow Boy find the Android

The Shadow boy led Trina to the robot department at Macy’s.

The android saw them and clicked happily into gear.

The three of them stared at each other in silence.

Finally, Trina opened her bag and said, “Hop in and I’ll make you a skin.”

The android peered at Trina’s bag and hopped in.

Trina hugged the shadow boy and told him to close his eyes; when he opened them, he was in Trina’s workshop.

The shadow boy watched from the shadows as Trina went to work at her sewing machine. It took hours, but when she was done, the android had a new skin and new clothes.

A digital photograph of a little girl and an android in a workshop for dolls
Trina Takes the Android to Her Workshop

As Trina dressed the android, the shadow boy stepped out of the shadows.

“He’s very handsome.” The shadow boy said, “but why are his clothes so weird.”

“He lives in the past.” Trina replied.

Trina brought the android a mirror; the android silently studied his face.

“Not bad” he said. His voice was deep and resonant.

“I think it’s quite excellent.” Trina’s statement was an irritable command.

The android clicked with dismay, “Oh yes!” He stammered, “It’s quite excellent; quite excellent indeed.”

Digital photogaph of a little girl in a workship where she makes dolls
Trina Makes the Android a New Skin and Outfit

Trina was happy again.

“Let’s go to the park and write a story.” She said.

“That’s an excellent idea,” the android relied, “quite excellent indeed.”

Words and Illustrations (c) Rob Goldstein 2019

Tranquil Cove #Writephoto

Photography and Art

Grock this new story from D. Wallace Peach

Myths of the Mirror

photo by Sue Vincent

The beach parking lot was jammed with cars. Outside their blue rental, Samantha stretched her stiff limbs while Jeff rummaged in the back seat for snacks and towels. A tow truck clanked its chains and ground its gears in the midst of hauling away one of several abandoned vehicles, the windshields dusted with a week’s worth of windblown sand.

According to the glossy pamphlet, the rocky headlands and clustered islands sheltered turquoise waves, and the soft sand welcomed blankets and picnics. All inviting. But after days of battling crowds of tourists, the feature that most appealed to Sam was the promised solitude. Unfortunately, Tranquil Cove didn’t look like it would live up to its reputation.

She sighed and read the sign pounded into the sand at the lot’s edge. Someone had hand-scrawled a sloppy “g” on the otherwise formal warning.   “Beware of the grocks. No…

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Trina: Trina’s New Doll

Flash fiction, Photography and Art, Surrealism

Trina pulled a bench out of her bag and sat by the duck pond in Central Park.

She rested her chin on her hands and watched a little yellow duckling scurry
after its mother.

I want a new dolly, thought Trina, but I want one like me.

“What does that look like?” asked Trina’s doll, Madison.

Trina pulled Madison out of her bag.

“She’s just like me, but taller, and with breasts, because she’s a grown up.”

“Why is she a grown up?”

So she can do grownup things.”

“Like what?”

Trina gazed at the duck pond and thought.

Madison giggled, “Tits don’t make a gown-up!”

Trina was shocked.

Madison snickered and grinned.

Arjuna the elephant slowly lumbered out of the pond.

He lifted his mighty trunk and gently plucked the little yellow duckling from his back and released it find its Mother.

‘My friends,” he bowed.

Madison swiveled her head and frowned at Ajuna: “Trina thinks she’s all grown up if she has…”

Trina grabbed the doll and stuffed it into her bag. “Breasts,” she said sweetly.

Arjuna nodded thoughtfully and flapped his ears. “I’m no hominid, but I think it takes more than breasts to be a grown-up human. Why do you want to be a grown up when you’re such a perfect little girl?”

Trina pulled out her tea set and a freshly baked plate of scones; she poured out tea and replied. “I want my new dolly to be a grown-up.”

“Why?”

“Because my world needs grown-ups.”

“We elephants are very grown up.”

“Really?” said Trina. “What kind of grown up things do you do?”

Arjuna sipped his tea and thought.

“We never eat more than enough.”

“Neither do I,” said Trina.

“We remember things forever and ever.”

“So do I,” said Trina.

Arjuna cocked his head and thought. “We always bathe once a month.”

Trina was horrified. “Adults only bathe once a month?”

Madison cackled: ‘oh no!”

An Illustration of the chatracter Trina, designing a doll from wood
Trina made her doll from snakes and snails and puppy dog tails.

Trina made her doll from snakes and snails and puppy dog tails.

She fluffed its hair and primped its dress.

“Are you terribly grown up or grown up terribly?” she asked.

The doll opened its eyes and replied, “I’m terribly grown up.”

“How often do you bathe?” asked Trina.

“Twice a day!” answered the doll.

“For how long do you remember things?”

The doll gazed up at Trina and blinked.

“For no time at all,” she replied.

Trina smiled at her new doll and offered her a cup of tea.

An Illustration staged in virtual reality depicting the character of Trina designing an adult doll
Are you terribly grown up or grown up terribly?

(c) Rob Goldstein 2019

 

Trina’s New Doll inspired by a series of #photoprompts from D Wallace Peach.

‘The Demon Dolls’ in these images are designed by Sebastian Prince

Trina: Trina and The Android at Saks

LGBTQ, Surrealism, Writing

Trina first saw the android in the window of Saks Fifth Avenue.

It had golden gears, and a golden brown skin that sold separately.

Trina pulled out her bench and sat with her dolly, Madison.

‘He looks like Father?’ Trina said.

‘Your Father was shinier,’ replied Madison.

“Father twinkled like the moon on a windswept beach.”

Madison cringed and wrinkled her nose.

Trina continued: “Father was on a plane to Hawaii when the hurricanes struck. He went down like a meteor over Cher in Nantucket: poor father.”

“Why Cher in Nantucket?”

“She has the right syllables.”

Trina stood and moved the bench closer to the window.

‘The bot is browner than Father, but I rather like it.”

“Your Father didn’t have abs like that!”

Trina sat Madison on her lap. “How would you know!”

Madison giggled, “That day you left me in the bathroom; I watched
your Father take a bath.”

Trina was shocked and curious “Did you see ‘it’?”

‘What?’

“I guess not.”

“Your Father was hairy; that bot’s not hairy. Your father was old too.”

Trina opened her bag and pulled out a tea set.

Madison looked up in surprise: “Is that an elephant?”

Trina leapt to her feet: “It’s Anjana!” She hugged the elephant’s mighty trunk.

“And you’ve brought mice!

Seven mice dressed like dwarfs gazed up at Trina with quivering noses.

Anjana knelt and the mice scurried onto his back.

The android gazed at them blankly from the window of Saks Fifth Avenue.

“He looks like my Father,” said Trina.

“Where is your Father?” asked Anjana.

“He blew up during the First World War.”

Anjana raised his trunk and flicked a tear from his cheek, “How tragic.”

Madison rolled her eyes, “Some tea, Mr. Elephant?”

*

A week after Trina first spotted the android in the window of Saks Fifth Avenue he was gone.

She stared through her reflection in the window and wondered where he was.

The sky suddenly darkened and the shadow of a little boy stepped into view.

“Did you lose your boy again?” Trina asked.

The shadow boy sat on the sidewalk and sighed, “I lost my Father. He was a fighter pilot behind enemy lines in Atlanta. When Napoleon met his Waterloo; they shot him like a dog.”

Trina nodded sagely, “That’s exactly what happened to my Father.”

Madison scowled and popped a seam.

“Do you think he’ll come back to the window?” The little shadow boy sipped
his tea.

“I think he will.” Trina replied. “Let’s have a cupcake while we wait.

Rob Goldstein 2019

An illustration for a short fantasy inspired by the May #writingPrompt at Myths of the Mirror
Trina and Her Doll, Madison

I wrote this for the monthly #writingprompt from D. Wallace Peach

You can join in here: Myths of the Mirror