A* Narrative for First Language English: The Portrait by Lily Smith
A brush stroke. A light stipple. A scrape of my palette knife. I couldn’t remember how long I’d been hunched over the painting, frantically swiping every brush in my collection across the canvas. I could feel my eyes start to droop downwards, begging for even a wink of sleep as colors on the canvas began to meld together — my back ached for relief, but I had to finish it. Nothing else mattered.
February 06, 2026


