Pygmalion

by Philipp Mählmann
(Greifswald, Germany)

A sculptor has been found dead in his desolated atelier, right in front of his latest work. It appears to be a massive black marble statue of a body, though big parts are still unfinished. What irritates is that the body seems to have mulptiple legs, oversized arms and something that looks like wings extruding from the back.

The other works in the atelier are normal sculptures of people, animals etc., mostly done for commission. The Sculptor was considered to be a normal person, perhaps a bit reclusive, but within the range of what people expect from an artist.

Possibilities

1 The sculptor was a gambler and in high debt. He got an offer from the Leader of a circle worshipping an ancient entity to secretly create a sculpture of this being for a high sum of money. Unfortunately, the criminal elements he owed money wouldn't wait any longer, it came to a fight in his atelier and he died. The Circle Leader, when becoming aware of the Sculptor's death, considers this an affront against his cult and has taken measures to punish the murderers while trying to get possession of the statue...

2 The Sculptor created the statue after the image of a creature he repeatedly saw in his recurring nightmares. The sculpture actually became alive by night and started walking around in its unfinished form on its stumps. When the artist realized, he tried to destroy the sculpture, but the being killed him. It still becomes alive at night...

3 If inspected more closely, it becomes apparent that the artist did not try to create a sculpture of a strange creature - but rather there is a creature enclosed in the marble. When the artist started to work on his next sculpture for a rich noble, the creatue awakened and, after a short mental struggle, took control of the sculptors mind to carefully free it from its prison. Unfortunately, longer mental contact with the creature proved to be deadly for the sculptor. The creature still longs for its freedom...

Copyright 2009 Philipp Mählmann