Author's Note: I wrote this piece during my sophomore year of high school in my literature class. My literature teacher had a more unique perspective on creative writing than any other teacher at my school. He taught me that each piece of writing should emphasize its principles of design such as line, texture, form, space and much more. With his teachings and my voice of writing, here's a short story I wrote based on Sally Mann's photograph called "Mortality." The photograph is placed below.

The hand laid on the portrait of the young girl. Its fingers watched its glimmering reflection on the transparent screen. The hand stretched its fingers, elongating a millimeter per second. The hand’s dry fingers pressed into the clear glass as if it wished to come into contact with the young girl behind the screen. Everything was magnificent about her – her conditioned hair, wrinkle-free skin and lovely polka-dotted shirt. Nothing could keep the hand away from the portrait; its boney fingers remained on the photo, refusing to budge. The hand continued to graze its shriveled fingers across the portrait of the young girl, but it appeared that the luminescent glass protecting the young girl will forever be a viewing glass that will always be in sight but never in reach.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All resemblance to actual people, places, incidents, or things is completely coincidental.