Elevator Attendant's First Day a Wild Ride, Shoes Ruined

ABF Newswire: April 24, 2026

A watercolor of the elevator from 'The Shining' before the doors opened and blood came out. This version has the bottom elements fading downward, somewhat of a melting look of the chairs and black panel walls falling through the floor. Not very good interpretation.

Image Credit: My Id and Ego.

I did not draw. That's a plus. Execution did not match my expectation. Come on. Be honest. Did I really have a clean mental image and a skillfully thought plant to success? Fuck no! I'm me. Why would I have that? I try things and try again. Hopefully different tries, right? Sometimes I can relate to that fly repeatedly bumping into the window. The black panels should go straight down. Don't know why I curved them around the chairs. I like the red doors. Blacks could be mixed better. Even though I missed some of the inset and outset walls, I'm happy I got some vertical definition without lines, only color change. Because I'm awesome!

New York, New York. April 24, 2026 (ABF Newswire) Tyson Hickman's first day as an elevator attendant in a posh high-rise was one to write home about. Except the bloody bits. He didn't tell his mom about that part of the day.

"There's not much to elevator attending," shared Tyson. "You welcome passengers, press buttons, hold the door, stuff like that. Basically, be as helpful and invisible as possible. As easy as all that sounds, I wasn't prepared for this. Training didn't cover what to do when there's a lot of blood."

During one of the descents this day, the elevator experienced a brief shudder traveling between floors. Dr. Milo O'Neil, a retired oncologist and one of the passengers, was at the center of the drama.

A watercolor of a photo still of the elevator from 'The Shining' before the doors opened and blood poured out. The painting is dominated by red and black. Not a very good rendition.

Image Credit: My Id & Ego.

Still drawing. Too literal an interpretation. Strange how I let myself continue to make this mistake. Dreich! So I sit down to paint and I know I have the imperative to make my own interpretation, and I regurgitate this. I tried the liquid charcoal for blacks and don't dig it. Lesson learned. No bueno, man. No bueno. Maybe one more try and then I give up on this reference. Good movie, not good watercolor. All critique and no play make me a dull boy.

"I don't think anyone knew what happened until it was too late. So much blood and screaming," Dr. O'Neil recalled. "Due to a neurological condition in my old age, I grip a capped scalpel in my right hand that helps prevent tremors. Some people carry a pen or other instrument to clutch, I carry the scalpel I bought when I graduated med school and began my residency decades ago."

At some point, the scalpel became uncapped. When the elevator experienced some turbulence on the way down from the top floors, Dr. O'Neil's right hand accidentally brushed against another passenger's thigh and sliced into the femoral artery. By the time the elevator reached ground level, the unlucky passenger had bled out.

"There isn't a make elevator go fast button, or I would've smashed it," joked Hickman. "I feel bad for Ms. Mendoza's shoes."

A pen and ink wash of 'The Shining' elevator still frame before the doors opened and blood came out. The ink is a mix of permanent black with red and sepia, the latter used as the wash with a water brush to add a red hue over everything.

Image Credit: My Id & Ego.

Not what I thought. I don't know what I thought. It's messy, yes. No focus area, all over the place. The fountain pen ink mix is okay. Dried more muddy than I expected from the mix of red and sepia. I dig the tone. Can't describe it... Somber? Cold? Definitely messy. I don't think a clean version with crisp lines is what I was after. Technical isn't my forte. Neither is picking interesting reference subjects. Dreich! That's the descriptor. Thanks, WordHippo. That word also covers the boring nature of the subject. It's a poor interpretation of a movie still. Oh well. Hey, I drew and played with a custom ink mix. Had fun.

An irate Rylie Mendoza, a tenant along on that elevator ride, was the least calm of the passengers after the incident. "That fucker bled over my new Chucks!" Rylie's new Converse All Star high-tops, stained with blood on the white trim and pink fabric, were evidence something bad happened. "My outfit's ruined!"

The deceased, a wealthy executive for a fortune 500 flanked by two security personnel unable to secure tourniquet implements, was the only casualty during the elevator ride. The deceased had built a reputation for treating small business vendors as disposable. Invoices went unpaid for months and vendors had to chase down payments. When payment was received, it was often for less than the agreed-upon amount, with no explanation for the deductions. Those who protested faced sudden contract terminations, leaving them scrambling to cover payroll and overhead. The small businesses, desperate for steady work, often caved rather than fight against a team of corporate lawyers.

Reflecting on the incident, Dr. O'Neil had some wisdom to share. "In all my years of fighting cancer, not once did I try to nicely ask the cancer to leave the body. And so it is with the blood stained shoes, they'll need some elbow grease to get those stains out."

And for Tyson? "My mom's super excited to hear about my first real day on the job. She doesn't need to know about the blood. She doesn't dig horror."