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Rendering: A Short Story
A companion to Interminable. Jessica Stanton is nothing but a marionette, her domineering mother the puppeteer. When a dangerous encounter is swept under the rug, the strings controlling her begin to fray. Will she have the courage to stand on her own?
Excerpt:
The next few days were spent in a frenzy of creation, channeling all her anger and trepidation into new art. Each stroke of a paintbrush or swipe of a pastel reinforced her decision to make her own path.
When she finally came up for air, she ran into Mr. Archer on her way back from some much needed time in the sun.
“Ah, Miss Stanton! I haven’t seen you in a while!”
“Yeah, I’ve been working on some new pieces.”
“You’ll have to show me before you go. You’ll be leaving us soon, yes?”
“Actually,” Jessica walked over to join him at the counter. “I’d like to extend my stay if that’s possible.”
“Of course! I’ll help you with that right now.” His fingers traveled over the keyboard, stopping when he looked at her with a furrowed brow. “I’m sorry, my dear. It appears your credit card is no longer valid.”
She immediately knew it was her mother’s doing, a calculated reminder of who held the purse strings. Well, she wouldn’t win that easily. “No worries. I’ll just pull some cash if that works.”
“Of course!”
Going back out, she headed to the ATM down the street. She had made money over the summer. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to buy her some time until she figured out what to do. When she put in the card, however, the screen flashed with the message that the account had been closed.
Excerpt:
The next few days were spent in a frenzy of creation, channeling all her anger and trepidation into new art. Each stroke of a paintbrush or swipe of a pastel reinforced her decision to make her own path.
When she finally came up for air, she ran into Mr. Archer on her way back from some much needed time in the sun.
“Ah, Miss Stanton! I haven’t seen you in a while!”
“Yeah, I’ve been working on some new pieces.”
“You’ll have to show me before you go. You’ll be leaving us soon, yes?”
“Actually,” Jessica walked over to join him at the counter. “I’d like to extend my stay if that’s possible.”
“Of course! I’ll help you with that right now.” His fingers traveled over the keyboard, stopping when he looked at her with a furrowed brow. “I’m sorry, my dear. It appears your credit card is no longer valid.”
She immediately knew it was her mother’s doing, a calculated reminder of who held the purse strings. Well, she wouldn’t win that easily. “No worries. I’ll just pull some cash if that works.”
“Of course!”
Going back out, she headed to the ATM down the street. She had made money over the summer. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to buy her some time until she figured out what to do. When she put in the card, however, the screen flashed with the message that the account had been closed.
26 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2025
About the author
Nannette Kreitzman
45 books54 followersI'm a retired stay at home mom and happy empty nester. I spend my morning walks dreaming up short story ideas, but despite my carefully laid plans, my characters always manage to change things up! I've learned to pay attention to them though, they're usually right.
You can find me on Instagram @netts_shorts
Check out my Reference Guide Blog for Author’s Notes and excerpts for all of my stories!
https://nannettekreitzman.blogspot.com/
You can find me on Instagram @netts_shorts
Check out my Reference Guide Blog for Author’s Notes and excerpts for all of my stories!
https://nannettekreitzman.blogspot.com/
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 11, 2025
The high-quality short stories from Nannette Krietzman keep coming, I’m pleased to say. Rendering is another delight to consume with relish, this one I finished in one sitting.
As always with her stories, I was hooked in from the first paragraph. Characters, situations, descriptions are developed quickly without short-changing the reader. In this one, we learn that the lead character, Jessica, is dominated by her mother who has her life all mapped out for her. It’s not a life Jessica wants to lead, yet she is so reliant on her parents that she finds it hard to plough her own furrow. A lack of empathy and support from them, and especially from her mother, over an unpleasant situation at college does little to encourage Jessica to go along with their wishes. The question is: can she break free from her mother?
I really enjoyed rendering. Well written and engaging as always.
As always with her stories, I was hooked in from the first paragraph. Characters, situations, descriptions are developed quickly without short-changing the reader. In this one, we learn that the lead character, Jessica, is dominated by her mother who has her life all mapped out for her. It’s not a life Jessica wants to lead, yet she is so reliant on her parents that she finds it hard to plough her own furrow. A lack of empathy and support from them, and especially from her mother, over an unpleasant situation at college does little to encourage Jessica to go along with their wishes. The question is: can she break free from her mother?
I really enjoyed rendering. Well written and engaging as always.
September 16, 2025
I read this short story blind, without even reading the blurb, so I was very surprised to see our "friend" Daniel from Interminable show up unannounced. Readers do not need to read Interminable to enjoy this story, but it is a good background on the character. I can also see how it would be enjoyable to read it after Rendering as a little surprise unto itself. In either case, I do recommend reading both of these stories in either order (then read all of Kreitzman's other works - you will only be sorry that you did not do so earlier!).
In Kreitzman's signature style, we get a seemingly innocuous short story about Jessica who wants to be an art student but her overbearing mother is not on board. But then it takes on a delicious tale of karma. Love these twists!!
In Kreitzman's signature style, we get a seemingly innocuous short story about Jessica who wants to be an art student but her overbearing mother is not on board. But then it takes on a delicious tale of karma. Love these twists!!
September 11, 2025
Art and attacks
Karma has a way of getting you back!
Jessica wants to be an artist, out from under her mother's iron fist. When she is attacked at college, her mom sweeps it under the rug for reputation sake.
After a summer sabatical, Jessica pulls the plug, telling her mom she's gonna live her life. Cut off from financial support, she makes her own way. People love her art.
I dont want to spoil the ending but its super good in a karma got you sort of way!
Karma has a way of getting you back!
Jessica wants to be an artist, out from under her mother's iron fist. When she is attacked at college, her mom sweeps it under the rug for reputation sake.
After a summer sabatical, Jessica pulls the plug, telling her mom she's gonna live her life. Cut off from financial support, she makes her own way. People love her art.
I dont want to spoil the ending but its super good in a karma got you sort of way!
September 19, 2025
Nannette Kreitzman has a gift for weaving short stories that tie up loose ends in ways you never see coming. Rendering is no exception. With her signature touch, she delivers a twisted fate that lingers long after the last page. Once again, she reminds us—when it comes to family, the darkest betrayals may come from within.
October 26, 2025
This story starts out straight-forward, but Kreitzman has a way of taking readers on a 180 tour of the unexpected. I didn't realize the depth of this tale until a few days later. Yes, I thought of it for days!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews