The Last Match

Extreme macro, hyperrealistic, photorealistic dark fairytale horror. A miniature adult Tom Thumb clings desperately to the splintered shaft of an enormous burning match held diagonally between two colossal skeletal fingertips. His entire body is visible, his boots gripping the wood, his tattered crimson coat hanging over the abyss. From the burning match head, orange and golden flames twist into the sinister face of an ancient witch, her hooked nose, glowing eyes and cruel smile formed from living fire. She leans toward him as though about to kiss him; he looks up in terrified recognition. Her flaming hair streams across the darkness, surrounding him with curling smoke and drifting embers. Charred wood, intricate bone textures, realistic hands, expressive faces, dramatic foreshortening, extreme three-dimensional depth. Fierce amber firelight against a near-black background, cinematic chiaroscuro, sharply focused subjects, oppressive macabre atmosphere, tight composition, no text.