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An Old Man’s Teeth

by Damyanti Ghosh

Flash fiction Poignant, Sad

He let his new false teeth sink into each grape, red and plump with juice.

“They will feel part of your mouth soon,” his dentist had said “just give it time.”

But as his mouth flooded with sugary bits of grape, flesh and skin and blood, he only felt plastic.  He longed to spit the whole goddamned mess out – white acrylic teeth, chewed-up red grapes. The lot.

“They can’t hurt you any more,” his wife soothed. “I lost mine ten years ago, and am so much the better for it.”

His teeth had their roots in him.  They had torn apart sugarcane, cracked crab shells, opened beer bottles, crunched ice-cubes, held a cigar between his lips.  And, now they were gone, along with the strength in his arms, the surge in his loins, the memories in his head.  His entire bloody spirit that made him race and lay bets and win. His win had gone.

For years his wife had slept apart from him.  Now it was time for his teeth. Sure as hell neither could hurt him.  But a man is a man for all that.

He squelched down the grape mush.  Tasted his new teeth with his tongue – hard, indifferent, insipid. Like life, these teeth had to be endured, lived day after day till subdued.

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About Damyanti Ghosh

Damyanti is a freelance writer of fiction and non-fiction, she has been published in the UK, USA, India, Singapore and Malaysia.
Visit Damyanti Ghosh on the web

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News

New Flash Fiction for March

Coming in March a new flash fiction by Fanni Suto  ‘Night Wait’ a restless and melancholic little tale.  In the meantime why not check out  some of Fanni's earlier Flash Fiction published on The Casket of Fictional Delights ‘Fires of Autumn', ' The Girl with Pearls in her Eyes', 'Rain of Thought', 'Summers End' and 'Darkest before Dawn'.

Fanni Suto's Flash Fiction stories

Competition

2018 Competition Winners Announced

The 2018 Flash Fiction Competition - WINNERS ANNOUNCED

This year’s winner is Rosie Garland with her story ‘Speaking in Tongues’  ** CONGRATULATIONS**

2nd Sync by Mark Farley; 3rd Floating by Mark Farley; 4th 1-2-5 by Gina Headden

Bikini by Sherri Turner; The Plughole Picker by Susan Carey; Serendipity by Sandra Purdy; Bombs, Lilies by Jason Jackson

Competition Results

Tweetings

  • New #FlashFiction for Friday by #Writer @rebeccapeyton 'The Unbiddable Hand' an optimistic and reflective tale #reading https://t.co/Hh6aXIy36D https://t.co/t8uAGN21M9, 13 hours ago
  • Arrived today from America ~ exhibition catalogue from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Chanel exhibition in 2005 by the late great Karl Lagerfeld #Chanel #karllagerfeld… https://t.co/rdhDc1Zqgn, Feb 20
  • Song Bird brooch/pendant by Carlo Giuliano after Burne Jones #beautiful #brooch #art #jewellery #wanttoown @ Tate Britain https://t.co/EqntgqCgEV, Feb 19
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Text & stories © Joanna Sterling 2019
Stories © various authors
Audio by Menna Bonsels
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Brooch photography by Mark Colliton