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Floating

by Mark Farley

2018 Flash Fiction Competition Third Prize

Flash fiction Poignant, Reflective

Yesterday was leaking so I shrouded my share in a lip-blue binbag and hauled it out to the road. Mum agreed to dispose of her share too. I tied the bags tight, sealing the airway, and the dripping stopped for a while. Mum helped me load the wheelie-bin and we waited for the rubbish men to arrive.

But the rubbish men were rubbish. They refused to take yesterday away.

“There’s a limit,” they told us, tipping the bags onto the driveway. “We can’t take this heavy a burden. We have chest pain, and a cough. The union wouldn’t approve.”

I tried to explain but they wouldn’t listen, even though Mum and I supported their necks. They showed me the hallow of their hands, where the skin was loosening and turning green. Then they floated away.

We drove the binbags to the tip but they’d reappeared on our doorstep when we got home. Both were open and yesterday had flooded the driveway. We had to swim to the front door. The neighbours waved as they struggled to keep their noses above the surface.

I used a grappling hook to pull the bags into the house. Both were heavier now. The tops gaped. One vomited water, the other a cone of white froth. An arm protruded from Mum’s bag, lolling through a rip in the side, gripping a handful of reeds. We stood on the kitchen table as the bags rolled against each other, mouth-to-mouth, oozing algae and particles of sand.

“Play something,” Mum said, wrapping herself in a foil blanket. I waded to the stereo and tried rock, country, bluegrass and soul – everything my father had loved – but nothing drowned yesterday out.

In the end, we took yesterday back to the river. It fell into the water and floated face down.

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You are listening to
Floating
by Mark Farley

https://www.thecasket.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Floating-mini-version.mp3

Story read by Shash Hira for The Casket of Fictional Delights.

About Mark Farley

Mark was raised in Africa, a childhood spent running wild and barefoot in sunny scrubland, during which he survived two dog maulings, a swarm of killer bees and being run over by a horse. He lives in Swindon UK and is currently helping a tree dragon write her autobiography.

Mark Tweets @mumbletoes
Visit Mark Farley on the web

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Sending

4 responses to “Floating”

  • Douglas says:
    October 19, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    So well written and the ending is a good punch to the gut. I like this – so well written.

    Reply
  • Mum and Dad says:
    October 21, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    Well done once again xxx

    Reply
  • Sal Jennings says:
    October 23, 2018 at 1:33 pm

    Brilliant Mark !
    A lesson here for all of us who let the heavy burden of yesterday’s crap leak into our sunny todays and virgin tomorrows !!

    Reply
  • Chris Elmes says:
    October 27, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    Well done Mark. I enjoyed it and thought the ending was very clever. I love your style of writing.

    Reply

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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, 20 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