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The Casket of Fictional Delights

Brooches Podcasts Stories

He took his Zimmer frame for a walk

by Joanna Sterling

PodcastFlash Fiction Poignant, Sad

One of the wheels catches on a paving stone, the Zimmer frame lurches to the left into the gutter. Tom tugs to dislodge it.  A discarded crisp packet entangling itself in the spokes. He found the Zimmer frame in a rubbish bin round the back of the hospital. He spent two hours cleaning it and tying ribbons around the handle bars. He’s chosen lilac, its Mary’s favourite colour.
They sent Mary home after two months, with a promise from Social Services to call. They came once, but what with the cut backs and all, it was left to Tom to look after Mary. Now Tom’s taking matters into his own hands. Mary’s not been out of the house for two months. They’re going for a walk, their first walk together in four months. Just like they used to before the accident.

The car didn’t stop, sped right through the red light. Mary was fortunate. Just a fractured hip, leg and pelvis. The baby buggy didn’t stand a chance. Smashed straight into it, crushing the frame against the railings. All Mary could hear was the bip bip bip of the green man, telling her it was safe to cross and the toy mobile hanging limply from the double buggy still playing three blind mice.

Yes – Mary was the lucky one.

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You are listening to
He took his Zimmer frame for a walk
by Joanna Sterling

https://thecasket.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Flash-Fiction-Compilation-Two.mp3

Story read by Menna Bonsels for The Casket of Fictional Delights.

About Joanna Sterling

Joanna writes short stories and flash fiction, has had her work published in a number of magazines and anthologies. She lives in London with her ever growing collection of Brooches.

You’ve reached the end of this story. Please do explore further. And if you’re feeling generous today, donate to The Casket and help keep the fictional delights flowing. Want to know when more stories arrive? Make sure you sign up for regular updates.

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Everyone at The Casket is hoping 2021 will be a better year than 2020.  We have some great short stories and flash fiction lined up for your delight.  We kick of the year with a story by Lydia Unsworth “The Smallest Boxes” and then for Valentine's we have a story by Dylan Brethour which will also be available as a podcast. Later in the summer we have a new Flash Fiction Summer Collection which will be published online and as podcasts read by Menna Bonsels and Richard Hodder.  We hope you enjoy the stories we have for you and look forward to welcoming you back regularly.

Joanna & The Casket of Fictional Delights Team

 

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Please consider making a donation to The Casket of Fictional Delights.  All content on the website is free and widely available to audiences worldwide.  We do not receive any grants and all our content is Ad free.  The Casket of Fictional Delights specialises in producing high-quality podcasts which are recorded by professional actors/voiceover artists from around the world. We hope you enjoy reading and listening to the stories and finding out about Joanna’s varied brooch collection.

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Prefer to listen? - from the beginning The Casket of Fictional Delights has specialised in producing high quality podcasts of short stories and flash fiction compilations. The podcasts are recorded by actors and voiceover artists and produced by a professional studio manager ensuring we maintain a consistent high standard. I’ve chosen three to highlight the variety and quality of work we have to offer - visit our Podcast page for more. I hope you enjoy listening to them.

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Text & stories © Joanna Sterling 2021
Stories © various authors
Audio by Menna Bonsels
Brooch photography by Mark Colliton
Other photography by Rosie Marks
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