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The Casket of Fictional Delights

Stories Brooches

Missing Anna

by Pauline Yates

Flash fiction Philosophical, Reflective

I close the lid of the box and carry it to the kitchen. It feels heavy, which is strange. I only cleaned out the bathroom cupboard. The box contains a collection of half-used face creams, an empty spray can of deodorant and a bottle of pink nail polish. They’re items I won’t use. Does the box feel heavy because I’m struggling with the loss? Do I think by removing reminders of Anna, I’ll miss her less?

When you spend twenty years building a home, you fill it with things a family needs. The shells in the glass jar hold memories of family trips to the beach. The patchwork quilt, that’s older than all of us, tells stories of picnics and holds warmth from the sun in its bare threads. The movies I don’t watch. The books I won’t read. I even questioned whether I needed the printer before I remembered I use the printer too. Just not as much as Anna did.

When a child leaves home, it’s both an end and a beginning. Twenty years of photos adorn these walls. Twenty birthdays and Christmas trees, odd socks, and lost hair ties. Though I’m happy she’s starting a life of her own, she left a void that can’t be filled. Is that why I’m cleaning out the cupboards? To fill the void?

I start rearranging the crockery in the kitchen. I don’t need as many cups now. When I pick up the blue one, I pause. This one is Anna’s favourite. She’ll look for it when she comes to visit. I return the mug to the shelf and then retrieve the nail polish from the box. Maybe I’ll keep some of her things.

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About Pauline Yates

Pauline estimates she’s told over five thousand bedtime stories to her children. Now they’ve grown up, she has time to write for herself. More of her stories can be found with Metaphorosis, Every Day Fiction, Short Fiction Break and StoryCity. She lives at Ocean View, Australia.

Pauline Tweets @midnightmuser1

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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
Maintained by Brighton WebTech
Brooch photography by Mark Colliton