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The Casket of Fictional Delights

Brooches Podcasts Stories

Paper Cuts

by Joanna Sterling

Flash Fiction Disturbing, Thought-provoking

You start at the top right hand corner, taking your time to complete the tear to the bottom. Careful to fit in six tears.  Laying the seven strips in their individual heaps, contamination abhorrent. Once, you started on the left – you said it felt unnatural, disloyal. Flex, elongate the digits before you pick another sheet from the pile on the kitchen table.  A flyer for a mobile hairdresser advertising a ‘wash and set’ at £11.75.  Start again, top right corner.  Irregular size sheets are tricky. Mum has already done two circulars and a postcard of Frinton from Auntie Maeve.  Her method is frantic, rapid and vicious – rip, rip, rip – confetti of squares.

Last week at the back of the cupboard in the Art Room at school you found an abandoned guillotine.  It would do the job in one swipe, a mighty swish down. Severed.  Too quick.  A tear can be slow, jagged, meander, stop – start over again.

When his letter reaches the top of the pile, Mum’s hand hovers and withdraws.  You spin the envelope between your fingers, watch the second class stamp as it turns over and over.  This time you start in the middle, the tear count abandoned.

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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.

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Starting in June and through to the end of September  The Casket of Fictional Delights presents more Susan Tate adventures.  Enjoy following a year in the life of Susan Tate the quirky librarian who lives in Canterbury with her cat Charles Dickens written by Joanna Sterling, read by Menna Bonsels and illustrated by Michael N Green.

There are many other short stories and flash fictions available to read and listen to in our Stories and Podcast sections.

Joanna & The Casket of Fictional Delights Team

 

Stories

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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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Tweetings

  • Its July in the life #SusanTate the quirky #librarian who lives in #Canterbury with her #cat ‍⬛#CharlesDickens - Derek has a surprise for Susan's #birthday You can #read or #listen to the story read by @MennaBonsels #free https://t.co/YudZOQtdto https://t.co/oyMBRICsQ4, 9 hours ago
  • New Story from The Casket of Fictional Delights - https://t.co/VXl4GzrC2e, 9 hours ago
  • More adventures from the quirky #librarian #SusanTate who lives in #Canterbury with her #cat ‍⬛#CharlesDickens - the sun is shining and its June Susan goes to a #party and a #WineTasting . You can #read or #listen to the story #free https://t.co/U66svWkFOe https://t.co/DzDpqmE9EX, Aug 2
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Text & stories © Joanna Sterling 2022
Stories © various authors
Editing by Joanna Sterling & Alyson Faye
Audio by Menna Bonsels
Brooch photography by Mark Colliton
Other photography by Rosie Marks
Maintained by Brighton WebTech