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The Casket of Fictional Delights

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The Girl with Pearls in her Eyes

by Fanni Suto

Flash Fiction Philosophical, Thought-provoking

There are ghosts on the Underground.
You don’t notice them because they look just like you, or a ticket inspector. They clutch their lost life as though it was a briefcase full of important documents. Their faces flicker dead-white against the recycled pages of the free newspapers. You don’t notice them. They are just passing annoyance; you start for a free seat just to find that somebody is already sitting there although you could have sworn the seat was empty. They read your Evening Standard over your shoulder. They are everywhere. There is one, you might remember though. She is different, not one of the usual suit-skinned lot. She is a fleeting bright colour, so strong you can only look at her from the corner of your eye. If it is a day when you are proud and feel like the king of life, she makes you pensive with the smell of chrysanthemum and ashes. When you are desperate and broken, shredded by the weight of every day, she giggles like a child and blows daffodil petals in your face. She has pearls in her eyes; they look like tears but you can never quite see well enough in the half-blind neon light. She is cruel but kind. Those who deliberately ignore her or frown at her flamboyance, get punished by the small spikes of life: the train shuts its door in their face; somebody stomps on their feet or a remarkably bony elbow makes its way into their ribs. But those who are kind and have a second to spare for the girl with the tear-stained eyes, they will find a tenner on the street or a forgotten Cadbury bar in a pocket.

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About Fanni Suto

Fanni writes in Hungarian and English; poems, flash fiction, and lyrics. She is getting better at finishing novels. Fanni tries to find the magical in the everyday and likes to spy on the secret life of cities and their inhabitants.
Visit Fanni Suto on the web

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3 responses to “The Girl with Pearls in her Eyes”

  • Ross says:
    March 11, 2016 at 5:31 pm

    A lovely, diverting piece, that says a lot, in a very few words, about the atmosphere of the underground. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply
  • RebeccaHJ says:
    March 11, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    Such a beautiful, moving story!

    Reply
  • I.Horsburgh says:
    March 11, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    Really enjoyed this. Not just being kind, but wouldn’t say no the tenner.

    Reply

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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.

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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
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