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The Casket of Fictional Delights

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The Plughole Picker

by Susan Carey

2018 Flash Fiction Competition Runner-up

Flash Fiction Poignant, Thought-provoking

Maya pulled the tangle of hairs from the shower plughole. Long black ones clung on like greedy tapeworms but the blonde ones gave in quickly. The red ones were often quarrelsome but this morning they cooperated. She stood up and marvelled at the knot of hair colours glowing in the bathroom’s fluorescent light. Then she coiled the strands around her index finger and put them in a zip-lock bag along with the others she had collected that morning.

Hungry after her red-eye shift she ate in the restaurant in Chinatown where the cook knew how to make mohinga. The other cleaners were there talking about how disgusting hotel guests were, either ejaculating in bed or leaving behind bloated condoms. But Maya never joined in that talk. Snarled hair snuggled in her jeans pocket; a kitten she had rescued from drowning.

She cycled to her flat and her finger pressed twelve in the elevator. In the kitchen, she took out her ‘I love Amsterdam’ mug and made sweet tea to perk herself up. Afterwards, she washed a month’s worth of shed hair in coconut-scented shampoo, weighed it down with a can of beans and placed it on the window ledge to dry. Staying awake in the sleepy sunlight was difficult but she forced herself to because a black and white bird had once stolen the whole lot.

Maya caressed the warm hair and imagined it travelling the world. Cream bellies of dreaming shops, sunny plazas, rosy-cheeked blossom, and paintings of lovers having picnics, all lay in wait. She posted the hair off in a Jiffy bag next morning. Perhaps one day it might return on a weekend to Amsterdam and the harvest would begin all over again. Maya shook her head in disbelief. Now wouldn’t that be something.

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About Susan Carey

Susan is a Brit living in Amsterdam. Susan has been a runner-up in the 2018 and 2017 Casket of Fictional Delights Flash Fiction Competitions, ‘The Plughole Picker’ was published online and 'To See a Star' was recorded as a podcast and published on a number of audio platforms.  Her writing has also been published and performed by amongst others; Mslexia, Liars’ League, Reflex Fiction and Writers Abroad. She has a love hate relationship with her adopted hometown and often dreams of living in a thatched cottage, far from the madding crowd. In 2020 Susan published her short story collection, Healer.

Susan Tweets @su_carey

Susan has an Amazon Page 


Visit Susan Carey on the web

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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

 

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  • 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
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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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