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The Casket of Fictional Delights

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The Sentence

by Jenny Adamthwaite

Flash Fiction Poignant, Sad

I don’t mean to go on at you, you know. It’s just, I’m scared you’ll leave me if I’m not interesting and how can I be interesting if I’m not talking?

When I look back, I can see other times it might have happened. “I wish this queue would go down.” “I wish it would stop raining.” “I wish someone else would clean the kitchen for a change.” I’ve said all those things. I didn’t really notice when they came true. I’ve never wished for anything like this before – and it wasn’t even that I really wished it. It’s just one of those stupid things you say. Heat-of-the-moment, you know?

It was out before I’d even thought about it. I talk such a lot of crap. What do I do now? Call an ambulance? The police?

“I wish your breath would just drain out of you.” What was I thinking? I only wanted you to be quiet for five minutes.

It was definitely the wish. I checked. I tested it on a glass of water. It was amazing: like one of those slow-motion reverse films, every droplet going backwards in the air and vanishing. I tried it with the punnet of strawberries in the kitchen too. They were beautiful – rising like helium balloons and then disappearing into dots – like when you stare at a light bulb for too long.

I wish you were still alive.

Why doesn’t that work?

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About Jenny Adamthwaite

Jenny lives in East London. She has had short fiction published by Cinnamon Press, Stand Magazine, and in the National Flash Fiction Day anthology, ‘Scraps’. She is currently working on a novel.
Visit Jenny Adamthwaite on the web

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2 responses to “The Sentence”

  • Garreth Keating says:
    January 17, 2014 at 8:08 pm

    Short and sweet, no unnecessary words in this story!

    Reply
  • Sajjad Amin Bangash says:
    March 20, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    I am Sajjad Amin Bangash in Dubai, UAE, an aspirant writer and teach students creative writing skills. I love writing, reading and learning. I liked her writing as I have read her this story for the first time and I loved it. I would love to read her stories more and more as she writes. So beautiful and so much to learn from.

    Reply

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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.

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Text & stories © Joanna Sterling 2021
Stories © various authors
Audio by Menna Bonsels
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