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The Casket of Fictional Delights

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What the Cat Dragged In

by Isobel Horsburgh

Flash Fiction Comical, Playful

When Miffy came in backwards through the cat-flap, they feared it would be like the time they had prise half a baby rabbit out of his jaws, burying it after dark behind the shed.

Angie distracted the cat with a piece of red Leicester.

His trophy lay squirming on the kitchen lino.
“If that’s one of next door’s Koi, it’s going down the toilet, dead or alive,” said Ron.

It wasn’t.

They put the mermaid in a tumbler of salty water. It had a narrow face, slanted eyes, no eyebrows, and a tangle of spinach hair. Its thin lips were open, but no sound came out they could hear.
Later, as she grew, she travelled in a customised golf bag, peridot eyes avid. She shredded the camisole Angie made her, with needle teeth.

Freed off Tynemouth Pier, she wailed up a hurricane.

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About Isobel Horsburgh

Isobel lives on South Tyneside. She does casual work in libraries and has had stories on SpaceSquid, Devilfish Review, The Drabble, and Blink-Ink.

You’ve reached the end of this story. Please do explore further. And if you’re feeling generous today, donate to The Casket and help keep the fictional delights flowing. Want to know when more stories arrive? Make sure you sign up for regular updates.

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The Casket is a platform for new, fresh and enjoyable short reads. We don’t receive any grants and your generosity helps us provide FREE accessible ad-free content. Any donation is hugely appreciated. If you would like to contribute, donate by PayPal by submitting your name and an amount.

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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.

Joanna & The Casket of Fictional Delights Team

 

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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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Prefer to listen? - from the beginning The Casket of Fictional Delights has specialised in producing high quality podcasts of short stories and flash fiction compilations. The podcasts are recorded by actors and voiceover artists and produced by a professional studio manager ensuring we maintain a consistent high standard. I’ve chosen three to highlight the variety and quality of work we have to offer - visit our Podcast page for more. I hope you enjoy listening to them.

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Text & stories © Joanna Sterling 2021
Stories © various authors
Audio by Menna Bonsels
Brooch photography by Mark Colliton
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