FLASH FICTION

An Unconventional Occupation

Contemplative micro-fiction inspired by old art

This ink and chalk drawing, titled, “Death and the Woodman in a Coastal Landscape with Ruins,” was made by the artist Ercole Bazicaluva c. 1610–1661. It is in the public domain.

Note: this story was originally published in issue 11 of ShabdAaweg Review.

It’s no use. I rubbed that smattered vase until it shone new, planted seeds in the snag, and patched that mocking absence in my shoe. It’s no use at all. Just as new dust lands for every…