I discovered the existence of flash fiction thanks to the absolute queen of the genre, Laura Besley, and it's an honour to feature her work here this month!
The Writer
Laura Besley has been listed by TSS Publishing as one of the top 50 British and Irish Flash Fiction writers with her story ‘On Repeat’ (Reflex Fiction) and her story ‘Silenced’ was nominated for Best Microfiction by Emerge Literary Journal. Her flash fiction collection, The Almost Mothers, was published in March 2020 and her collection of micro fiction, 100neHundred in May 2021. Her latest collection, (Un)natural Elements is available from Beir Bua Press. Having lived in the Netherlands, Germany and Hong Kong, she now lives in land-locked central England and misses the sea. She tweets @laurabesley and is on IG as @besley_laura.
The Story
You laughed when I bought the chest freezer. ‘My grandparents had one of those,’ you said. ‘Back in the 80’s.’
When we were first together, you ran your hands over my curves, called me a woman. I took your jagged inexperience and moulded it into confidence, smooth and strong. Over time, your interest waned. ‘It’s natural,’ friends told me.
In a charity shop I bought a bedside cabinet and a lamp, made the garage look cosy.
After you fall asleep – your face wrinkle-free – I tiptoe out of the house and curl up in the freezer, hoping to stem the tide.
The Inspiration behind the story
To be honest I don't know where the idea for 'Tides of Time' came from. People in my neighbourhood certainly had chest freezers in the '80s, but apart from that, it was merely a spark of an idea about an older woman and a younger man and what might happen to them as a couple over time.
When I wrote it, I was writing a lot of 100-word stories to put into my new collection and most of them, like this one, are a little quirky.
Laura's latest collection (Un)Natural Elements is out with Beir Bua Press and for sale here. You can connect with her on Instagram and Twitter.
Disclaimer: EMC's Writer of the Month series seeks to promote the artist and their featured writing and is in no way an endorsement of any of said artist's services, opinions or other work outside of this feature.