Case Closed, by Karen Schauber

Alice Through the Keyhole, by Gertrude Abercrombie (USA). 1971.

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Case Closed

Tiptoeing

Mirabella takes care not to step on the cracks when she walks down the sidewalk. The MARMOTS are abundant along the river side of MacArthur Island, in Kamloops ... and they're not too shy! Walking quietly and carefully with one's heels raised and one's weight on the balls of the feet, is the least one should do.
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Whispering

Mirabella carefully avoids discussing difficult or sensitive subjects. ELEPHANTS have good hearing, detecting sounds as low as 14 to 16 hz (human low range: 20 hz) and as high as 12,000 hz (human high range: 20,000 hz). Whispering a message through ‘broken telephone’ is the polite thing to do.

Hiding

Mirabella does not turn on the lights in her apartment at night. ANTS are social insects, so when one ant enters your home, others follow. Mirabella hears the footsteps of armies marching. She buys plush carpet. 

Blending

Mirabella likes to wear high-contrast and bright coloured clothing. The bat-faced TOAD found among the leaves of Amacayacu National Park in Colombia is masterful at blending into its surroundings. Mirabella has a playful side and is not trying to make life difficult.
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People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.

Karen Schauber

This story is "found flash fiction," meaning its materials were sources through Google, remixed and transformed.

It was first published in CarpeArte.

Editor's note: This story was written in response to L'Arte Surreale by Christian Schloe. Please click here to view his work, especially the first one which inspired Schauber's story. We regret being unable to contact the artist. The image shown is another wonderful surreal artwork but was not the original source of inspiration.

Karen Schauber is a seasoned Family Therapist practicing in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Her earlier writing is non-fiction and details three decades of psychosocial and analytical cases.  Flash Fiction is a new and welcome adventure for her.  Fictional short stories are much more fun to read and write!  As an emerging artist, Karen hones her craft at home and at the dog beach on the Pacific coast (when it’s not pouring out). ​