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The Copse Part Two (The Wheel of Fortune, Major Arcana Series) by Francesca Astraea
Read Part One here. Her phone rang. Yanni’s number. ‘Carla?’ Not Yanni’s voice. ‘J—James?’ ‘Hiya.’ It took two train stations for Carla to respond. The phone line was still open. ‘Is it really…’ Now she could hear Yanni on the other end, talking excitedly. ‘It’s really him, Carla. When’s your train coming… Continue reading
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The Copse Part One (The Wheel of Fortune, Major Arcana Series) by Francesca Astraea
Year One They met in a café in Convent Garden. Neither of them could afford it, but it was busy enough that they wouldn’t be overheard, with a high enough staff turnover that they were unlikely to be remembered next year, and it was well established enough that it wasn’t likely to close any time… Continue reading
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Unexpected Treasures (The Star, Major Arcana Series) by Francesca Astraea
Note: contains themes of depression and suicidal feelings. It wasn’t hope he was looking for when he stepped into Bezzina’s Emporium of Magical Artefacts and Antiquities, it was oblivion. He could have taken a more conventional route, but convention was one of the reasons he felt so low, so if he was doing this, he… Continue reading
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Fraternising with the Enemy by Francesca Astraea
This is a commission for my patron Sarah, who sent me this prompt: ‘So you’re saying that you want me, a villain, to help you catch another villain? That makes no sense.’ Two colleagues met in the second-worst greasy spoon in the downtown area. The other customers were an alcoholic ex-radio DJ and a family… Continue reading
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Just Desserts (Justice, Major Arcana Series) by Francesca Astraea
If asked, tourists leaving the Sweet Memories Family Run Pâtisserie and Ice Cream Parlour in Carnaby Street would usually describe their experience as magical. Sometimes they would use compound phrases like absolutely fabulous. Occasionally they would enumerate on past experiences or make comparisons: it reminded me of my grandmother’s kitchen. Or I rather feel this place… Continue reading
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Inheritance Tax (The Hanged Man, Major Arcana Series) by Francesca Astraea
Stephen Defoe was not usually one for introspection, but it struck him that he was acutely aware of every ache in his body. Squashed between his backpack and a fellow tourist, Stephen sat on a bus currently between Siam Reap and Phnom Penh. Until he came to Cambodia, he thought Phnom Penh was a… Continue reading
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Nail Varnish (2012) by Francesca Astraea
This was originally written in 2012, for The Story Shack, where it was illustrated by Sherri Oliver. I never normally look back at work that’s more than a couple of years old because it makes me cringe hugely, but friends and family recently told me it’s one of their favourite things I’ve ever written so… Continue reading
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The Elastic Band Theory Article V | Local artist sells elastic effigy of Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’ to the highest bidder
Article I Article II Article III Article IV By Connor St. James, local reporter 3rd March Upton Chipping-on-the-River resident Ms. Tiffany Crawley has sold a life-sized depiction of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, for the sum of £100,000. Ms. Crawley, a Glaswegian artist who has lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands, sold her most… Continue reading
elastic bands, English story, epistolary story, epistolary story newspaper format, fake news article, five minute story, flash fiction, Francesca Astraea, Indifferent Ignorance, leaf blight rubber plant, newspaper format story, posh names, rubber band art, rubber price UK, satirical news article, sculptures made from elastic bands, short stories, story in newspaper format, The Birth of Venus by Boticelli, The Elastic Band Theory by Francesca Burke, Upton Chipping-on-the-River, writer life -
The Elastic Band Theory Article IV | Rubber price soars as UK faces shortage
Article I Article II Article III By Connor St. James, local reporter 22nd January The price of rubber in the UK has soared this week to record levels. Leaf blight has infected rubber trees in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, the site of most of the world’s rubber plantations, since last October. Given that over 60%… Continue reading
elastic bands, English story, epistolary story, epistolary story newspaper format, fake news article, five minute story, flash fiction, Francesca Astraea, how are elastic bands made, Indifferent Ignorance, leaf blight rubber plant, middle England, newspaper format story, posh names, rubber band art, rubber price UK, satirical news article, sculptures made from elastic bands, short stories, story in newspaper format, The Elastic Band Theory by Francesca Burke, Upton Chipping-on-the-River, writer life -
The Elastic Band Theory Article III | Local resident holds rubber band sculpture exhibition
Article I Article II By Connor St. James, local reporter 20th December Upton Chipping-on-the-River resident Tiffany Crawley has been named as the Upton Chipping-on-the-River Town Hall Museum and Gallery resident artist over the Christmas period. Ms. Crawley is an elastic band sculptor, and has made almost fifty sculptors from elastic bands in the past four… Continue reading
elastic bands, English story, epistolary story, epistolary story newspaper format, fake news article, five minute story, flash fiction, Francesca Astraea, Indifferent Ignorance, local art show, local resident art shows, local residents’ groups, middle England, newspaper format story, posh names, rubber band art, satirical news article, sculptures made from elastic bands, short stories, story in newspaper format, The Elastic Band Theory by Francesca Burke, Upton Chipping-on-the-River, writer life
No generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used in the creation of any of my prose or visual or audible media. I expressly forbid any organisation, person or entity from using my work for generative-AI training.
