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Phyllis, by Jim Woessner

7/8/2020

 
Phyllis died handcuffed to a water pipe. She was young and beautiful but achingly thin. She’d been missing for a month. Considering how she was found, everyone assumed she’d been murdered. But there wasn’t evidence of foul play, and nothing was missing except the cat. The police ruled it an “accidental suicide.” She simply couldn’t reach the handcuff key. The bigger mystery is why she did it. The best guess is extreme dieting, since there was also a padlock on the fridge. It didn’t take long for people to forget Phyllis, although someone did put up posters for the cat.
Krystyna
7/8/2020 04:58:45 pm

Poor Phyllis! Many like her, shortly after death forgotten.
Thanks for the story, Jim.

Jim Woessner
10/8/2020 12:36:31 am

Thanks Krystyna. Love the spelling of your name by the way.

Mary Wallace
8/8/2020 07:04:09 am

It is sad that our opinions on body image can contribute to this. We can pressurize people to fit our ideal and as soon as they are out of sight, they cease to exist for us.

Jim Woessner
10/8/2020 12:38:03 am

The irony, Mary, is that the story fits my warped sense of humor. It was supposed to be funny. No one cared about Phyllis, but someone put up posters for the missing cat. Society is sick. Thanks for the comment.

Sue Clayton
9/8/2020 04:57:52 am

Let's hope someone loved Phyllis as much as the cat. Much pathos in your story, Jim.

Jim Woessner
10/8/2020 12:39:21 am

Thanks, Sue. I'm delighted that you got my warped sense of humor. I don't think anyone else did. We live is a society that is sick enough to forget Phyllis and bemoan the loss of the cat.


Comments are closed.

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