<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Flat\u00a0Pack<\/strong><\/p>\n He lays the pieces out on the rug in Euclidian point order. \u00a0She spreads the instructions\u00a0flat\u00a0among toast crumbs. Stray curls of butter slick the paper down. They regard bracket H.<\/span><\/p>\n He searches for it in the diagram. She turns the bracket upside down, holds it up and gazes through it at the thing, which has come to rest on the rug in a broadly rhomboid shape. He consults quantum mechanics, adjusting the thing\u2019s relative relativity with harmonics, saws the molecular weight of an angel dancing on a point of semantics off the end of each leg, abrading the angles with a pipe laser.\u00a0Forces it to stand, though anyone, anyone could see it would be better to let it fall.<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: Earlier versions of this flash were shortlisted for the Bridport Flash prize and\u00a0 longlisted for last year\u2019s Mslexia Flash Competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Flat\u00a0Pack He lays the pieces out on the rug in Euclidian point order. \u00a0She spreads the instructions\u00a0flat\u00a0among toast crumbs. Stray curls of butter slick the paper down. He fixes A to B to C to D, fourteen-and-three-quarter Allen key revolutions each one – not too tight, not too loose. She locates locking pin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[138,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2019-poetry-picks","category-prose-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19352"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19390,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19352\/revisions\/19390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nHe fixes A to B to C to D, fourteen-and-three-quarter Allen key revolutions each one – not too tight, not too loose. She locates locking pin E in cylinder nut F, by hand, to assemble the corner pieces, times four.<\/span>
\nHe readjusts the corner pieces, times four, by two-and-one-eighth millimetres. Attaches plate G with a spigot wrench.<\/span>
\nShe sets the thing upright. It pivots sideways with arboreal grace.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHe takes it and applies the principles of Newtonian mechanics with a claw hammer.<\/span>
\nShe quotes Nietzsche, obliquely, and mostly to herself.<\/span>
\nHe constructs rivets from bits of old jewellery and sundry other items it would be ridiculous to keep, arc-welds the top splint to the side-brace using the bracket as a splice grip.<\/span>
\nShe turns the thing to the light. It is crippled, and limps like a spavined horse. She says, \u2018It would be kinder to kill it.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n
\nShe pours a six-stanza poem into the dust. Gets up by herself and steps to the edge of them, and he tries to catch her, though anyone, anyone could see it would be better to let her go.<\/span><\/p>\n