“The Thread”

Leigh-Anne Burley

Artist Statement: This flash fiction exposes the horrors of Alzheimer disease.

Marta stares blankly at the wool heap on her lap wondering how to untangle the thread that unravels all the others. She used to be good at picking up the pieces. Now when she finds the hide and seek thread, her crooked fingers fumble over its twists and turns. No longer can Marta

sort 

organize

mend 

tidy up

frayed ends to present the front side of her life’s tapestry. Instead, Marta’s mind wanders aimlessly through misty forests until she sees herself slipping over a black precipice without a knotted rope to hold onto.