A woman in an emerald-striped dress opens the door and guides us in. ‘Is everything up for

sale?’ my husband asks. ‘Yes,’ the woman answers, turning her face away from us as if

slapped. I wander her house, labels in hand, admire ginger jars and a Georgian desk, silver

vestas and strung pearls. I tag nothing. Later, draped in my husband’s only lot, I let his hands

caress me beneath emerald stripes, but I turn my face away from him and weep.

© Nuala O’Connor

Picture 10455704, reproduction of a painting by Claude Monet, Camille, 1866, image copyright Mary Evans / Interfoto/Artcolor

Nuala O’Connor lives in Co. Galway, Ireland. Her forthcoming fifth novel, NORA, is about Nora Barnacle, wife and muse to James Joyce; it appears in early 2021. Her new chapbook of historical flash fiction, Birdie, is just published by Arlen House. Nuala is editor at flash e-zine Splonk.  www.nualaoconnor.com  Twitter: @NualaNiC  Instagram: @nuala_oconnor