'Readying' by Kleopatra Olympiou

After she quit her job, Martha slithered out of her skin, wriggled out of the too-tight pants of herself and stepped out of her tired feet. With some effort, she hauled up this other, scuffed Martha and carefully folded her like a shirt, spreading her heavy arms, then bending them back. She stared at this vacant, limbless mess, then at the blushing skin of her own fingertips, coursing with life. 

Scissors in hand, she snipped off the other Martha’s head and sealed the body with orderly stitches. Lovely, she thought, and smiled. Ready for the next girl to wear.

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Kleopatra Olympiou is a writer from Cyprus. Her stories have been published in swamp pink, Tiny Molecules, and Flash Flood, among other journals. Her work has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction. Find her at kleopatraolympiou.com.