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Short Story

The Mirror’s Own Collapse

A short story by Mike Fuller.

Kaseer, an old friend of mine, was in charge of the Philosophical Department of a big Joke and Novelty Shop. His ‘department’, on the top floor of the building, directly under the roof, was in fact no more than a broom cupboard, but he had lined the walls so cleverly with mirrors that in reality it appeared much bigger than it actually was.

One arrived at Kaseer’s department by climbing a long ladder, past shelves of rubber spiders, exploding cigars, and carnival hats. The top half of this ladder was concealed under a curtain, and the prospective customer, ducking his head under the curtain, discovered to his surprise that the remaining part of the ladder had had all its rungs removed, halting his ascent.

At this point, most people just stood there, half way up the ladder, their heads covered by the curtain, looking and feeling rather foolish.

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