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A Paper Tissue

Stephen Volk

First published 2006
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Unhappy middle-aged British couple vacationing in Italy meet a former co-worker/housemate they haven't seen in years who's doing well and has an Italian girlfriend that seems to be in an abusive relationship with him; she writes "HELP ME" on a napkin and passes it to the husband, who does nothing to help; the ending implies that her sad fate has renewed the relationship between the couple. Creepy, but not a genre story.

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
2006 Cover Postscripts, Summer 2006 PS Publishing MAGAZINE 8
October 2013 Cover Monsters in the Heart Gray Friar Press Collection 67