June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 29 As the doctor retraced the spots, the man remembered the trails and how simple life could be there. He’d blown through a lot of savings, planned his hike endlessly, then hiked an anemic 500 miles before calling it quits. The actual number was closer to 380. The last 120… Continue reading Hexagram 57, Wind over Wind
Tag: fiction
Liza Saves a Bunny
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 27 The sad thing was, it was not her rabbit. The tragedy might have been much worse if LeRoy had not been there. The young boy became a hero when he chucked his oversized history book at the shooter’s head. LeRoy was a hero, and the town was abuzz with… Continue reading Liza Saves a Bunny
Red Bike
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 26 I can still recall the day I first saw her bike. It was a deep red Trek that was, in her words, “not too girly.” Classic Nikky. She was one of a kind. I remember entering the Starbucks and having one of the kindest, most beautiful people I’ve ever… Continue reading Red Bike
Donated to Science
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 17 Why did I drop that damn gun? Occasionally a few grains of coffee will get in my eyes or a splash of water from the fill tank. I have only the loosest perception of light through the white plastic enveloping me, enclosing my head. They say the brain has… Continue reading Donated to Science
Mr. Auk
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 14 The people of the earth collectively pause whatever they’re doing and shift their attention to the solemn ceremony. Today it is Mr. Auk, a retired fisherman in Thailand. Who knows where it will be (or IF it will be) next month. The sleeping wake in time to watch. A… Continue reading Mr. Auk
Rapid Transport
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 13 The smell of falafel is always the first thing I notice in the Cairo terminal; recirculated air is laden with the scents of parsley, mint, cilantro, and garlic. The bustling hallways of disembarking passengers and the vendors selling their falafel, hummus, and baklava. I woke on a sleeping couch… Continue reading Rapid Transport
Lou Cypher
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 12 The first thing I noticed about him was that he dressed impeccably in a black silk suit, the whitest shirt I’ve ever seen, and a red silk pocket square. His beard was salt and pepper but neatly maintained, and he carried himself with crazy confidence. His eyes were friendly… Continue reading Lou Cypher
Glitch Mendelsohn
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 9 I hurry my pace and steal a glance behind me. Damn it. They’re still there, the three teenage boys following me. Again, I allowed myself to forget that I’m an eighteen-year-old girl. What is my name this time? The body might be 18, but its rider is much older.… Continue reading Glitch Mendelsohn
Blythe
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 6 It is surprising how much misinformation the media and books have regarding monsters. The idea that the only way to kill a werewolf is with a silver bullet? Laughable nonsense. Or that vampires can’t go out in the sunlight? Silly and baseless. Most of them don’t like being in… Continue reading Blythe
Gargoyles
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 4 “I think they are supposed to be guardians or something, right?” Kimberly says, peering upwards at the three buildings that make up the bulk of our burb’s central square. Ken looks ready to speak again. “Go ahead,” I say. “While symbolically linked to defense, their original purpose was to… Continue reading Gargoyles
Papa
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 3 Uncle Kenny never rises before noon on the camping trips. So far now, it’s just me, Cheryl, Adam, and dad, finishing our breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. The cool air and the smokey smell usually make me feel giddy in the mornings. That isn’t the case this morning.… Continue reading Papa
The Ladder in the Box (a dream)
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 2 I decide to leave the doctor’s report in the car. If I bring it inside I will not stop reading it. I need some space from it. Then I’m outside the car. I don’t remember getting out of the car, but here I am. Then I’m on the stairs… Continue reading The Ladder in the Box (a dream)
Gamer
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 1 I glance again at the poster on the front wall. It hangs above the third of five large-screen monitors. Each gamer has a second screen that mirrors what is on their monitor. I swivel behind me and see three cameras sitting at the back of the room. If it… Continue reading Gamer
Desert Highway
In the end, the most surprising thing about the video was how no two people ever remembered it the same; it was a modern-day Rorschach test. It was only three minutes twelve seconds long, but people saw different things when they recounted what they had watched. One thing almost everyone agreed upon was the video… Continue reading Desert Highway
Salmon Nigiri
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 71 The salmon nigiri rotates past the couple for the third time since they sat down several minutes ago. Years ago, one patron, an older man, had slyly flicked a sharpie marker against the conveyor belt to time how long it took for the sushi items to pass through… Continue reading Salmon Nigiri
Rewind
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 70 The man forgets how many times he’s replayed his life. He decides the number is fourteen or four thousand. The offer to trade his soul for a chance to relive his life had been impossible to refuse. The little girl told him he could relive his life since… Continue reading Rewind
Reynaldo the Rat
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 66 His reactions were shock, followed by horror, then disgust – all in rapid succession. It wasn’t an enormous rat, nor was it small – if the man had to venture a guess, he would say the rat was average-sized. However, the thing that was not average was the… Continue reading Reynaldo the Rat
Monster
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 65 Monday – “Again, I’m sorry for snapping at you,” I say to Maria. She works with me at the spa where I give massages. “Uh-huh,” she says. I think she suspects something is up with me. I unloaded on her earlier. The funny thing is I don’t remember… Continue reading Monster
Two Words
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 64 Two words, just two words. But what were they? The man stares at his image in the mirror. He doesn’t remember. He had made the cardinal sin. Never, ever, ever, assume you will remember later what the inspiration of the moment had handed you. When the muse spoke,… Continue reading Two Words
Mike
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 63 The injected serum doesn’t knock me out; it merely renders me temporarily paralyzed. One Week Ago, Tuesday “No, not Sherrie. Cheryl, with a ‘C?’” I say. “You have seen no clients named Sherrie or Cheryl this year,” Chrissy says. I’m getting mad. Chrissy sees my mood turning. “Here,… Continue reading Mike
Stories by Shawn 