In my peripheral vision, I sense the table between us, the candle, the flittering moth, the book, and the other thing. Where am I? I don’t dare glance around for clues. Maybe this is a pub, and we are waiting for the girl to bring us our mead. The room is small, dimly lit, and… Continue reading A Knight Reflects
Tag: flash fiction
Ghost Dog
The frail woman pulls her coat shut, bunches her scarf, and shoves her hands deep into fur-lined pockets. In one of her hands, she imagines three plastic bags. Estelle knows the bags aren’t real. Just like she knows not to shout her dog’s name aloud in public. She knows he is no more. Tommy had… Continue reading Ghost Dog
Lizzy’s Brother
Until last night, this morning even, it was always Marcus’s responsibility to keep the coal bin loaded and to keep the fire stoked. He was the last of the boys. The last of my brothers. The last of my siblings. It was the pox that got Johnny. Then Billy, Bobby, and Rachael (my twin) all… Continue reading Lizzy’s Brother
Sisyphus on Vacation
The heat is stifling. Our footsteps are an endless string of dry crunches on the shoulder of California State Route 190. Whose idea was it to put a bed-and-breakfast in Death Valley? Something tugs at my consciousness. She looks at her phone again. She always looks at her phone at this point. I can’t remember… Continue reading Sisyphus on Vacation
Time to Go
The need to relieve myself finally pulls me from my dreams. I unwrap myself from the covers and make my way to the bathroom in the dark. The son is the father of the man. A line from a Wordsworth poem–I make a mental note to look it up tomorrow, knowing I will forget both… Continue reading Time to Go
Muertos
Halloween 2043 I swallow four more ibuprofen. The sciatica is hurting today. “You almost ready?” I startle at the sound of her voice. I startle a lot these days. I was just putting the finishing touches on my Halloween getup. We must always dress the same. She was such a creature of habit. This is… Continue reading Muertos
Hexagram 57, Wind over Wind
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
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
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
Ray-Ray
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 57 Reagan answers her phone without checking the caller ID. “Hello.” Nothing. “Hello?” Reagan says. “Did you really think you could run away from me, Ray-Ray?” Only her father had called her Ray-Ray. Reagan had always found her stalker’s presumptuous over-familiarity to be nearly as jarring as his gruesome… Continue reading Ray-Ray
Stories by Shawn 