The stage is smaller than I was expecting. The spotlights feel hot on my skin and my eyes water from the white light. I begin my routine. I don’t have to wait long for my first buzzer. I stay focused and don’t pull my eyes off my model. I suspect it was Simone who buzzed… Continue reading AHT Slaps
Tag: weird
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
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
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
Two Bridges
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 58 The name of the town meant ‘two bridges’ in German. My brother spoke little German as far as I could tell. He was also in the Air Force. He was big! Muscular, fit, toned from years spent in a gym and possibly some period of experimenting with anabolic… Continue reading Two Bridges
My Shin-jury
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 48 “Hold still, you big baby, or I’ll spray it with alcohol,” Tammy says to me as she outlines my open wound with a sharpie marker. Her thinking, such that it is, is she can gauge if the infection is getting worse if it crosses the black line she’s… Continue reading My Shin-jury
Shrinking
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 47 “Excuse me, but do you have these in a larger size?” I don’t know why I’m asking; I already know they don’t. And I knew this day was coming. The salesperson takes the box of shoe lifts from me. She studies the back of the box; she’s just… Continue reading Shrinking
Fractured
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 46 The stuffed manila envelope sits inconspicuously between the potted plant and the wall. I almost didn’t see it, but I dropped my apartment keys before I unlock my door. When I bent down, I saw the package. Something is off about the package, and I’m hesitant to touch… Continue reading Fractured
Possession
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 45 It started with the damn tea! I’m sure of it. I’ve not felt the same since I drank the mysterious tea at the Chinese restaurant two weeks ago. Now maybe the two things are not causally related, but I seriously doubt it! I drink the strange tasting tea… Continue reading Possession
The East Field
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 41 The last day of summer vacation is hot. The sticky hot that makes your clothes cling close to your body, adhering to your skin with a thin film of sweat that seems to never dry up. You can hop out of a cold shower, and five minutes later,… Continue reading The East Field
Brittany
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 34 My alarm goes off, but it’s different this morning. It’s not coming from my trusted android; it’s coming from an alarmingly bedazzled iPhone X with a Hello Kitty phone cover. Oh no, it’s happened again. I throw back the quilt, get to my feet. My body feels lighter,… Continue reading Brittany
Doppelgänger
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 33 The driver behind me tries to make it seem they aren’t following me, but they fail in achieving that goal. For an instant, I had thought to turn left. I was in the turn lane, but then I remembered the veterinarian’s office would already be closed for the… Continue reading Doppelgänger
No Reflection
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 32 I get up at my usual time, stumble to the bathroom, relieve my bladder, and flush. All my actions are on auto-pilot. I reach the vanity to wash my hands, but something is wrong. But it’s an illusion so perfect I don’t notice it at first. When I… Continue reading No Reflection
Esmeralda
FLASH Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 29 “You can have your money back; just please go,” the psychic says to me. Madame Esmeralda is more window dressing than even cynical ole me was expecting. Still, I wanted answers, so I was ready to try anything when I arrived here at their modest-sized storefront in North… Continue reading Esmeralda
Stories by Shawn 