Categotry Archives: Flash
Gorilla Art
On a narrow mountain road in Bolivia Ted pulled a paint pot and brush from his backpack. “You even have supplies with you now?” Anita, who financed the trip, set her much lighter pack on the ground. “You never know when there will be a chance for a social statement.” He began painting fingernails onto a keep-hands-off road sign. “That’s a palm, not the back of a hand,” she observed. “It’ll mess with people’s minds.” “Are you trying to make […]
During the Eclipse of the Moon
Ted and Martin both hunched over cameras set up on tripods. Ted clicked a shot, checked the results, and swore. “Still blurry! I barely even touched it this time. What am I doing wrong?” “The earth moved,” Martin mumbled as he made his own attempt. “No, really. That’s why mine in on a fast setting.” “What? Are you saying the earth is spinning faster than my camera can work?” “Hey look!” Martin tipped the ipad he had slaved to the […]
Either Or
Family Tree A party conducted itself with perfect gentility in the sprawling “old heap” while Edgar sat in the graveled parking lot piling stones. He tried to ignore the voices in his head. They sounded exactly like his parents. “What should we do with him?” “An institution?” “His autism isn’t profound. Surely we can….” “What? Keep him hidden? Too late for that.” By the time the first guests came out, the Edgar’s pile of precariously balanced stones stood shoulder high. […]
Boxed In
Box springs. Jenny ran her fingers over the crisp, white sheets, feeling every dent and furrow. The monitor beeping next to her was also a kind of box. The white-walled room another. The nurse’s station in the hallway also squared off. “Malignant,” The doctor had said with painful compassion. “But you’re a fighter. A boxer, right? You’ll be fine.” Yeah, she’d been a fighter, but when she was in the boxing ring, she wasn’t alone. The Challenge: Write a story […]
True Love
“My love for you is like this flower.” Alicia held it up Liam like an Olympic torch to the flaming bowl. “It’s a dandelion.” He backed off a step, almost tripping over the back step of Sally’s house. Alicia advanced on him. “It survives the hottest days of Summer or the depths of Winter. It will not die, but ever, eternally, longingly continue. All it needs is the water of your returned affection.” “You already know I love Sally.” “But” […]
Tropical Vacation
Marge and Jane bumped into each other in the Atlanta airport. “Hey, Marge! Where have you been? I’m just flying home after a wonderful vacay in the Bahamas. Sun, surf, and cabana boys. I’m bringing home so much rum my suitcase is gurgling. How about you?” She arched one eyebrow with a superior smirk. “Costa Rica – a resort West of Liberia.” She just smiled. “Oh my word! Look out the window. Is that SNOW? In Atlanta?” Marge gave it […]
Minimum Wage
Ted swore. The little wooden disk he’d just made split in half under the drill, flying off to hit the wall. That made three failures. Could he fill Ruth’s order in time? She hadn’t even argued over his ten dollar charge. Ten minutes and an angry gardener chasing to get the branches. Five minutes running branches through the table saw but all day fixing the machine Five minutes on the grinder with twenty buttons lost and back to the saw. […]
After the Hurricane
“Hi, John. So this is your new place?”Ashley picked her way through the building debris. “I feel for you. It’s going to take a lot of work.” “Too true.” John nodded. “If only that pesky hurricane hadn’t hit last month…” “Hurricane? No, that wasn’t what went wrong. It was the bank. They are foreclosing on me. I’m just here to make sure they get their money’s worth.” He hefted a sledgehammer. The Challenge: Write a story in 100 words or […]
Suzie’s House 518 : In the Intersection of Hallways
Bruce caught sight of Emma in the halls of the high school. He just happened to glance to his left, down the T-intersection, to see her coming out of one classroom while he was heading straight toward another. Though they went to the same school, they were on different tracks, so he hardly ever saw much of her. Or anyone else in the band. Her worst of all because she didn’t even have lunch with them.
Dragon Bones
Every step the white knight took sent chiming accusations throughout the valley of dragon bones. The musical sound of bone under foot or clanking ribs hanging about his numb shoulders should have called a guardian. Last year the knight killed him. Once he’d slain the last dragon, the knight entered the treasure room to find only a diary. It was written by a dragon. This year, having read the book, the knight came with a bouquet to pay homage. If […]
Packing It In
True story. I did a mediocre job of packing for Iceland. True, it has the word Ice in the name, but it was also the middle of summer. I packed for March in Montana – lots of layers. I had a hat with me, but it wasn’t warm enough. Everything in the tourist shops of Iceland is expensive! A set of lava coasters were $90. Handmade hats? Forget it. But I happened to run across a $8 Made-in-China beanie in […]
And Her Response?
“Is this winter colder than last? I think it’s colder.” Liam shivered, reaching for a sweater. “The thermostat is set for 65,” Sally assured him. “Mom says we’re already paying twice as much for heat as before.” “It’s the inevitable dying of our world. Not just the coming climate change,” he held up a hand to stop any interruptions. “Our sun is becoming a dark, cold, red giant. It’s the ticking, ticking, ticking of a universe fated to falter into […]
Desperate Measures
Marge had seen bathrooms of all kinds all over the world. There were the ones on a train in China with only two foot shaped stands and an oblong hole in the floor. There was one in France that sprayed your tush if you pressed a button. She would even count bushes alongside the road. This took the cake. “Are you sure it’s hooked up?” Marge asked Sally. “Well, there’s no water, but there’s a pit under it. It’s better […]
Hot Stuff
The music and talking and general party mayhem was so loud that Anna was pretty sure no one else heard the sirens. She wouldn’t have, except she happened to be next to the window when the first fire truck screeched to a halt in the street far below. “Fantastic party, Anna!” “The best!” “Hey everybody, let’s cheer for Anna! She’s on fire tonight!” While her friends carried on, Anna muttered to herself: “Lord I hope not.” The Challenge: Write a […]
The Truly Special
Jane couldn’t wait to see the main attraction of the day. The tour guide said repeatedly that the angora goats they were petting now weren’t so special, and the yaks were common as dirt in Mongolia. What was really worth their time would come later. It was going to be even bigger than the statue of Genghis Khan! It turned out to be a department store. “What makes this so special,” Jane asked. “It’s the tallest building in Mongolia. 15 […]
