Category Archives: Flash Fiction

The Menu Board by Charley Marsh Five a.m. and time to fulfill her obligation. Fear squeezed Lily Ramirez’s chest until she couldn’t pull in another breath. What if the café’s patrons judged her to be a poor substitute for her … Continue reading →

Calling a StarSkipper by Ian Li Zet glanced down at the defunct Agana cargo port, a moon-sized graveyard of rusted freighters and discarded shipping containers. It wasn’t hard to find the customer they were looking for—there was only one man … Continue reading →

The Mind of a Nuke by Larry Hodges Five seconds to impact… Imminent death invigorates one’s mind, even if you’re an AI guiding a nuke to its deadly end. It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of doing. Can an AI like … Continue reading →

Grandfather by Jack Powers   He could be my body double. My twin. There’s a word for it but I can’t remember. He had a scar under one eye, fewer freckles on his hands and a ridiculous mustache, but otherwise … Continue reading →

Song of Water by Anna Madden The cave was a prison cell and a nightmare. Inside, Nikal faced an opponent he couldn’t see. Cuts from talons and fangs laced his flesh. Nikal dared not wash them clean in the pool, … Continue reading →

“As Foretold” by T.L. Beeding They were back. Just beyond the tree line, twinkling like stars in the heavens, the lights were back. There were thousands of them, lazily weaving and bobbing between leafless branches that twisted up toward the … Continue reading →

“Become the Part” by Jeff Ronan “And was this before or after your interview with the agency?” Risa’s pen was poised above her notepad, her chunky black frames perched on the end of her nose. She had cut her auburn … Continue reading →

“The Critique Boutique” by Robert J. Hansen What a surreal nightmare. A room: bland, featureless, gray. A table, two chairs, and an interlocutor so average-seeming I’m surprised I remember him. Well-dressed but not designer, charcoal topcoat and pale gray suit, … Continue reading →

“Interview #5 by Stacie Turner “I am a god,” the woman said. So far for this class Mary Ellen had interviewed two separate frat boys pretending to be vampires, a woman selling essential oils, and a polycule that only wore … Continue reading →

“Thirty Heartbeats” by Roxana Arama When Diegis got his hands on his mom’s magic mirror, they were shaking. He wasn’t allowed in her workshop alone, but she’d gone to the village to see a patient, and Diegis wanted to know … Continue reading →