Flash 2/2010, #1: Paige Gardner

The Times That Bleed Together

Today, the world ends.

Tuesday last, Reed grabs his best friend’s shoulders and says, “You’ve got to stop this.”

Luke looks at him and wonders why Reed is the only person in the world who hasn’t changed.

Three years ago, it starts with Luke covered in blood that is not his own... Read more: HTML

In This Issue: Jake Freivald

In This Issue

Numbers, numbers: in The Times That Bleed Together, the Six Reasons My Sister Hates Me, Bruce Holland Rogers’s Six One-Sentence Stories. Mark Twain even has a story — not a funny one — about The Five Boons Of Life. (Non-math types can check out Pêlos instead.) And don’t miss Bruce’s writing column.

Finally, the Preditors & Editors results are in. (Thanks to everyone who voted!)

Our next issue goes live on March 2. Meanwhile, comment, subscribe, and tip the authors. Thanks! Read more: HTML

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Flash 2/2010, #2: Aaron Bilodeau

Pêlos

Lydia turned out the light, picked up her backpack and opened her window. She was expecting the gust of cool night air, the smell of freedom and the call of the dance floor. She was not expecting the shower of gold.

“Ow!” She threw her pack up as a shield from the heavy, glittering hail. “Son of a — ow!”

Lydia swung her backpack through the air,... Read more: HTML

Classic Flash #27: Mark Twain

The Five Boons Of Life

In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket, and said:

“Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others. And be wary, choose wisely; oh, choose wisely! for only one of them is valuable.”

The gifts were five: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, Death. The youth said, eagerly:

“There is no need to consider”; and he chose Pleasure. Read more: HTML

Flash 2/2010, #3: Aimee C. Amodio

Six Reasons Why My Sister Hates Me

My sister Chiru has beautiful, rich, warm brown skin. Mine is like onionskin paper, yellowed and dry and fragile. The few wisps of hair that grow on my scarred scalp mock the thick, black waves that fall past her shoulders and would grow to her waist if she let it. She is poised and correct in her posture, where I am bowed and curled like a crescent.

She is perfect and I am flawed, and she hates me. Read more: HTML

Short-shorts: Bruce Holland Rogers

Six One-Sentence Stories

This collection of six one-sentence stories serves as an exemplar for Short-short Sighted #19. I would put up a teaser here, but they’re so short that doing so would give away a sizeable part of the collection. — Ed. Read more: HTML

Short-Short Sighted #19: Bruce Holland Rogers

A Story of n Words: How Low Can You Go?

In this column, Bruce Holland Rogers discusses the shortest of very short stories, and tackles, along the way, the topic, “Just what is a story, anyway?” Read more: HTML