ISSN: 1946-1712

In This Issue: Jake Freivald

Motivations and Choices

Choices make us human. Some choices are devious, as in Melodie Campbell’s choice little crime story. Some are based on good memories as in Kenyon Ledford’s mainstream piece, and some on desperate hopes, as Craig DeLancey’s science fiction shows.

Our Classic Flash is/are the two joint third-prize winners of the 1916 Life Shortest Story Contest. Longing — greedy or sublime — drove decisions a century ago as much as today. Read more: HTML 

Flash 7/2011, #1: Melodie Campbell

The Perfect Mark

The old lady was almost the perfect mark.

Sasha held back an urge to smirk, and instead leaned forward to listen with polite interest.

“Do you like cats, Miss...how do you pronounce that?”

Sasha nearly grimaced, but caught herself. “Oh yes,” she said quickly, glancing around the condominium.... Read more: HTML 

Flash 7/2011, #2: Kenyon Ledford

The Baseball Glove

They rolled in at one thirty-five in the morning and headed straight for the beer in the back. I checked the clock. My shift at the Quick-N-Go was ending at three A.M. But when cutoff time for selling booze is two o’clock, a little attention to detail is needed. I stashed the sports page and watched the three gang-bangers linger in the back.

I gritted my teeth... Read more: HTML 

Flash 7/2011, #3: Craig DeLancey

A Purple Heart

“Patrick McMahon died two months ago, defending his country,” Father Cunningham intones. Most of us in the church look over at Patrick, where he sways in the first pew, to see if he reacts. He doesn’t.

Patrick has not spoken a word since the two army nurses led him, with a tight grip on each bicep, through our front door and into our living room. Read more: HTML 

Classic Flash #50: Redfield Ingalls

Business and Ethics

This story split third prize in Life Magazine’s Shortest Story Contest, and was published along with 80 other stories in 1916.

In the dingy office of A. Slivowitz & Co., manufacturers of dyes, things were humming. Every clerk was bent over his desk, hard and cheerfully at work, and there was a general air of bustle and efficiency. Read more: HTML 

Classic Flash #51: Dwight M. Wiley

Her Memory

This story split third prize in Life Magazine’s Shortest Story Contest, and was published along with 80 other stories in 1916.

Warrington had really no right to be angry.

He was not engaged to Virginia, merely engaged with her in a somewhat tempestuous summer flirtation. Down in his heart he knew it for just that. But... Read more: HTML 

  
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