Daily Flash Fiction Stories
By You Call Yourself A Writer?
The first thing you should know about Jimmy Baker is that he’s got a temper.
You might have guessed it as he stood there in that quiet house at two a.m., knife in hand, arms trembling.
Pepper black hair, like a squirrel’s nest. Eyes gone cemetery cold and mouth locked in a flat expression.
[Read more…] about The First Thing You Should Know About Jimmy BakerBy Dian Parker
The waitress poured cold water in our glasses. Peter didn’t look at me, or the waitress, or the glass. Kept fiddling with the third button of his shirt. The water was cold but didn’t quench my thirst, only made me crave more. Unusual in this dusty town to get cold anything, except the stares from the locals.
I was tired. Tired of the heat, of the town, of Peter’s boredom. Now was the worst time of day to be out. We should be back in the room at least trying to sleep, pretending we were relaxing.
[Read more…] about How Do You Manage That Every Time?By Fast Eddie
The birds didn’t come around here anymore.
You can’t tell right away, but when it gets quiet, the silence is noticeable. It’s a quirk, just one of the ones you’ll have to get used to, but you should know about it because, well, location, location, location.
It’ll sell, don’t worry about that, we’ve just had some trouble lining up the right buyer. But we’re optimistic.
[Read more…] about Malaise“Are you sure we have time, babe?”
The couple, dressed in hiking boots, vests, and mirror sunglasses, stood in front of a wood and wire gate.
He glanced at his watch. “The van will leave without us.”
“No, it won’t.” The woman pushed open the gate. “Come on. I think I see one over there.”
[Read more…] about Should You Chance Upon an Ahinahina in BloomBy J. David Thayer
You’ve swum this beach dozens of times, so you don’t respect it. You don’t even notice how different the conditions are today. The water is choppy and stained. The cable of buoys enclosing the Public Swimming Beach has snapped. Rusted through, most likely. Now the two separate strands float out perpendicular to the shore and parallel to each other. Lots of people bob and splash and float in between. All ages and shapes. Busy day. Fourth of July weekends always are. Your brothers are with you, and so are their kids. So is your son. Eight years old. You brought a toy football because it’s so much fun to play catch in the water. Done it dozens of times. Everyone loves it.
[Read more…] about Dozens of TimesDr. Susan Burns stood in front of an eight-foot diameter concrete ring beneath the words, Uganda Equator. She straddled the line painted on the ground. Despite his jet lag and her offers to help him, Mike lugged a five-gallon bucket of water toward her. He’d just arrived from the U.S. to help Francis update the database at the malaria research facility. Earlier that day, Francis had invited them to the equator to see the Coriolis effect up close. The men had dismissed Susan when she told them it only worked on big things, like weather. “It’s science,” they said, ignoring the fact that Susan was a researcher, an epidemiologist. PhD was embroidered onto her lab coat.
[Read more…] about The Coriolis Effect