A gathering of recent speculative flash & micro fiction, each presenting a tiny-yet-powerful universe. How tiny? About one-thousand words for flash; four-hundred words for micro. The word count isn’t as important as the emotion, the adventure, the sense of wonder. Including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the spaces in between.
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By Jennifer Hudak in Small Wonders * 914 Words
When my daughter climbs in the car, there’s three of her. They shouldn’t all fit in the passenger seat, but they overlap each other to save space.
This is a stellar example of the flash form: a unique, compelling premise with an unexpected turn that elevates the story to a higher level of complexity. There’s plenty to ponder in this little package.
By Holly Schofield in Flash Fiction Online * 978 Words
After we finish this courier run, I’ll book the cryopod on an interstellar longhauler, climb inside, and travel so many lightyears away, Alicia will be a distant memory.
I love a good story told in reverse order. This sister drama plays out in a completely believable way. Schofield sets it up beautifully.
The Ice Cutter’s Daughter and Her Looking Glass
By Nadia Born in Flash Fiction Online * 990 Words
The ice cutter’s daughter is convinced this place is real. A summerland where all things are melted and wild.
Another lovely story from FFO. Filled with longing, this piece has the aura of a fairy tale.
By Colton Kekoa Neves in Apex * 1006 Words
Something slid free of her and hit the counter with a cranberry sauce glop. Even looked like cranberry sauce, glistening in a pool of scarlet.
In this poignant body horror, a daughter deals with her mother’s illness. This is a story of love, sacrifice, and the impossible demands of family in a casually cruel society. This one really hit home for me.
By Emma Burnett in Nature Futures * ~1000 Words
She don’t drop me. She never did, and I done a vom every time we fly cuz I hate heights. And dis the stupidest job ever, except it super important, so I do it.
This is a fun story! The evolution of language is front and center here, with a protagonist you can’t help but love. Read it quick, before the paywall strikes.
By Jamie Lackey in Flash Point SF * 846 Words
She was too old for Mischief Night—she no longer felt the fae pull, the tug in her belly that had led her out into the streets, laughing and breaking and burning through the night.
This is a delightful little horror story! Lackey does a marvelous job of capturing the liminal space between child and adult in a somewhat upside down world.
By T. K. Rex in Factor Four * ~1000 Words
His voice follows me. “Hey! You remember the moon?”
I’m a huge fan of T.K. Rex’s writing. This story presents a frightening future, filled with longing as two humans meet on an alien world. Beautiful prose and a lovely symmetry.
By Katherine Plumhoff in Hex Literary * 829 Words
The first thing they’ll do is sit down on their new beds, testing the tensility of the blankets and the softness of the sheets, and imagine they belong.
What happens when a group of young friends inevitably go their separate ways? This one will sneak up on you!
By Liam Hogan in 100-Foot Crow * 100 Words
With stiff, awkward fingers, I turn the tiny golden key in her feathered chest.
I love it when a drabble writer paints a full world and also delivers an emotional punch. Kudos to Hogan.
By Olufunmilayo Makinde in 100-Foot Crow * 100 Words
She has two moods: happy and dissatisfied.
Makinde packs a lot of creepiness into this sinister drabble!
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If you love these stories as much as I do, please share them so others can discover these brilliant authors!
Myna Chang 