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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A Track of Color Among the Wars
By Rodrigo Culagovski in Night Shades * 500 Words
The boards are modded fractal runners scavenged from military transports from the microwars that their fathers, sisters, and grandfathers died and killed each other in.
This story grabbed me the first time I read it, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. Maybe it’s the in-the-moment joy teetering between a bleak past and a more-of-the-same future. I can’t help but cheer for these kids & the author that brought them to life.
This story was inspired by Culagovski’s photos, taken on a recent trip to Sarajevo. He generously allowed me to include one here, as well as a link to his photo gallery. They’re all wonderful. Huge thanks to Rodrigo for sharing these with us!
By Hannah Yang in Uncanny Magazine * 880 Words
And there was one message from your father, whom you still sent money to every month but hadn’t seen in person for the better part of a decade. Five words, in Chinese: Can you cross the bridge?
The longing to reconnect with family is palpable in this all-to-real story. Also: magically migrating cities? Yes, please, let’s figure out how to make that happen.
By Frey Lylark in Apex Magazine * 986 Words
She’d been warned about the stories she let the boy read. The children she let him play with, the plays she took him to see, the changelings she allowed into their home.
Lylark wields metaphor expertly in this incisive piece. If this story doesn’t break your heart and make you scream with rage, then there’s something wrong with you.
By Mizuki Yamagen in Hex Literary * 858 Words
At breakfast the hole brightens, flexes, and a sparrow unfolds from me feather by feather, the way a lantern’s ribbing expands.
This story explores loss and grief through a fantastical surrealist lens. I only recently discovered this author—I blame fractured social media for not following her sooner. Yamagen’s prose is elegant, with a deep emotional core. I’m looking forward to more of her work.
By Andrew Kozma in Porter House Review * 966 Words
From that first breath, I felt euphoric. You know the way your lips tingle from certain spices, as if they’re on the edge of bursting into flames, like how smoldering paper glistens with a golden line of light slowly eating its way inward?
What would you do if your mother, a scientist, sent you a cutting-edge cure for your chronic asthma? I love it when a story surprises me. This premise is made even better by the gorgeous prose.
By Sascha Sizemore in Fractured Lit * 754 Words
It liked being like this, or so the crowd said, liked the safety and structure. The doll never had to question what it was to do; it simply had to dance.
A beautiful doll, expected to perform flawlessly—and be happy about it. A brutal exploration of the role forced upon women in a patriarchal society, and a fantastic example of socially relevant horror in a flash-sized package.
By T.R. Steele in Heartlines Spec * 1000 Words
She sews her brother into his clothes. She’s been at it for months, throughout his changes. She adjusts the shoulders to fit squarely on his frame, broadens the waist and thighs of his breeches.
This is a lovely and melancholy story of familial love and transformation. I’m drawn to the otherworldly feeling of this piece.
By Beth Goder in Flash Fiction Online * 1011 Words
The stalls are full of artifacts from across the universe. So many wonders—discarded spoon-ears and vine-laced tea cozies, emotion cubes, visions of the future wound up in string.
I love stories about magical markets. The lyrical language shines in this piece. I also appreciate the sense of fairness and generosity.
The earth will not consume our bones
By Abigail Kemske in Nature Futures * 956 Words
They mostly feast at night. Our skeletal heaps scattered around the garden, our BioSyn flesh resistant to rot.
This is a tale of cyborg creatures left behind after humankind ends. The language and structure elevate this story, setting up for a heartbreaking conclusion. Read it before the paywall goes up!
By Chris Scott in The Argyle * 985 Words
Your son is the first to send you the video. “Creepy” he writes, short and sweet as always. It’s a link to one of those video sharing apps you don’t have, but the link opens for you anyway.
This story is eerie AF. Damn. As with most great flash, you might find several layers of meaning here. Or you might just be creeped out! Either way, this is well done.
By Emma Burnett in Mythaxis * 948 Words
But you mentioned love, which I said I didn’t require. And you snorted and pulled my arm tighter around you.
I’m a sucker for robots and cyborgs that are better at being human than most humans are. Lots of folks are drawn to this theme, which makes me think I’m not the only one seeing a gaping lack in our society. Burnett is a hell of a writer, hitting us with a bittersweet punch.
By Marika Bailey in Small Wonders * 1002 Words
In the space under space, where matter slips and we pull ships sharp-tug through the back veins of the universe faster than light—faster than we are supposed to—time is a deadly thing.
Isn’t that an amazing lead-in to a story? How can you not keep reading? I loved this not only because of the fantastic voice and cool tech, but also because of the way it reveals the core of the humans caught in this exploitative system. Gifted and talented, indeed.
By Michael Czyzniejewski in Bull * 1000 Words
DeVries said she had a lot of karate obligations, that she had to cancel our Saturday date, the third weekend in a row. I told her karate obligations sounded like fun, that I’d tag along.
This is a fun story. The escalating pace never slows, and I found myself smiling through the whole thing. The ending is spot-on. I appreciate this wonderful little break from reality.
Bonus Stories! From a couple of my favorite flash writers and teachers!
By Kathy Fish in (Re) An Ideas Journal * 130 Words
Milwaukee. April 5th. A belt.
Kathy Fish’s flash often sets the pace for the rest of us. This is another great example—a story of extreme brevity. And she manages to include intrigue, a mystery, a romance, an adventure, perfectly-timed comedy, and “the end,” all in 130 words. The lesson I take from this piece is: trust your readers!
By Francine Witte in (Re) An Ideas Journal * 485 Words
Susie, who can feel the layers of the women who sat here before her, also heading home.
I love the repetition of “Susie, who” throughout the story, creating a rhythm reminiscent of the bus’s journey over the highway. Susie’s emotional journey feels authentic and satisfying, though we know she’s not the first woman riding home on that bus.
Myna Chang 