This is an archive of flash fiction pieces I’ve made publicly available. To be the first to see my newest pieces every week, subscribe to my newsletter here. You can purchase physical and digital copies of the collections here.
Children’s author Louisa Kwan awoke, screaming. She couldn’t recall the nightmare but with a shudder, she remembered the word: “Xilpher.” The word, found in no dictionary, plagued her thoughts. She put it to page in a cute children’s rhyme. Once finished inking illustrations of the benign looking creature, her stress abated. Xilpher’s Dream …
We called Animal Control the day the tabby broke into our home. Had to; it hissed death threats anytime my wife or I neared. Imagine our shock when our son picked it up like a harmless kitty. By then Sam was terminal so the cat stayed. Barnabas Cranky hates everything. But around Sam, he purred. …
He awakes. A nurse sits at the foot of his hospital bed. She hums along to the heart monitor. “Who am I? What happened?” he asks. No response. Instead, she stands, hunts through empty vials. “You have Bovis Stercus Disease,” she says, “Be still, or your insides’ll explode.” With that, she …
We all groaned when Ella Gold was cast as Hollywood icon, Gladice Knightly, in Sunset Turns. To give that paint-by-numbers starlet the role of a five-time Oscar-winning legend? What a joke. Our film was destined for mediocrity. The brilliant lines soured in Ella Gold’s mouth. Until the night of the blackout. The lights came on …
“Power, fame, and fortune flow through the Totenrot blood. As legend goes, Heller Totenrot begged the devil with open arms.” As Ezra speaks, his teenage son kneels in the flickering torchlight. The boy extends his arms up to his father. “The devil said not a word. Traced down Heller’s arteries with long fingers…” Ezra traces …
Hugh had the best two dates of his life with Calista. They couldn’t stop talking on their hike. They laughed hysterically every time one or the other fell on their butts while ice skating. He even told his best friend Calista was the one. But Calista never showed up for their third date at the …
Editor after editor rejects Margo’s story of a future where bigotry is dead and diversity is encouraged. “No one wants world peace, give us an apocalypse,” they say. Eventually, Margot, worn down by age, will throw her manuscript away. Her book will be found in a dump after the Great Dictator bans media consumption. It will be …
When you attend Glory Church on Sunday, look back in the far left corner. In the shadows, you’ll see a man in black we call The Atheist. His wife Celie was the head pastor there. He clapped with us as she sang glory to God. Though a non-believer, he always believed in her. Celie died …
Darkness sighed. Independence from everything was grand, but an eternity of it felt a tad too long. It coveted the warm rays of its sibling, Light. Away from Light’s all-seeing eyes, it dabbled with its own radiance. The cold, dark void, where nothing had been, started to burn. Darkness joined the everything. Oh, to …
Eve wore pink at Hazel’s funeral. Standard procedure for your arch nemesis. She did not plan on speaking. But after the umpteenth eulogy painting Hazel as an angel, she stole the mic. People laughed at her honest memories of the bad bitch who was Hazel. Eve found herself listing good qualities, too… she had some, …