I stood in the paddling pool. It was the first week of the summer holidays and mum was throwing the party she told dad she wouldn?t. My mum was everywhere, handing out drinks, but my dad was in a gap in the curtains, watching.
Contemporary
Welcome to our Contemporary Flash Fiction category, showcasing bite-sized stories from a diverse mix of emerging and established literary voices. These quick reads, each under 1,000 words, offer a snapshot into modern life, relationships, and the human condition.
Despite their brevity, these stories pack an emotional punch. They capture poignant moments and thought-provoking insights that linger long after the final word. From slice-of-life vignettes to surreal and speculative tales, the styles and themes are as varied as the authors themselves.
We’ve curated works from some of today’s most promising up-and-coming writers, eager to make their mark on the literary landscape. But you’ll also find new flash fiction from acclaimed authors you may already know and love.
Whether you’re looking for a quick fiction fix on your coffee break or a palate cleanser between longer reads, these short shorts are sure to intrigue, entertain, and satisfy. Dive in and discover a world of contemporary storytelling talent, one flash at a time.
- You Complete Me by Adele Evershed
- When the Moon is Full and Bright by Ty Green
- Trick of the Light by Dan Caine
- Trapped In A Bottle by Ruben Michael Molina
- Time Window by Doug Dawson
- Things That Recede with Time by Lauren Howlett
- Thief by Kristy Gherlone
- Them By Meg Pokrass
- The Storm by Kristin Leprich
- The Soldier Who Loved Dogs
- The Shine of a Sinful Heart by Ximena Escobar
- The Rusted Swing Set by Sheila Good
- The Message on Emily’s New Phone by Charles Lee
- The Many Laments of Dagda Lichfield by Kit Zimmerman
- The Manhattan Club by John RC Potter
- The Magic Spot
- The Loser by Arthur Mackeown
- The Inner Circle by P. J. Atwater
- The hunt for the desired ratio by Marie Hanna Curran
- The Guitar Man and the Pigeon by Ben Westerham
- The Feral Nature of Werewolves, A History
- The Deceased’s Wife by Charles Milton Lee
- The Cold Sausages in my Neighbourhood by Owain Evans
- The Closet by Doug Dawson
- The Birthmark by Loretta Martin
- The Birds Weep by Steve Carr
- That Look by Neil Brosnan
- Telekinesis for Beginners by Michelle Lee
- Taming the Devil by Chris Martin
- Tajima By Miss Mitford
- Switching Gears by LB Sedlacek
- Swallowed by Angela Carlton
- Stuck Between the Pages by Julia Vellucci
- Strutters’ Ball by Barry Basden
- Some Freaks Sleep When They Go To Bed by Scott Pomfret
- Slowing to Park by Chris Martin
- Sherkin by Neil Brosnan
- Saving Alice by Angela Carlton
- Retreat by Jack Coey
- Questions For Vampires by Anastasia Gustafson
- Open Hands by Angela Townsend
- Nobody Shall Sleep By T. Dem
- Night of Fire and Glass by Justin Bendell
- My Job by Ronald Robert Moore
- My Daughter’s Best Friend by Michelle Reynolds
- My darkest fear! by Wendy Montoya
- Monday the 28th of August
- Missing Pipes, Nuts and Screws by Adaora Ogunniyi
- Miracle Stain Remover
- Looking for the Unseen/Seen by Anshika Arora
- Jacobs Shadow by Kate E. Lore
- In Denmark by David Sydney
- I Knew You’d Come Back to Me by DD Creed
- Heart of the Matter by Loretta Martin
- Girl with Pearls in Her Eyes by Fanni Sütő
- Full Moon Nights by Roopa Raveendran Menon
- Footloose by E. W. Farnsworth
- Falling Out by Lenka Miklosova Vrazda
- Escape by Murdock O’Mooney
- Encounter With a Talking Head by VM Landi
- Don’t Look For Us by Christine LaChance
- Disclosure optional by Keith Nunes
- Delivery by Denis Bell
- Dear You By Angela Carlton
- Damn if You Do…by R.S. Nelson
- Cold Shoulder by Hugh Cartwright
- Chasing Zero by Jean Ryan
- Catching Up 2143
- Buy it Now!
- BLACK HOLE by Alex Khansa
- Ant Death by Lorna Wood
- Alien bloom 982
- A Thank You From Evelyn by Eric Tarago
- A Quick Twist by Patrick Hanford
- A Narrow Bridge by Avital Gad-Cykman
- A Job of Work by Salvatore Difalco
- 1979, Hungary By Zary Fekete
- “Hi” by Lauren K. Sweeney
- Helping Me Up by Bruce Ransom
- Headless by David Sydney
“Hi” by Lauren K. Sweeney
Nine-oh-eight Glenview Road was the best part of carrying the mail. Ten blocks into my suburban trek, there she’d be, stretched out on a neon towel, sweet and slick as a glazed
The Rusted Swing Set by Sheila Good
The Rusted Swing Set by Sheila Good She folded the morning newspaper. Her old bones creaked as she stood leaning on the table for balance. Shuffling to the sink, she washed out her coffee cup placing it in the drainer. The sun was bright as she pulled the curtain aside checking out the backyard. The…
The Birds Weep by Steve Carr
The air is thick with the scent of pine. Rays of purple, blood red and golden yellow are fanned out across the twilight sky. Kyle walks among the trees holding a bouquet of wilting lilies. Lost, he searches for signs of the path he wandered away from.
Delivery by Denis Bell
“It came out positive.”
“You’re kidding!”
It would seem so. The news was surprising to Ruth because Sandra was old. Not Betty White old, but easily old enough to be Ruth’s mom.
“What did Jim say?”
Thief by Kristy Gherlone
I watch them together, though I’m supposed to be in my room. They’re sitting too close. Cigarette smoke trails in front of my eyes as I sit huddled in the corner.
Nobody Shall Sleep By T. Dem
I’m lying down on the bed. Naked. Carefree. One hand thrown carelessly behind my head propping me up. The other playing with my belly button or any small indent on my skin within a comfortable radius.
Looking for the Unseen/Seen by Anshika Arora
On a sunny winter morning, I heard the honking of my school bus; dressed up in my new uniform I hastened to get to my first day in the assembly. Standing in the last queue I noticed a woman in a white cloak
Retreat by Jack Coey
She ran away from home, and Pastor Bruce was dismayed after talking with her mother. Her mother said she’d been sullen for the last month or so, and even the school nurse called once.
Things That Recede with Time by Lauren Howlett
Invisible boundaries. The gum lines of aggressive brushers. Chins, if you’re a Hapsburg. The stamped fingerprints of once white shoes. Synthetic beards on aging tires, eroding like rootless rubber hillsides.
Buy it Now!
Buy it Now! by Melanie Friedman <Open Transmission> BUY IT NOW! New BactiCulture Watch™! Have the time of life with this organically engineered timepiece complete with genome technology. Why waste your brainpower reading boring analog watches or throw away precious materials with a digital device? The BactiCulture Watch™ makes YOU a symbiotic being – just…
Heart of the Matter by Loretta Martin
The hot pain in May’s left side woke her. For a moment she was paralyzed, only able to flick her tongue across parched lips. She tasted salt from dried tears.
Helping Me Up by Bruce Ransom
“Are you going to be my new daddy?” she asked directly.
“I don’t know,” he said, looking down at the flowery dress squirming beside him on the edge of the living room couch. “I like your mom, but to get married you have to really, really like each other.”
My Daughter’s Best Friend by Michelle Reynolds
My Daughter’s Best Friend by Michelle Reynolds “Here you go Missy.” Elizabeth hears her daughter say as she enters the kitchen. Brooklyn is sitting
The Message on Emily’s New Phone by Charles Lee
Emily Bradley wanted a smart phone for her tenth birthday. Her mother and step-father had been reluctant to give her one because they felt it was a luxury for a child to have