Flash Fiction Thread

Chatterbox: Inkwell

Flash Fiction Thread

Flash Fiction Thread

Hello! I was thinking that this could be sorta like the regular poetry thread, but for flash fiction. I personally really enjoy writing flash fiction; does anyone else? If you do, feel free to post it here!

If you're wondering what flash fiction is, allow me to explain. Ever heard of Ernest Hemingway's famous 6-word story, For sale: baby shoes, never worn? It doesn't have a plot, but it's a story all the same. Well, that's flash fiction in a nutshell. It can also be defined as any story less than 1,000 words. (I'll post another example below.)

Do you come up with individual scenes that you could totally write a story based on, but don't have the patience? Write them down as flash fiction! Do you have ideas for some cool dialouge exchanges, but don't know what the rest of the story would be about? Try flash fiction! It's super fun, so if you haven't tried it, I encourage you to do so, and you can post the results here.

I have an example to show you; it's 175 words, in case you were wondering.

Secrets

Raymond Morrison planted more than flowers. He planted secrets.

     Dozens and dozens of secrets, scattered all through his house and his garden.

     But there was no one to find them.

     If there had been someone, they might have looked at his tulips and discovered his code. If there had been someone to decipher the code and search for the journal, they might have found it, locked away. If there had been someone to read the scribbles confined to the margins, they might have taken down the painting of a vase of marigolds. If there had been someone to read the message painted on the wall, they might have found the secrets.

     Secrets that could save lives, and secrets that could destroy them. Secrets that could heal hearts, and secrets that could break them. Secrets about politics and power, love and liberty, life and death. Secrets everywhere.

     But there was no one to find the code, or the journal, or the message, or the secrets.

     And so the secrets lay forgotten until they crumbled to ash.

Anyway, try it out! I look forward to seeing your awesomesauce writing. :) 

 

submitted by Snazzycakes, Eternalia
(September 22, 2020 - 8:00 pm)

I'll definetly be posting here in the future! I love writing flash fiction.

submitted by Gertrude H., Livin' on a rainbow XD
(September 24, 2020 - 9:15 am)
submitted by TOOOOOOOOP
(September 24, 2020 - 9:16 am)

I open
my eyes, but immediately close them. The room I’m in is too bright and too
white. I can hear steady beeps and whirs from some machine and the place reeks
of antiseptic cleaner. There’s only one place I could be.

          “I swear to God, Scott, if I look over
and you’re in the hospital bed next to me I’m going to kill you.”

          “At least I’m already in the hospital.
Maybe the docs will be able to save me.”

          I groan and slowly open my eyes back
up. I glance over and, sure enough, Scott is lying in the bed a few feet across
from me.

          “How’d we get here?” I ask.

          “Probably by ambulance.”

          “Scott!”

          “Sorry Sunshine, just trying to
lighten the mood.”

          “You’re not helping. The last thing I
remember is being in my mom’s bookstore and… an explosion?”

          “Yeah, a pretty big one too.”

          It’s at that moment I decide to survey
the damage. I look down at my body and gasp. My left leg is in a cast and
bandages cover half my body.

          Scott looks over. “You okay?”

          “Yep, I’m just dandy. You?”

          “I’m fine. I'm only here since they felt bad because I wouldn’t leave your side and I kept complaining
about how my back hurt from sleeping in a chair, so they’re letting me sleep in
this bed.”

          I look over and realize Scott’s not
hooked up to anything and he’s wearing normal clothes, not a hospital gown like
me.

          “I’m so confused right now. What
exactly happened?”

          “It’s actually a very interesting
story, but I can’t tell you right now. Right now I need to notify one of the
nurses that you’ve just woke up from your coma.”

          Scott gets out of the bed and walks to
the door. He turns to face me when he gets to the door.

          “Don’t die while I’m gone.” He opens
the door and walks out.

          “Scott! Wait! I have tons of
questions!”

          He pops his head back in the room and
winks. “All in good time my fair lady, all in good time.”

          I sit in silence for a minute before
turning the TV on. I mindlessly scroll through the channels until I get to Cartoon Network. An episode of Teen Titans is on so I figure why not watch that,
I’ve got nothing better to do.

          I shut my eyes and think. Was I really
in a coma? Why won’t Scott just tell me what’s going on? Why’s he being so
secretive? Actually, I know the answer to that, he’s been secretive ever since
he started dating Amber. I’m starting to get sick of it.

          The door creaks open and Scott walks
in with a short blonde woman in lime green scrubs in tow.

          “Why hello Ms. Wicker!” She sounds
fake and her voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard. She’s only said one
sentence and I’m already getting a headache from her. “How are you feeling? Are
you in any pain?”

          “I’m fine, you can go take care of
someone else now.”

          Scott’s standing in the corner,
silently laughing. I glare at him and look back at the nurse. She smiles down
at me.

          “Right now, I’m here to take care of you, so don’t you worry a thing about
the other patients.” She grins and starts writing down stuff of a chart.

          This is going to be a long day.

submitted by Sophie T.
(September 24, 2020 - 9:21 am)

Ohhhhh I really like this! You did a good job of unfolding the story with the nessecary info instead of doing a huge info dump, and the characters and their friendships are so distinct! Good job!

submitted by Snazzycakes, Eternalia
(September 25, 2020 - 4:48 pm)

Thank you so much!

submitted by Sophie T., Gotham
(September 25, 2020 - 7:54 pm)

OMG! I love Teen Titans! This story is great to! I love Scott's character! 

submitted by Kitty Cat, age Teen, Gotham City
(September 28, 2020 - 2:14 pm)

Thanks!

submitted by Sophie T.
(September 29, 2020 - 9:33 am)

I want to try this out. Let's see what I can do. 

 

I stand outside of the crumbling building, watching with tons of others as the other people flee, jumping out of windows, dashing out of doors. The airplane is smashing in now. I can't watch anymore, knowing that my friend is inside there, trapped. Speeding away, I unlock my car door and stare intently at her last message, hoping that this was all a dream. My eyes tear up as I remember her voice when she called me. "Help!" she had yelled as the line cut off. 

I stuff my phone back into my pocket, and drive off, still thinking about my friend who died. 

 

This is based on a real story. Here's the real story. (Something my debate teacher told me)

So my friend and I were watching the twin towers crumble and she realized that her husband had died. The whole building was quiet except for her screaming. 

submitted by Spirit, age ????, Who knows?
(September 25, 2020 - 7:26 pm)

We did flash fiction in school a couple times, so here's one I wrote for class. It's 200 words exactly, not including title! The prompt was "write about quarantine from the perspective of an imaginary friend or monster under the bed." I chose imaginary friend.

Lost

“Lost are those who leave the house; those who stay have already lost.” The Lady sighed. “I say, I do hope this quarantine is over soon. Ida, what think you of so-called ‘social distancing’?”

Ida Doll sipped her tea and frowned thoughtfully. Of course, she never knew how to answer this question. She had been trapped in the house for as long as she could remember. But what if it weren’t so? She imagined she would enjoy the fabled sunshine, dance in the snow she’d only heard about in stories. And it would likely be preferable to just lazing around all day.

“I don’t think anything of so-called ‘social distancing',” she responded. The Lady waved her hand dismissively.

“I should say not. You are obviously unfamiliar with the world beyond.”

The doll across from her snorted irritably. “Lost are those who leave the house; those who stay have already lost.”

submitted by Summer, age tau, Nowhere at all
(September 25, 2020 - 8:39 pm)

I'm not used to writing, but nontheless, here's something. Lol. 135 words.

Light,
blue-green shines through the curtains.
 
The house is silent.  It is the early
morning, or this much I assume.
  The
light is too faint to overcome the darkness of the dark shadows.
  Standing in the hallway as if in a
dream.
  Yes, this is a dream, or it must
be.
  I step forward, my bare toes on the
carpet.
  I can feel it.  This may not be a dream, though it seems like
one.
  My mind seems too dull to think
clearly.  In the living room now.  There is too much silence.
  Usually something if anything, would be
stirring or clattering, the washing machines or dishwasher humming…  My arms
feel heavy, but reluctantly they allow me to drag the curtains open.
  Bubbles.  Out the window, there is water.  Light, blue-green, shines through the ocean. 

submitted by aqua, the person
(September 26, 2020 - 11:55 am)
submitted by TOPIPPTYTIIPPITYTOP
(September 26, 2020 - 6:57 pm)
submitted by TOOOOOOOOP
(September 28, 2020 - 10:21 am)
submitted by TippyTopped
(September 30, 2020 - 2:56 pm)
submitted by SnazzyTOP, age TOPTOPTOP!, topper-nalia
(September 30, 2020 - 5:24 pm)
submitted by Kitty-TOP
(October 2, 2020 - 10:44 am)