In 1979 Hungary, a child’s innocent perspective captures a day of chaos when the family’s water heater catches fire, blending danger, cultural nuances, and tender mother-son moments against a snowy backdrop.
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.
- Headless by David Sydney
- Helping Me Up by Bruce Ransom
- “Hi” by Lauren K. Sweeney
- 1979, Hungary By Zary Fekete
- A Job of Work by Salvatore Difalco
- A Narrow Bridge by Avital Gad-Cykman
- A Quick Twist by Patrick Hanford
- A Thank You From Evelyn by Eric Tarago
- Alien bloom 982
- Ant Death by Lorna Wood
- BLACK HOLE by Alex Khansa
- Buy it Now!
- Catching Up 2143
- Chasing Zero by Jean Ryan
- Cold Shoulder by Hugh Cartwright
- Damn if You Do…by R.S. Nelson
- Dear You By Angela Carlton
- Delivery by Denis Bell
- Disclosure optional by Keith Nunes
- Don’t Look For Us by Christine LaChance
- Encounter With a Talking Head by VM Landi
- Escape by Murdock O’Mooney
- Falling Out by Lenka Miklosova Vrazda
- Footloose by E. W. Farnsworth
- Full Moon Nights by Roopa Raveendran Menon
- Girl with Pearls in Her Eyes by Fanni Sütő
- Heart of the Matter by Loretta Martin
- I Knew You’d Come Back to Me by DD Creed
- In Denmark by David Sydney
- Jacobs Shadow by Kate E. Lore
- Looking for the Unseen/Seen by Anshika Arora
- Miracle Stain Remover
- Missing Pipes, Nuts and Screws by Adaora Ogunniyi
- Monday the 28th of August
- My darkest fear! by Wendy Montoya
- My Daughter’s Best Friend by Michelle Reynolds
- My Job by Ronald Robert Moore
- Night of Fire and Glass by Justin Bendell
- Nobody Shall Sleep By T. Dem
- Open Hands by Angela Townsend
- Questions For Vampires by Anastasia Gustafson
- Retreat by Jack Coey
- Saving Alice by Angela Carlton
- Slowing to Park by Chris Martin
- Some Freaks Sleep When They Go To Bed by Scott Pomfret
- Strutters’ Ball by Barry Basden
- Stuck Between the Pages by Julia Vellucci
- Swallowed by Angela Carlton
- Switching Gears by LB Sedlacek
- Tajima By Miss Mitford
- Taming the Devil by Chris Martin
- Telekinesis for Beginners by Michelle Lee
- That Look by Neil Brosnan
- The Birds Weep by Steve Carr
- The Birthmark by Loretta Martin
- The Closet by Doug Dawson
- The Cold Sausages in my Neighbourhood by Owain Evans
- The Deceased’s Wife by Charles Milton Lee
- The Feral Nature of Werewolves, A History
- The Guitar Man and the Pigeon by Ben Westerham
- The hunt for the desired ratio by Marie Hanna Curran
- The Loser by Arthur Mackeown
- The Magic Spot
- The Manhattan Club by John RC Potter
- The Many Laments of Dagda Lichfield by Kit Zimmerman
- The Message on Emily’s New Phone by Charles Lee
- The Rusted Swing Set by Sheila Good
- The Shine of a Sinful Heart by Ximena Escobar
- The Soldier Who Loved Dogs
- The Storm by Kristin Leprich
- Them By Meg Pokrass
- Thief by Kristy Gherlone
- Things That Recede with Time by Lauren Howlett
- Time Window by Doug Dawson
- Trapped In A Bottle by Ruben Michael Molina
- Trick of the Light by Dan Caine
- When the Moon is Full and Bright by Ty Green
- You Complete Me by Adele Evershed
Damn if You Do…by R.S. Nelson
A young Grim Reaper on probation accidentally encounters his next assignment at a gas station, breaking protocol.
In Denmark by David Sydney
A witty parody of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” that transforms the prince’s existential crisis into a comical scene about insect identification, cleverly repurposing famous quotes and themes from the tragedy into mundane observations about flies, allergies, and the smell of herring in medieval Denmark.
That Look by Neil Brosnan
… but Sunday night, I get a fright, when I think of Monday morning. Although his grandfather’s old rhyme had little resonance during Justin’s school days, his transition from college student
Headless by David Sydney
Flies thrive on dirt and grime. Even so, they do attempt to clean themselves, brushing their heads and bodies. In the process, a fly can decapitate itself at times. Headless flies can then go on to live for several days – if it can be called living.
When the Moon is Full and Bright by Ty Green
Blanche took the high ground, like Grandma and Grampa had taught her. On the Chaney Junior High School playground, this was the top of the jungle gym, a towering monstrosity of looping stainless steel that few of the other kids ever dared to scale.
Questions For Vampires by Anastasia Gustafson
Marcus didn’t mean to kill Angelina. Not really. But she was dead as a doornail, alright, and white as a sheet. In his candle-lit studio apartment, strewn with white rose petals and piles of books,
The Many Laments of Dagda Lichfield by Kit Zimmerman
Dagda could hear the mob beating on the many dilapidated entrances of Ashview Manor. Sweat, dripping from his aquiline nose, conspired with wheezing
Missing Pipes, Nuts and Screws by Adaora Ogunniyi
‘My toast is too dry; it’s scratching my lips, Daddy!’
Trick of the Light by Dan Caine
He woke up in a white room. It was white for only a second before he felt something brush against his legs, blinked, and beheld
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