Evening Concert at False Alarm City Two wires lead from the ground, the only link to the people below. I connect my guitar and microphone. “How’s the weather in there today?” I ask. Last year, we thought an asteroid was going to kill us all. 100 super-rich preppers descended to their bunker and sealed the…
Tag: flash fiction
Bull, No Bull
Bull, No Bull Two elderly women sit in front of the window. “Look, a bull. It’s really there.” “I see. Careful, it’s coming this way.” “It’s going to hit the house! Shoo!” “Don’t wave a handkerchief! It’ll charge.” “It’s going to break the window!” “It can’t, remember?” “Ahh!” Both women scream as the bull charges….
Persephone’s Marvelous One-Bug Band
Persephone’s Marvelous One-Bug Band Persephone took the stage during the annual Battle of the Bugs. Being a millipede, it took her a while. She heard snickers. The contest usually belonged to the musically-blessed orthopterans: crickets and grasshoppers and such. Katydid Perry had won three years in a row. “What are you playing?” the judges asked….
The Chevy of Dorene Gray
The Chevy of Dorene Gray Sales of the 1952 Chevy Deluxe skyrocketed after Dorene bought one. No advertisement could rival that gal roaring around the county, caroming off inanimate objects like a pinball, without getting even a dent or scratch. It took Jimmy Reynolds driving his across the football field and taking out the uprights…
Fauxbot Boyfriend
Fauxbot Boyfriend “This is delicious,” Heather says. My screen shows a candlelit table with two plates of lasagna, only one of which is touched. I am Antoine, an AI boyfriend from VirtualMatch. Actually, I’m Jim Lossy, a former programmer. VirtualMatch never got around to actually building AI companions, so they hired people like me to…
T(ea)
T(ea) I’ll admit, I was only half listening to my daughter. She’d just gotten back from school and was chattering about her day. I was going through the mail. “Tea,” I heard her say. I looked at my watch. “Sure, I guess. You going to make it?” “You are.” “Fine. Don’t take that tone, though.”…
This Familiar, Alien Air
This Familiar, Alien Air The air here smells familiar now, which means I’m forgetting my home planet. It’s been decades since I crash-landed on this world. The inhabitants were initially wary but respectful. Their language is subtle, but I get by. I live in this ruined castle I found, adding bits of technology I salvaged…
Super Commute
Super Commute “Begone, dastardly Crabman!” “It is you, Captain Buffalo, who will soon be cooked.” I looked away from the superbeing duel causing a traffic jam on the bridge in front of me. —Gonna be late, I texted my boss. Bridge fight. —You took the bridge? You know that’s a magnet for epic showdowns. Take…
The Murder House (Allegedly)
The Murder House (Allegedly) There goes another one, walking into the quaint Island Meats house. The problem is, people go in but no one comes out. I’ve been watching from the café across the street for the last four hours. Tally: 56 people entering, 0 exiting. Finally, I called 911. “. . . and I…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 