LAST TEN FLASHSHOTS
FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN
HUNDRED-FIFTY-NINE
August 15, 2006
INQUIRY
By David Siegel Bernstein
“Terrence?”
He nodded.
“Holly tells me you’re the information
guy around here.”
He looked me over. “How do you
know her?”
“She was sitting, alone, at the Hammer
Head. So I bought her a drink. We talked.”
“She’s an idiot. She knows not
to talk to strangers.”
“Don’t blame her. I can be very
persuasive. Besides, I’m willing to pay you for the information I
need.”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?
Shoot.”
So I did. Clearly, Holly wasn’t
the only idiot in this town. I holstered my gun and walked away.
I’d have to search elsewhere for answers.
David Siegel Bernstein works as a labor
economist specializing in the analysis of employment discrimination.
His writing has appeared in literary publications such as Reflections Literary
Journal, Liquid Ohio, and Wanderings and in genre magazines such as Black
Petals, Outer Darkness, Bewildering Stories, Anotherealm, Defenestration,
Enigma, Static Movement, Midnight Times, and Afterburn SF. He has
also published nonfiction articles.
© 2006 David Siegel Bernstein
NEW THIS AUGUST-SEPTEMBER IN PAPERBACK
AND HARD COVER! Cthulhu Express edited by G. W. Thomas, The Return of the
Heroes by Christopher Sloan, Psalm of the Desert Lion by Daniel Arenson
and Magistria II: Shards of the Goddess. www.lulu.com/ragemachinebooks
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-EIGHT
August 14, 2006
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PRIMAL CHESS
By Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
On the veranda, the apes were playing chess.
“Stop cheating,” Ungaro said.
His opponent shrieked, hopping up and down in agitation.
Ungaro moved his queen forward. “Checkmate.”
In disgust the young aspirant tossed the chessboard over the parapet.
Ungaro shook his head, and pulled another board from under his chair. Spreading it on the stone floor, he hunched down on his heels.
“Now you’ll have to go get a fresh batch of pieces,” he said.
In the cage below them, the humans trembled
as red stained the white stones of the pavement.
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Rochita Loenen-Ruiz is a writer of
speculative fiction and poetry. She writes an interview column that
appears on the online magazine, http://www.theswordreview.com. Visit her
at http://rcloenen-ruiz.blogspot.com
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© 2006 Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
OF WOLF AND MAN by Christipher Fulbright…www.lulu.com/ragemachinebooks…“Christopher
Fulbright will sneak up on a lot of readers. His stories are sharp and
deadly, like an assassin’s blade on a dark night. Keep an eye on him, or
you’ll be sorry.”—Steven E. Wedel, author of CALL TO THE HUNT, SHARA, and
MURDERED BY HUMAN WOLVES...
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-SEVEN
August 13, 2006
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HUMANS DON’T DESERVE TO BE CALLED ANIMALS;
ANIMALS ARE NICER
By Alexander Salas
Chloe lapped up blood from the kitchen floor. She had just ripped open the throats of Jimmy and Jenny. Ever since she was a pup, she had been treated like a family member. Till they began to watch “The Dog Whisperer” and decided to become pack leaders.
No way, Chloe thought, they raised me as human, so I acted like a human.
Alexander Salas is an avid reader. His favorites are hands down Dean Koontz & Joe R Lansdale. His poem “Help” appears in the book Touch of Tomorrow. Write Side Up will publish a flash of his soon.
© 2006 Alexander Salas
RAGE machine Magazine now available
in magazine-sized paperback with perfect-bound covers and PDF subscription.
For more details go to: www.gwthomas.org/ragemagindex.htm
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-SIX
August 12, 2006
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DATE RAPE (a biblical tale)
By Sarah Ann Watts
When Sisera woke late the next morning he was upset.
"Will you look at that?"
Death had seen it all before. Besides,
she'd broken a nail. She wasn't
impressed by his headache. "You were
hammered."
"She spiked my drink. That hurts." He
tugged at the tent peg through his
eyeball. "I thought she liked me."
"Your mistake."
"She said she wanted it."
Death yawned. Her deathbed manner was
wearing thin. So he'd mislaid his Get
Out of Jael Free card. Get over
it. She flipped a coin. "Heaven or hell?"
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Sarah Ann Watts lives in Hull, England.
She has been writing for longer than
she can remember. Her work has appeared
in Quiction online, Bewildering
Stories and the short story anthology,
"Liquorice Ice Cream and other Just
Desserts."
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© 2006 Sarah Ann Watts
COMING SOON: FLASHSHOT YEAR ONE AND
TWO in hard cover!
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-FIVE
August 11, 2006
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MUFFIN TALE
By Ellen Lindquist
All the boy behind the counter asked was, “Chocolate chip or raspberry muffin?” The girl’s response? A dance, the way she twisted her hips and tossed her lustrous hair. She jabbed at the cabinet and the boy, reduced to the state of a confection longing for her lips, tried to feel her hand through the paper bag as he held the baked good out to her.
Outside the shop, the poor muffin, overwhelmed
by the girl’s expectations, leapt from the paper bag into the gutter. Such
is the suicidal tendency of muffins overcome by the unrealistic dreams
of young girls.
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Ellen Lindquist has new work forthcoming
in Athens, Georgia’s Staccato Literary Magazine and in the Pudding House
anthology One Moment, Please.
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© 2006 Ellen Lindquist
BLANK SPACES & OTHER DANGERS by
S. C. Virtes...Science Fiction tales and more...www.lulu.com/ragemachinebooks
and fictionwise.com.
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-FOUR
August 10, 2006
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POINTED MESSAGE
By Chick Lang
The Cole City Police found missing trade union leader, Tobias Thorn, stuffed in a trash compactor at a local dumpsite.
“Look at the size of this guy, Lenny,” said one of the officers. “They had to run him through two or three times to get all of him. Someone sure hated this fella.”
Lenny stifled the smell by putting one hand over his nose. “I guess you know what that means, don’t you, Bob?”
“What’s that?”
“Mr. Tobias Thorn must have been a big
prick!”
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Chick Lang is a Fiction Editor for
Futures Anthology Mystery Magazine and has had over 160 writing credits
in the last three years.
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© 2006 Chick Lang
MURDER BY NUMBERS...a collection of
Mystery tales with number titles featuring Arthur Conan Doyle, E. W. Hornung,
Maurice le Blanc, Dashiell Hammett and many more...www.fictionwise.com
and TIMEmachine Books
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-THREE
August 9, 2006
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HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA
By Pam Skochinski
Melinda sipped her wine and sighed. It had been a wonderful year without her sister Maria. Well, it had been until today. On the anniversary of the murder, she’d seen Maria everywhere: at the bus stop, in a shop window, at the bank. It had to stop. Maria was not going to come back and ruin her life. No, she knew what to do.
Later, alone in the bathroom, a shiver danced down the back of her neck. Maria!
Blood spattered the mirror as she slashed
away the hated face of her identical twin sister.
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Luckily, Pam Skochinski is an only
child. She writes short fiction, living in “Pam”demonium with her family
in Southern California (http://pamskochinski.blogspot.com)
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© 2006 Pam Skochinski
CHUCK THE PENGUIN...more grissle, less
calories...www.gwthomas.org/strips.htm
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-TWO
August 8, 2006
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DANCING KARMA
By Rachiel Soliz
"Sasha. You're up next."
Sasha fluttered backstage, and got ready for her entrance.
"Don't trip, Sasha," Lizzy hissed in
her ear. "We wouldn't want a repeat of
last recital, would we?"
Sasha bit her lip. Her eyes looked straight
ahead. As she stepped on the
stage, she only felt the music beating
against her feet with each leap.
Sasha did not notice the audience in
front of her, or a falling Lizzy behind
her.
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Rachiel Soliz, who has taken a few
dance classes, resides in Texas. You may
e-mail her at starrynightrachiel@hotmail.com.
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© 2006 Rachiel Soliz
RAGE m a ch i n e Magazine now offers
PDf subscriptions. Get a special ebook
free, G. W. Thomas' THE BOOK COLLECTOR.
For more information:
www.gwthomas.org/ragemagindex.html
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN HUNDRED-FIFTY-ONE
August 7, 2006
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A SIMPLER TIME
By John Schroeder
You travel back in time fifty years. Large cars with whitewall tires and sparkling chrome bumpers line the brick-paved street. The old storefronts are new and graffiti-free and full of the neighborhood’s hope.
You enter the General Store and see small children laughing and playing around a white enameled soda fountain. How wholesome, you think, a simpler, more naïve time.
You sit on the swiveling red-speckled stool and order an ice cream sundae. The aproned man behind the counter turns. His smile fades. You pause and ask if he heard you.
“We don’t serve your kind here.”
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John Schroeder is a marketing consultant
who lives in Evanston, Illinois, birthplace of the ice cream sundae—most
of which are served with a friendly smile.
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© 2006 John Schroeder
More fun with time travel? TRAVEL A
TIME HISTORIC edited by Nancy Jackson and featuring Angeline Hawkes, E.
Sedia, Justin Stanchfield, Lawrence Barker, Paul Finch, Greg Beatty, Ron
Shiflet, Robert J. Santa and many more. www.lulu.com/ragemachinebooks or
in ebook at www.fictionwise.com.
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FLASHSHOT
Daily Genre Flash Fiction
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ISSUE THIRTEEN
HUNDRED-FIFTY
August 6, 2006
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WATER TAXI
By Lucien E G Spelman
I had never taken a water-taxi before. I purchased my ticket from the captain and boarded the little boat.
“Take me across,” I said, smiling.
“…” he said.
Sourpuss.
A tip jar sat next to him, it said “Tipping is not a city in china” on it, but with an attitude like that he wasn’t liable to get many tips. I dropped a dollar in anyway. I’m a soft touch.
We reached the other side, and I disembarked.
The water taxi turned, “River Styx Ferry Service” was painted on the stern.
The captain waved. He must have appreciated
the tip.
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Lucien E G Spelman currently runs a
water taxi in Boston. He does have a tip jar, but is usually quite a bit
more talkative then Charon the Ferryman, so he makes pretty good tips.
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© 2006 Lucien E G Spelman
Tomorrow, from TIME m ac h i n e Books:
ghost story classics in WIDDERSHINS by Oliver Onions...www.fictionwise.com
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