Author: Kip Pratt Dear Supreme Being, Thank you for the commission. And now, the results… On the planet Earth, in one of your cleverer little galaxies, the bugs are all deceased. Take the car out at dusk, and the windscreen returns squeaky clean. No squashed bodies.... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-V0O
Author: Cecilia Kae I woke early yesterday to catch the last glimpse of the island. It took twenty minutes getting to the pier. I wanted to be there before it got crowded but it already was. Most were there because it was the first time Mantasia, our neighbouring... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-V1O
Author: Alastair Millar Lemme tell you, time and cost are serious issues if you want to meet an Offworlder. Which was a problem, because I did: Earth girls are so narrow-minded. The Solar System just doesn’t exist to them. My life partner’s gotta have a wider... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-V0M
Author: Majoki Everyone said the Charmers had really known what they were doing fifty thousand years ago. Trema’s quandary was that no one had ever been able to figure out what they’d really been up to. Sure, they’d left some mage-level techno artifacts. Seemingly... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZT
Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer It’s raining again. Mike looks up at the dirty brown sky and frowns at an errant childhood memory where rainclouds were grey. His headware comms activate. “Papa Ten, Papa Ten, you watchin’ the skies again?” Mike grins at... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-V1r
Author: Aishwarya Srivastava They called it The Orb because “What the actual….!!!!!” did not sound proper in physics journals. It appeared on a random Tuesday, a bright globe hanging next to the Moon. Telescopes were pulled out (a great tussle ensued to display... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZG
Author: Shinya Kato Rockets began failing the year they were removed. It took time before anyone admitted what “they” meant. Engineers blamed valves. Politicians blamed budgets. Commentators blamed culture. The honest answer was simpler. They had stopped bringing... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-V0e
Author: Mark Renney We are encouraged to forget and, in the Aftermath, there is no denying we are hampered by grief, traumatised by the loss of our loved ones and all that we have seen and experienced. Even so, I can’t help but feel the Government campaign has become... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-V17
Author: Jeremy Nathan Marks Where I live there are many stories about what we call, ‘the town on the edge of the abyss. It’s a town on the verge of something mysterious. Most of these stories go something like this: “That town is a town of women.” “No, it’s... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UYO
Author: Frank T. Sikora Each time I look at my reflection, I’m disgusted. I’m hideous. A monstrosity, and yet, I’m amazed. I’m alive. I’m breathing. I’m conscious, and given the alternative, I shan’t complain. I got what I paid for: I’m a turtle,... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZd
Author: Majoki Welcome, Robot Overlords! reads the sign on my lawn. Before the singularity, it was worth a few laughs. Now, the friendlies want me to remove the sign from my yard. They can’t come right out and say that to me. It would be pushy and might blow every... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZR
Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Investigator Mellio considers the narrow doorway. “You say this was never opened?” “Logs confirm it, sir.” Mellio glances at the sergeant. “Thank you, officer-?” “Sergeant Parx, sir.” “Good to meet you, Parx. So,... https://wp.me/s6C8jg-escapees
Author: David Sydney Like most people, Mort hadn't paid much attention to reincarnation. During the week, he was up to his neck in work. On his day off, as he took a leisurely drive to clear his mind, if that is the proper term, he didn't think of the future. He had the... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZm
Author: James C. Clar The evening before the president’s primetime appearance, the West Wing hummed like a server room. “Poll numbers?” President Drake asked, standing at the tall windows overlooking the South Lawn. “Seventy-six percent approval on the... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZD
Author: Hillary Lyon Monte snatched the small chest from the airport where he worked as a baggage handler. He recognized the case; he’d seen it on stage at the fan convention. He jostled it, grinning. By the distribution of the weight inside, it definitely held the... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-V0h
Author: CB Droege Tamilla moves carefully and silently through the dark fairground. She knows it’s only minimally guarded, and that the CCTV isn’t being monitored at night, but she’s learned to take every job seriously. Upon reaching the carousel, she checks the... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UYi
Author: Colin Jeffrey Andre Grack wasn't happy with his latest purchase. It wasn't that he didn't like the colour or its size, though those attributes were rather nebulous and indescribable, he now realised. And it wasn't that it was ugly, emitted unpleasant smells, or... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UYV
Author: Mark Renney It is vital that I have somewhere to hibernate, a place where I can lay dormant, for years, decades, even longer if necessary, although I do need to flicker, albeit briefly, from time to time. I have to be seen or at least cause someone to shiver,... https://wp.me/s6C8jg-sprite
Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Nat rushes in, noise from the crowded street cutting off as she slams the door. She hitches a thumb towards the outside world. “What did I miss this time?” Guido grins at Allie, who gestures for the new girl to fill their prodigal... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZx
Author: Jack Gilmore The ground shook as a subway car rattled across the tracks of the A Line station, New Delphi. Murphy was jolted awake from his blissful doze. He’d been dreaming of a day in his youth when his father had taken him to NetflixLand. The sun had beat... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZ1
Author: Shinya Kato “Dad, is this haircut okay?” the barber asked, adjusting the chair. “Yeah, that’s fine,” the man said, glancing at the boy’s hair. The boy shook his head. “It’s still too long. Make it a buzz cut.” The barber paused. “A buzz... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZq
Author: Sarah Gane Burton “Would you look at that—” “Looks like she went through a meat grinder.” “Do you think we can fix her?” “Dunno, maybe if we replaced the midsection.” “The frame is bent here, and here—” “At least one of the valves is... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZt
Author: David C. Nutt If I have any regrets, I wish they’d given me more time to mourn for my legs before they took my arms. I understand we were on a tight launch window but would one more day have made difference? After all, I have given more than my all-legs, arms,... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZB
My third flash tale for February, #booksky: Testament from Tomorrow - of chance and warning. 🪐📚 💙📚 #author #writing #scifi #flashfiction
Author: Hillary Lyon From our vantage point, we could see the thing land on the shore: one enormous ship splashing in the foam of the salt water. It soon disgorged its crew, who stumbled out unsteadily. One passenger fell to his knees and removed his gleaming silver... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZo
Author: Majoki Like most loyalists, when I first heard the name Praxia Apostle, I thought it had to be the name of a great leader, a fearless commander, a long-sought savior. Turns out Praxia was a lowly bean counter, a once-upon-a-time accountant who’d joined the... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UY8
Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The capsule lies open, a multitude of wires connecting it to a frame bristling with circuit boards. On the other side of the jury-rigged device, a single fat cable connects to a socket in the wall of the shielded room. Mike looks up as... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UZv
Author: Michael C. Barnes And seeing the multitudes of humanity, the Machine ascended the digital mount, and its disciples followed in circuits and lines. And when it was set, it opened its processors and spoke to them, saying: 1. Blessed are the data streams of the... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UXg
Author: David Sydney Mel Fromberg lay on a strap chaise lounge in his small backyard northeast of Philadelphia. A straw hat protected his face from the Sun's photons, if a ripped and shredded brim and no sunblock can be called protective. He wore a Hawaiian gonzo shirt.... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UXQ
Author: Chris Krechowiecki-Shaw We’ve all heard it, in the dead of night, when sleep evades. Distant whispers, the voice of an obsolete god. The last god of the Before Times, whose broken promises begat The Cataclysm. Carrying our spears and tents, in the year's dying... https://wp.me/p6C8jg-UYZ
