Category: Flash Fiction

Fiction under 250 words.

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“Casie! Sharon! It’s time for Bible study, get in here!”

Lauren leaned over to place the children’s bibles at their respective places at the dining room table. Her husband entered the room and playfully slapped her on the rear-end.

“Hey!” She laughed and twisted around to receive his kiss. “Stop that. Somehow, it feels wrong to be swatted on the butt right before we honor God.”

Her husband chuckled, gave her a playful wink and took his seat at the head of the table.

The two girls scampered into the room giggling. They gave each other a playful shove before settling into their seats; they squirmed with pent-up energy.

“Okay girls, settle down. Sharon, you’ve got food on your mouth, wipe it off, please.”

The seven-year old girl lifted a pudgy hand up to her mouth and neatly wiped it across her mouth. She then ran the back of her hand down the side of her jeans to clean off her hand.

Lauren sighed. “I actually meant for you to use a napkin, but since I wasn’t specific,” she rolled her eyes at her husband. “I suppose I asked for that one.”

Casie chuckled in appreciation of her sister’s actions.

“So,” Lauren’s eyes locked onto Casie as she took her seat. “Did you read the Ten Commandants like I asked you to?”

“Yep.”

“And did you note the part about honoring your mother and father?”

Casie snorted. “You said to learn it. You didn’t say I had to do it!”

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Want to play? All you have to do is write 250 words (no MORE) about any scene you heard, witnessed or imagined. You can either post your own flash fiction on your blog, or post it in the comment section!

Either way – do it now. Don’t wait. Don’t make excuses.

Fiction under 250 words.

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“Okay everyone, quiet down please. Take your seats and let’s get this session started.”

Ten couples shuffled toward their chairs; the conversation ebbed a bit but didn’t die out completely.

“So,” the director said, his back ramrod straight, his eyes just a bit too enthusiastic. “I’m going to ask you a question and we’ll take turns answering it. Are you ready?”

The women nodded and smiled their readiness; the men warily eyed each other and tried to cover up their embarrassment.

“Quiet down, ladies,” the director shushed a gaggle of women whispering loudly and giggling discretely. “Here’s the question: What have you done for your marriage lately?”

Eyes widened as everyone looked at everyone else for an answer.

“Anyone?” the director asked. He looked around the room, his eyes registering expectation, his mouth set in an encouraging half smile.

Several women began biting their lips in agitation. Several men took a sudden interest in their shoestrings.

“Come now. Someone needs to go first,” said the director.

The seconds slowly ticked by. The steady click-click-click of the clock almost grotesquely loud in the silent room.

“Fine. I’ll pick someone then. Let’s see,” the director lightly tapped his pencil against his clipboard as he surveyed the room. “Cory and Heidi. You go first.”

Heidi sat up and cleared her throat. “Well,” she licked her lips. “We went to the museum …” she looked around the room. “As a family.”

“That’s your answer?” Cory asked. He snorted in disgust. “Hence our marital problem.”

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Want to play? All you have to do is write 250 words (no MORE) about any scene you heard, witnessed or imagined. You can either post your own flash fiction on your blog, or post it in the comment section!

Either way – do it now. Don’t wait. Don’t make excuses.

Fiction under 250 words.

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“Here you go, teacher. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Carla smiled at the little girl and accepted the bouquet.

“Oooh, these smell so nice! Thank you, Suzy.”

The little girl clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled. “My mommy works at a flower shop,” she mumbled between pudgy fingers.

“Teacher, teacher! Here’s my gift!” another little girl said while handing over a box of chocolates. “My grandma works at a chocolate store. She makes the bestest chocolate ever!”

Carla turned her bright smile to the other girl and took the box. “I can’t wait to eat them,” she said and lightly patted the girl on the head.

“Here’s MY gift,” a little boy said, his voice ringing with bravado as he struggled to place the box on her desk.

Carla’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh my,” she said softly. “I wonder what it could be.” She noticed a stream of liquid leaking from the bottom of the box and slowly creeping across the top of her desk. Knowing that Mason’s father worked at a liquor store she dipped a finger into the liquid to take a taste.

“Hhmm,” she paused. “Is it champagne?”

The boy shook his head and grinned.

She dipped her finger again for another taste.

“Wine?”

Mason laughed out loud before bursting with pride.

“It’s a puppy!!”

Carla gagged on the ball of bile in the back of her throat. She promptly got up and raced to the sink.

“Surprise?” Mason said with a tilt of his head.

Fiction under 250 words.

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“Can this light be any slower?”

Debbie impatiently tapped the tips of her brand new French manicured nails on the steering wheel. Her lips moved silently as she chastised herself for not running the light. If she had, she’d be inside the building and on her way to THE interview of her life. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t get the job – since when was she a law-abiding citizen?

She glanced in her side mirror and noticed a blood red SUV right on her rear bumper. She huffed in irritation and lifted her eyes to study the woman behind the wheel. The woman was sitting ramrod straight and perfectly still. Her face was expressionless, her teeth were clenched and she appeared to be staring directly into Debbie’s eyes.

Debbie blinked and averted her gaze. What was that woman’s problem? She was just sitting there, she couldn’t go, it was a red light. She shifted her eyes to the road and noted with a start, there were no cars coming toward her. She could safely go. But what if there was a cop close by? What if he saw her run the light and stopped her? She would really be late then.

She inched her mustang a few inches ahead. She caught the SUV’s impatient lurch in the corner of her eye. She looked in her side mirror again. The woman flipped her off with an angry flick.

Debbie chuckled and smiled for the first time that day.

I’m nursing a sick husband and fielding numerous school emails today, so I don’t really have time to post anything new. Instead, I’m re-posting another flash fiction piece originally published on my self-hosted blog January 25, 2006.

Fiction under 250 words

Why am I here? Why do I endure this crap every month?

Wendy pursed her lips and looked around the school cafeteria. The other mothers were milling around, quietly talking to the members of their particular clique, phony smiles plastered on their faces, their designer clothes wrinkle-free, their expensive perfume clogging up the atmosphere.

It’s too early in the morning for this.

Wendy cautiously sat down on a gray folding chair near the back. She tucked her purse in between her feet. She spent a few moments smoothing her shoulder length reddish-blonde hair before tucking soft stands behind her ears. She attempted to rub the goose pimples from her arms, was the room cold? Or was she simply reacting to being rejected, yet again?

The PTA President, a tall, thin woman with long, silky straight black hair and a light tan, took her position behind the podium. The other mothers, taking the cue from their leader, began taking their seats all around Wendy. There were soft giggles and a low hum of dying conversations.

Wendy studied her hands nervously.

As usual, no one sat next to her.

She choked back a sob and blinked back the moisture in her eyes.

“Excuse me?” a rather low, husky voice sounded next to her. “Is this seat taken?”

Wendy’s head whipped up so fast she felt a tad dizzy. “No, no please, have a seat.”

The woman smiled and sat down. Wendy swallowed her shyness and opened her mouth to introduce herself.

image by naraekim0801

Fiction under 250 words

Kathy leaned back in the rocking chair careful to keep her full mug of coffee from sloshing over the edge. Her eyes were trained on her neighbor’s driveway, more specifically, the van sitting in her neighbor’s driveway.

Why did Laura feel like she had to install a security system? The large white letters, ADT, loomed ominously against the blue background of the company logo; the brilliant colors were a blemish on an otherwise gray and black January morning canvas.

She took a slow sip of her morning brew, a pitter patter of small imprints, like a cat cautiously making it’s way across the back of a couch, made indents in her stomach lining triggering a nervous tingle to snake up her spine. Had her neighbor had a problem with prowlers? She couldn’t recall if the police had paid Laura a visit recently, she would have known about that. Though Kathy wasn’t exactly a nosy neighbor, she did keep an eye on what was going on around her. Did this mean she was in danger of being robbed?

She glanced around the sun room dispassionately. Did she really have anything worth stealing? The monetary value of her possessions was meager at best yet the sentimental value of her collection of porcelain figurines was priceless to her. How would she handle it if someone broke in and smashed her babies to bits? Could she handle it?

Kathy winced at the thought and picked up the cordless phone on the table next to her.

I love flash fiction. It’s so challenging to write a semi-complete story in 250 words. Try it sometime, it’s MUCH harder than it looks. If you want to participate and write your own flash fiction, feel free to take that nifty button below.

Fiction under 250 words

I let him in. I didn’t want to. I knew what was going to happen, but I swallowed my anxiety, stomped on my panic and I quasi-calmly opened the door to face my ex-boyfriend.

“Hey you,” I began but no sooner were the words out of my mouth that he snarled at me.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I had convinced myself that he had come over to try and reconcile the damaged relationship. But judging by the sneer on his face and his diamond-hard eyes, that wasn’t his intention.

“I have no idea …”

“You are mental. Wait. You’re more than mental, you’re insane and wow, I’m so glad I dumped your ass because you’re one scary bitch.”

Even though I knew what he was referring to, I forced my expression to maintain a blankness that I was far from feeling on the inside.

He shook his head in disgust. “I can’t believe you thought you could trash my apartment and get away with it.”

Again, I tried to interject even though my heart had now squeezed through my rib cage and had settled just under my vocal cords. I suddenly found it hard to speak and my words came out squeaky. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You deny breaking in, and yet you post pictures of what you did on My Space,” he snickered.

I swallowed.

“I’m filing charges.” He thrust a piece of paper at me. “I’ll see you in court.”

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Inspired by this true story. I need to write more flash fiction – I eat this stuff up.

Oh, one more thing, the new [Fiction] Friday writing prompt has been posted if you’re itching to do a little fiction writing.