Category: Flash Fiction

Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

letting go

Tina Stewart Brakebill

“Well, that’s that,” Joe said as he reached for my hand. Staying silent, I let the distance between us widen.

Trying again, Joe confidently declared: “It’s the best thing for him.”

“Don’t spew that party line crap at me! This isn’t how things were supposed to go.”

“For heaven’s sake, Lisa, it’s a day cruise for singles! You’re not launching him onto an ice float to die!”

“I’ll be sure to remind you of that when it’s your mum’s turn.”

“What … no … she … hrmph.”

Magnanimous in victory, I grabbed his hand. “I know. Letting go is hard.”

boardwalk-peter-abbeyPHOTO PROMPT © Peter Abbey

Thanks for the photo inspiration to Rochelle’s Friday Fictioners

Flash Fiction, Haiku & Other Poetry, tutto e niente

disgruntled by the calendar change, Julian calls out the Gregorian monks

Tina Stewart Brakebill

Not fair, Julian chants

In a monophonic tone

A treaty was struck

They got the steady back beat

I got the days of the week

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Yes, I know that it was Julias Caesar (not “julian”) who adopted the Julian calendar, but I am imaging an irate talking (chanting) calendar. 😉

Thanks to Linda’s annual JusJoJan prompt for the opportunity to have some fun with (some slightly ahistorical) calendar trivia. For the real story, visit Britannica.com.

Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

Screaming into the Void

Tina Stewart Brakebill

She had hurdled headfirst into the belly of the beast, but she wasn’t scared. Instead, she had felt strong, like an avenging angel, cutting through the hype like a flaming sword of justice. She was not a hater! She had just wanted to introduce some balance, but now she was scared. It was like screaming into the void. Nobody messed with Taylor and got out alive.   

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Just for the record, I’m a Taylor Swift fan. But … sometimes ya gotta speak truth to power 😉

Thanks to GirlieOnTheEdge (Balance) and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (Belly) for today’s inspiration.  

Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt!
FOWC with Fandango — Belly
Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

Floating (Again)

Tina Stewart Brakebill

In honor of Fandango’s Flashback Friday, I re-offer this piece of flash from November 3, 2018!

Lucy stared at the board. Letting her mind drift back to childhood. Chin resting on the table. Watching her grandfather play. Try too hard and it went fuzzy. Like a picture with the autofocus off. But if she just let her brain float sometimes she could recapture that moment of joy. When it all made sense. When it was fun. Before. Before she was a novelty. Before she was girl genius. Intellectual heir to Hawking. Right down to the chair. But today it remained fuzzy. The timer ticked. Counting. Days. Weeks. Months. Years. She stared at the board. Floating.

black and white game match chess
Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com

Cover Photo Credit: Jeff Arnold

Written for Friday Fictioners

Word Count: 99

Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

Red is Definitely My Color

Tina Stewart Brakebill

I was never a “convertible person.” Hot in the summer. Cold in the winter. Buggy. Windy. Nope. Not for me.

But … I had to admit, I looked good. Red was definitely my color.

A horn blasted and I shifted my gaze to the truck also reflected in the store window. Resisting the urge to flip them off, I meekly waved. They roared past me, blasting exhaust.

As that rumble faded, the sound from the trunk grew louder. Time to get back to the task at hand.

I indulged in one last look. Yes. Red definitely was my color.

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Thanks to Carrot Ranch 99 Word Story for the inspiration.