Category: Flash Fiction

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.

istockphoto-897266106-170667a

Thanks to Carrot Ranch 99 Word Story for the inspiration.

Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

Un’altra notte rossa

Tina Stewart Brakebill

All around me, conversations swell. I understand little but instead of seeming cacophonous, the words soothe. They distract from my reality until the prosecco dulls the pain.    

Then the old woman who runs the osteria stands over me, “Ciligie”?

Seeing the cherries shakes me from my stupor.

She continues, “Devi rimanere per La Notte Rossa.”

The Red Night.

Stuck in an unrelenting loop, I had forgotten the world moves on. Ciliegie abound. And the people celebrate. But not us.

The cherries taunt me with their promise of sweetness but my mind fills with another red night as darkness falls.

This 99 word story was made possible by the https://carrotranch.com/2022/07/25/template-story-challenge-in-99-words-3/

Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

A Fish

Tina Stewart Brakebill

Swinging her legs over the cliff’s edge, she can’t deny that the view is spectacular. But even this vista reminds her that it’s hopeless. The blue sky was only temporary. Already it was fading into the flat gray water. Soon enough the sky will darken.

Night will fall.

The glow never lasts. The dice turn cold. The dealer goes on a hot streak. She goes all in and a pigeon gives her a bad beat on the river. Soon enough luck always fails. Down to the felt. Again. Nothing but a fish.

Night falls.

(WC 94)

cliff-edge

Cliff Edge – Image by KL Caley

 As you might be able to tell from this sad little story, the world has me a bit down. Although I used to watch World Poker tournaments with my husband, I don’t gamble. I’m not sure why this piece emerged almost fully formed from my brain but here it is.

On a serious note, if you or someone you know needs help with gambling issues then visit: National Gambling Hotline & Resources

Thanks to all these wonderful writers and prompt providers for their inspiration today. Visit them for more writing and more details.

The photo and the challenge to write about the “cliff’s edge” was courtesy of #WritePhoto

Sammi’s Challenge was to use the word “glow” as an inspiration to write something in exactly 94 words.

Fandango’s FOWC prompt word was “hopeless.”

Linda’s SoCS Challenge was to be inspired by the word “luck.”

And last but not least, the WOTD was “spectacular.”