You were sitting at the kitchen table as usual, enjoying your morning coffee. I gasped when I saw you. I couldn’t help it.
You must have seen that you’d shaken me, because suddenly you were gone. Vaporized.
But how could I ever be afraid of you? Next time, please stay.
Alex Markovich believes in guardian angels.
The story of the week for January 18 to 22 is…
Homecoming by Finnian Burnett
He would sometimes sleep with his books, several outlining his body, others resting beneath his pillows. He loved holding them, tracing his fingers along their covers. And while this should have been enough to inspire him to learn to read, he was content to collect them for their beauty alone.
Ran Walker is the author of twenty-three books, including The Strange Museum: 50-Word Stories. He teaches creative writing at Hampton University.
Cold eyes roll. With a shrug, I am dismissed. I know not to risk a hug; too long since he acquiesced. Instead, reaching for a smile, I say, “Sick, bro!”
(Am I saying it right?)
Eyes narrow without leaving the screen. “Get lost, Dad.”
But he is smiling, a little.
Emma Robertson is an emerging fiction writer from London, UK who had her first three pieces published in late 2020 (Pure Slush and Eastern Iowa Review) and early 2021 (Free Flash Fiction). She teaches inclusive dance in adult education and community outreach, currently online, and has previously written articles for dance industry magazines. Follow Emma at @emmadancetrain
“I love estate sales,” my mom said.
“Me too. You find the coolest books. Like this one. It’s so old the pages are vellum!” I said, passing her the book.
“Isn’t vellum usually lamb skin?” she asked.
“Yes, why?”
“This page has a tattoo of a Navy anchor on it!”
David Faulkner is the puppet to two cats, owner of a dog, and possesses a twisted sense of humor.
My phone vibrates. I have drunk three bourbons, and the moon is small. I stumble through alleys, looking for child-sized shadows. Maybe she’s behind an inflatable Santa, spinning in the light.
I buried my child under a tree. Nobody looks for her. My heart pounds with desire; my criminal heart.
Becca Yenser is a recent graduate of the MFA creative writing program at Wichita State University. They like paying attention.
Lydia had run out of excuses to give to friends when she ran across his obituary.
She made wild plans: to date again, dance like Shakira, run at dusk, create a Facebook account to share adventures, sleep through the night after changing the locks one more time against his ghost.
Kay Rae Chomic is a novelist (A Tight Grip), and writer of flash. Kay lives in Seattle dodging raindrops, has a passion for ping pong, and is a Motown fan forever.
Dr. Biobaku clicked the speculum open, stifled a gasp, then said calmly, “This type of polyp is benign 99% of the time. We’ll remove it this morning and send it for testing.”
Readying her tools, she carefully looked away from the silently weeping eye at the end of the stalk.
Edith was born in Morocco, spent her childhood in Virginia, reached adulthood in Kentucky, and is middle aged in Indiana.
So many great stories passed through the site in the past year. Let’s take a look at the twelve finalists for the Story of the Year award!
Here are the 12 Story of the Month winners for 2020.
JANUARY: Why I can’t go home again by Bob Thurber
FEBRUARY: Your Pills by Jennifer L. Freed
MARCH: Holes by Alison Carroll
APRIL: Beautiful Things by Jennifer L. Freed
MAY: Our Good Luck by Jennifer L. Freed
JUNE: In Memoriam by Thad DeVassie
JULY: Cracked Lives by Yash Seyedbagheri
AUGUST: I Point at the Shadows in Lieu of What I Dread by Graham Robert Scott
SEPTEMBER: Inbox Emptiness by Yash Seyedbagheri
OCTOBER: Mourning Mama by Yash Seyedbagheri
NOVEMBER: Extra Time by David Holloway
DECEMBER: The Gift Exchange by Zoe J. Walker
The winner, as chosen by editor Tim Sevenhuysen, will be announced on Sunday, January 31!
The prize for the Story of the Year winner is:
Let everyone know your favourite story in the comments!
Throwback: In 2015, Bob Thurber won the Story of the Year award with his piece The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter. In 2016, Guy Preston took the prize with One Job Away From Retirement. The 2017 winner was Jennifer L. Freed, for Aunt Peg. In 2018, Constellations by Jonathan Kosik won the award. In 2019, Bob Thurber won his second Story of the Year award for The Summer of Sweet Mary (circa 1972). In 2020, Evan McMurry won the Story of the Year for After the Water.
“This enchanted mirror shows your worst enemy’s secret identity,” said the sage.
The hero leaned closer.
“I’m my own worst enemy? That’s deep. Am I a split personality, or just way too self-critical—”
“…Wait.” The sage fumbled. “Wrong setting, sorry! My kids must’ve left it on ‘front camera’ again.”
C.M.F. Wright is an avid reader and sentence wrangler. Her short stories have appeared in Fifty Word Stories, Microfiction Monday, Syntax & Salt Magazine and the VSS365 Anthology. Follow her at @cmf_wright.