LYNN KOZLOWSKI: Endgame

Artistic, Submissions, , , , , ,

We had good decades held together by children, purpose, and compatibility. Our love turned quieter, moving out of the foreground. Now, we find ourselves in a bounded endgame, wanting to evade stagnation and trying to love more once again—while we still have left some time and love to spend.

Lynn Kozlowski has appeared in The Citron Review, The Zodiac Review, Molecule, 50-Word Stories, Bright Flash Literary Review, Every Day Fiction, The Dribble Drabble Review, Friday Flash Fiction, and The Malahat Review. He has a volume of short pieces, Historical Markers.

JOEY TO: The Intersection

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

I see her at the intersection up ahead, so I hurry.

When I get there, three signs face us: straight ahead is PAST; both left and right, FUTURE.

“Which way?” I ask.

She says nothing and goes left.

I should go right… but I just stay and watch her go.

Nowadays, Joey is more concerned with red light cameras at the intersection. His work can be found at joeytoey.com.au.

MELANIE REIFFENSTEIN: The Commute

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

The pavement rolls under my tires like a conveyor belt of doom. Over and over again, taking me further and yet nowhere. At the intersection, the crane hoists a heavy load. Stopped at the red light, I imagine it coming loose, crushing my car’s roof. What would the headline say?

Melanie Reiffenstein is a writer thriving on coffee and books. She is a communications expert by day living in Toronto with her husband and two young kids.

BOB THURBER: Mother’s Intuition

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

I met my mother at a ritzy downtown restaurant to celebrate her divorce from my step-father. I brought a date. We had a feast.

After dinner, my mother said: “Listen. That girl.”

“Donna. Her name is Donna.”

“Not important. What’s important is you understand.”

“Understand what?”

“She’s not the one.”

Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.

SANDRA JAMES: Evidence

Adventure, Submissions, , , , ,

My encounter with serial killer David Hastings went unnoticed by all around us. In the crowd, I pressed close, wiped my bloody DNA-laced hand across his sleeve, and slipped Kelly Mason’s silver bracelet into his pocket. Then I strolled to the corner phone box and dialled the anonymous police line.

Sandra James writes from a rural property in Heathcote Victoria, Australia. Her second collection of short fiction, Black Rain and other stories, is available now.

JOANNA NORLAND: I Could Not Bear to Lose My Powers—

Submissions, Touching, , , , ,

To write a poem,
Then
Craft a sentence,
Then
Utter a word,
Oh, and to
Cook a full meal,
Then
Butter toast,
Then
Hold a spoon,
And also to
Run,
Then
Walk,
Then
Crawl,
But for the joy of seeing you, dear child, learn to… [continue reading in reverse order]

Joanna Norland is a writing coach and playwright based in East Sussex, UK.

SUSAN PRAUSE: By Chance

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

I thought I saw you, in a crowded train car, face wearing a scruff that is new, no? I pawed at the crowd to see, just a look, as you turned away. Maybe you saw me and decided, just then, that we are better apart. That you are better apart.

Susan Prause is a short story writer based in Minneapolis, MN. Her stories have appears in 53-Word Story Contest, Flash Fiction Magazine, Friday Flash Fiction and Spark Flash Fiction.

JOHN H. DROMEY: The Nature of Nomenclature

Amusing, Submissions, ,

Space—the final frontier for verbal obfuscation.

Onboard a starship through nepotism, George has no formal training as an astronaut.

“Is there a rec room?” he asks.

“We have a holodeck,” he’s told.

Subsequently, George spends a lot of his leisure time in the cargo hold.

The ship’s hollow deck.

John H. Dromey has had short fiction, humor, and poetry published in many different venues.

STORY OF THE MONTH: June 2026

News

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.

The finalists for June were:

The Notebook by Paul D’Arcy
The Big Score by Gordon Brown
Trapeze Artist’s Son by Linda Kohler
The Book that Blinked First by Saanvi Thakur
In Case My Mother Flies by Angela Carlton

The winner of the June 2026 Story of the Month is…

In Case My Mother Flies