Tag Archive for: microfiction

For You

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by Jodie Angell

 

Eyeing the blue pills in front of her, Faye grinned. She knew what it would do to her—unleash a feral ferocity buried deep within her. That was exactly what her lover, Klaus, desperately desired.

“For you, my love.” She popped the tablet into her mouth, then swallowed.

Her round eyes glowed afire, and a maniacal laughter escaped Klaus’ mouth.

With shotgun barrels resting on one shoulder and their free hands clasped, they skipped down the quaint street of Petunia Walk.

Their idea of a date was warped. Fires razed the houses. Civilians murdered. Children’s screams. Blood staining neat lawns.

Jodie Angell

Jodie Angell grew up in South Wales, U.K. She started writing at the age of eleven, entering children’s anthologies. Her first book, Crimson Kiss, is published with Champagne Book Group. Jodie explores all genres. She has expanded her repertoire and has signed several dark short stories with Black Hare Press.

Twitter: @JodieA_Author

 

Broken Things

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by Lillie E. Franks

 

Some women would have thrown it away after the first argument. She didn’t throw away broken things. She fixed them.

She stayed when he hid in his basement all day. She waited with dinner until he came up. They ate quietly, and she swept away the dirt while he slept.

She fixed things. She fixed the acrid smell from the basement. She fixed it when Deputy Arnold asked questions.

When she heard a thump and a scared, bloody woman staggered through the basement door, she didn’t hesitate. She took the knife she was chopping onions with, and she fixed it.

Lillie E. Franks

LILLIE E. FRANKS is a trans author and teacher who lives in Chicago, Illinois with the best cats. You can read her work at places like Sword and Kettle Press, Poemeleon, and NonBinary Review or follow her on Twitter at @onyxaminedlife. She loves anything that is not the way it should be.

Website: lillieefranks.wordpress.com

 

Company

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by Koh Hee Ja

 

The blade against her palm winks brightly as she cradles the knife like a baby.

“Come here.”

I groan into her sweaty hair and grind my hips, excited by the danger caught between us.

She nicks my stomach only once during the act, and a scarlet dribble slides down our abdomens and adds to the mess we are making below.

Flesh yields deeply, wetly; the exquisite heat enveloping us.

When we step apart, the body slumps, skull rebounding off the cracked linoleum, and a pretty arc of scarlet spatters over her pale toes.

This wasn’t the three-way he was expecting.

Koh Hee Ja

Koh Hee Ja is a new writer taking a happy stab at whatever she fancies.

 

A Moment of Silence

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by Andrew Jackson

 

Mother’s awful tongue was displayed on the mantel in a Perspex cube, swimming in a bath of clear formalin.

She was sitting at the head of the table, looking disappointingly shrivelled, a loose stitch protruding from beneath her left ear. Gemma’s business specialised in rabbits and guinea pigs, but it wasn’t bad for a first attempt.

“How did I do?” Gemma asked her wife.

Ruby winked across the table, twirling a pair of fluffy pink handcuffs around her finger. “She always worried about what we got up to…why don’t we give her a show?”

Gemma loved this woman

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson is a science fiction, thriller, and horror writer based in Surrey, England. He grew up on Star Trek, Alien, and videogames he was too young to play. His debut sci-fi novel is in progress. 

Instagram: @authorandrewjackson 

 

The Way to a Man’s Heart

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by Lori Green

 

The scent of roasted meat wafts through the kitchen, and Sarah sets the table, eager to unveil her surprise. Paul has been staying out late again, not even trying to hide it anymore. Taking her mother’s advice, she has cooked up a special treat, just for him.

“Dinner is ready, darling,” she says, releasing his blindfold. He mumbles through his gag, eyes wide with terror as Sarah picks up the knife. “Mother says the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Her lips curl upward in a twisted smile as she plunges the knife deep into his abdomen.

Lori Green

Lori Green is a Canadian writer who has been writing dark tales since she first picked up a pen. She studied English Literature at The University of Western Ontario and her poetry has been published in print and online at Poetry Undressed. She is currently working on her first novel.Lori Green

 

There’s One Born Every Minute

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by James Rumpel

 

The ringmaster approached two boys who stood near the “EGRESS” sign.

“You’re not fooling us,” said one of the teenagers. “Egress means exit.”

The ringmaster laughed, “You’re smart. However, at this circus, the egress is much more than a way out.” He brandished a pair of tickets. “Take these. If you find yourself outside, you can return.”

The boys grabbed the passes and entered the passageway.

Later, the ringmaster watched a grotesque monster devour the last remnants of its meal. He picked two blood-stained tickets off the ground. “Did you enjoy your lunch, Egress? I’ll send dinner after tonight’s show.”

James Rumpel

James Rumpel is a retired math teacher who enjoys spending some of his free time trying to turn some of the odd ideas in brain into stories. 

 

A Circus Act to Remember

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by C. L. Sidell

 

The house erupts in applause as a top-hatted performer steps into the arena, handling three hoops of fire.

On the sidelines: a monkey escapes its cage, pilfers blades from the knife-thrower’s stash, surreptitiously drops them into the cannon.

In the spotlight: the golden-maned cat growls and pounces; the startled entertainer drops his flaming rings.

From the shadows: the oldest elephant charges forward, trunk collecting and flinging each fiery hoop with practiced precision, igniting the cannon’s wick.

An explosion of blades pierces human flesh.

Among the chorus of screams: screeching, trumpeting, and roaring of long-suffering animals now free of their tormentors.

C. L. Sidell

A native Floridian, C. L. Sidell grew up playing with toads in the rain and indulging in horror stories. She holds a master of arts in both English and library & information science, moderates two creative writing groups, and reviews books for the Florida Library Youth Program. Her work has appeared (or is forthcoming) in 34 Orchard, 805 Lit, Dark Moments, The Dread Machine, Frozen Wavelets, opia, Quarantine Quanta, Spark: A Creative Anthology, and others.
Twitter & Facebook: @sidellwrites

 

Work the Crowd

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by Evan Baughfman

 

Applauding trapeze artists’ aerial excellence, Caitlyn declared, “Way better than some mangy flea circus!”

I agreed. “So fun!”

We must’ve misread the advertisements. The show was impressive, a dazzling evening inside a towering tent, complete with clowns, acrobats, and lion tamers.

A hundred spectators cheered as nimble performers gathered centre stage, taking their bows.

The ringleader thanked everyone for attending, adding, “Concessions are closed. Now, time for us to eat.”

Troupe members shed their skins—disguises—revealing insectoid mandibles, three pairs of powerful limbs.

Massive, agile bloodsuckers leapt into the stands, surrounding prey.

We screamed. Stumbled. Found nowhere to flee.

Evan Baughfman

Evan Baughfman is a middle school teacher and author. Much of his writing success has been as a playwright. A number of his scripts can be found at online resources, Drama Notebook and New Play Exchange. Evan also writes horror fiction and screenplays.

 

Showtime

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by Warren Benedetto

 

Deke woke from a dream of his life before the circus. He had been roaming under the endless Montana sky. A blinding light shone from above. A watery, gurgling voice spoke.

“This one.”

Then, darkness.

Deke’s eyes fluttered open. He was in a box of frosted glass, naked and cold. The lid opened. He squinted up at his captor, at its four tentacled arms, its translucent head, its singular yellow eye. Deke had learned that the least painful option was to simply comply. Perform his routine. Entertain the crowd. Survive another day.

His captor spoke. Its voice was liquid.

“Showtime.”

Warren Benedetto

Warren Benedetto writes short fiction about horrible people doing horrible things. He has a Master’s degree in Film/TV Writing from USC. He is also the developer of StayFocusd, the world’s most popular anti-procrastination app for writers. He built it while procrastinating. Visit www.warrenbenedetto.com

 

The Greatest Show on Earth

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by Pauline Yates

 

Teaching a monkey how to strike a match was a clever trick. It required the use of electric shocks to his fingers, but when he lights the ring of fire for the Bengal tigers to jump through, the crowd applauds me as the greatest animal trainer in the circus’s history.

However, I underestimated the monkey’s cleverness. He can also wield a whip. Biting it from my hand, he directs one tiger to herd me from the left, another from the right. The third tiger crouches beyond the flaming ring, mouth open, fangs dripping saliva, waiting for my leap of death.

Pauline Yates

Pauline Yates is an Australian author of horror and speculative fiction. Her short stories appear with Midnight Echo, Metaphorosis, Redwood Press, plus others, as well as several anthologies including Mondi Incantanti, published by Riflessi di Luce Lunare (RiLL), Italy. Links to Pauline’s stories can be found at https://paulineyates.com/