MicroFlashFic
@microflashfic.bsky.social
Occasional very short stories of every sort. If you like these, maybe you’ll like my book: http://amzn.to/3k8sZT4
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MicroFlashFic
@microflashfic.bsky.social
· Jan 26
Someday you will write the book.
Most people will not read it. But someone will, and it will change something inside them.
Then they will write a book, wholly their own, but slightly indebted to your ideas.
And so on.
The chain never ends. There are echoes of you at the end of the world.
Most people will not read it. But someone will, and it will change something inside them.
Then they will write a book, wholly their own, but slightly indebted to your ideas.
And so on.
The chain never ends. There are echoes of you at the end of the world.
“What kind of books do you write?”
“You’ll judge me.”
“Never!”
“OK…I write romances about falling in love with a monster.”
“Like a sexy vampire?”
“Worse.”
“Zombie?”
“Worse.”
“Flesh eating slime?”
“Worse.”
“OK, I give up.”
“My last one was about an investment banker.”
“We can’t be friends anymore.”
“You’ll judge me.”
“Never!”
“OK…I write romances about falling in love with a monster.”
“Like a sexy vampire?”
“Worse.”
“Zombie?”
“Worse.”
“Flesh eating slime?”
“Worse.”
“OK, I give up.”
“My last one was about an investment banker.”
“We can’t be friends anymore.”
January 22, 2026 at 2:58 AM
“What kind of books do you write?”
“You’ll judge me.”
“Never!”
“OK…I write romances about falling in love with a monster.”
“Like a sexy vampire?”
“Worse.”
“Zombie?”
“Worse.”
“Flesh eating slime?”
“Worse.”
“OK, I give up.”
“My last one was about an investment banker.”
“We can’t be friends anymore.”
“You’ll judge me.”
“Never!”
“OK…I write romances about falling in love with a monster.”
“Like a sexy vampire?”
“Worse.”
“Zombie?”
“Worse.”
“Flesh eating slime?”
“Worse.”
“OK, I give up.”
“My last one was about an investment banker.”
“We can’t be friends anymore.”
“Have fun at the ball, but remember: the magic wears off at 9:30.”
“The ball goes until midnight!”
“I can’t sleep while the spell is active and if I’m not out by 10, I’m a real nightmare the next day.”
“But the prince!”
“If you can’t close the deal by 9, no amount of magic is going to help.”
“The ball goes until midnight!”
“I can’t sleep while the spell is active and if I’m not out by 10, I’m a real nightmare the next day.”
“But the prince!”
“If you can’t close the deal by 9, no amount of magic is going to help.”
January 21, 2026 at 2:17 AM
“Have fun at the ball, but remember: the magic wears off at 9:30.”
“The ball goes until midnight!”
“I can’t sleep while the spell is active and if I’m not out by 10, I’m a real nightmare the next day.”
“But the prince!”
“If you can’t close the deal by 9, no amount of magic is going to help.”
“The ball goes until midnight!”
“I can’t sleep while the spell is active and if I’m not out by 10, I’m a real nightmare the next day.”
“But the prince!”
“If you can’t close the deal by 9, no amount of magic is going to help.”
People said we should use AI to build laundry robots. So we did.
Then everyone complained that the robots wadded the clothes up into wrinkled little balls.
The solution was simple! All people had to do was soak, press, and refold their clothes.
But no one appreciated the ironing of the situation.
Then everyone complained that the robots wadded the clothes up into wrinkled little balls.
The solution was simple! All people had to do was soak, press, and refold their clothes.
But no one appreciated the ironing of the situation.
January 19, 2026 at 2:22 AM
People said we should use AI to build laundry robots. So we did.
Then everyone complained that the robots wadded the clothes up into wrinkled little balls.
The solution was simple! All people had to do was soak, press, and refold their clothes.
But no one appreciated the ironing of the situation.
Then everyone complained that the robots wadded the clothes up into wrinkled little balls.
The solution was simple! All people had to do was soak, press, and refold their clothes.
But no one appreciated the ironing of the situation.
As a kid, I’d pretend to be a submarine in the bath.
I’d fill the tub all the way up, then hold my nose, shut my eyes and dive, imagining I was a deep sea explorer searching for new life.
I only had the courage to open my eyes down there once. The uncoiling form I saw still comes to me in my dreams.
I’d fill the tub all the way up, then hold my nose, shut my eyes and dive, imagining I was a deep sea explorer searching for new life.
I only had the courage to open my eyes down there once. The uncoiling form I saw still comes to me in my dreams.
January 17, 2026 at 10:40 PM
As a kid, I’d pretend to be a submarine in the bath.
I’d fill the tub all the way up, then hold my nose, shut my eyes and dive, imagining I was a deep sea explorer searching for new life.
I only had the courage to open my eyes down there once. The uncoiling form I saw still comes to me in my dreams.
I’d fill the tub all the way up, then hold my nose, shut my eyes and dive, imagining I was a deep sea explorer searching for new life.
I only had the courage to open my eyes down there once. The uncoiling form I saw still comes to me in my dreams.
The door keeps opening wider, swinging on its hinge, forever revealing more of the room.
It’s gone all the way around five times before she realizes she can’t see where she came in.
The door is still opening, speeding up, forever faster and wider. All she can do is run and try not to be left behind.
It’s gone all the way around five times before she realizes she can’t see where she came in.
The door is still opening, speeding up, forever faster and wider. All she can do is run and try not to be left behind.
January 17, 2026 at 3:20 AM
The door keeps opening wider, swinging on its hinge, forever revealing more of the room.
It’s gone all the way around five times before she realizes she can’t see where she came in.
The door is still opening, speeding up, forever faster and wider. All she can do is run and try not to be left behind.
It’s gone all the way around five times before she realizes she can’t see where she came in.
The door is still opening, speeding up, forever faster and wider. All she can do is run and try not to be left behind.
Day-old bread is still good.
Milk is fine after a week.
Hard cheese can last month or more.
It’s fine to wear last season’s fashions.
Last year’s music still hits.
Movies transcend decades.
Art can inspire for centuries.
But a joke can turn so quickly that curdles while it’s still in your mouth.
Milk is fine after a week.
Hard cheese can last month or more.
It’s fine to wear last season’s fashions.
Last year’s music still hits.
Movies transcend decades.
Art can inspire for centuries.
But a joke can turn so quickly that curdles while it’s still in your mouth.
January 15, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Day-old bread is still good.
Milk is fine after a week.
Hard cheese can last month or more.
It’s fine to wear last season’s fashions.
Last year’s music still hits.
Movies transcend decades.
Art can inspire for centuries.
But a joke can turn so quickly that curdles while it’s still in your mouth.
Milk is fine after a week.
Hard cheese can last month or more.
It’s fine to wear last season’s fashions.
Last year’s music still hits.
Movies transcend decades.
Art can inspire for centuries.
But a joke can turn so quickly that curdles while it’s still in your mouth.
The bullets didn’t miss; they slid off his forehead like butter on a hot skillet.
But after the battle was over, he was filled with doubt. He’d been injured before. So was this a newly acquired superpower? Or a one-time miracle? What was the least insane way to figure out why he was still alive?
But after the battle was over, he was filled with doubt. He’d been injured before. So was this a newly acquired superpower? Or a one-time miracle? What was the least insane way to figure out why he was still alive?
January 14, 2026 at 8:05 PM
The bullets didn’t miss; they slid off his forehead like butter on a hot skillet.
But after the battle was over, he was filled with doubt. He’d been injured before. So was this a newly acquired superpower? Or a one-time miracle? What was the least insane way to figure out why he was still alive?
But after the battle was over, he was filled with doubt. He’d been injured before. So was this a newly acquired superpower? Or a one-time miracle? What was the least insane way to figure out why he was still alive?
Your dawn is someone else’s sunset. If your team wins, another lies defeated. So much joy comes at someone else’s cost that the trade seems inevitable.
So when we met happy visitors from another world, we were enraged. Somehow, they must be taking something from us. And we needed to get it back.
So when we met happy visitors from another world, we were enraged. Somehow, they must be taking something from us. And we needed to get it back.
January 14, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Your dawn is someone else’s sunset. If your team wins, another lies defeated. So much joy comes at someone else’s cost that the trade seems inevitable.
So when we met happy visitors from another world, we were enraged. Somehow, they must be taking something from us. And we needed to get it back.
So when we met happy visitors from another world, we were enraged. Somehow, they must be taking something from us. And we needed to get it back.
Trees are voyeurs and incurable gossips.
They perceive the world through slight vibrations in the air, like a combination of hearing and echolocation.
Then this information is shared through root networks and discussed like it’s a tv show.
And they’re all so excited for the series finale of you.
They perceive the world through slight vibrations in the air, like a combination of hearing and echolocation.
Then this information is shared through root networks and discussed like it’s a tv show.
And they’re all so excited for the series finale of you.
January 13, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Trees are voyeurs and incurable gossips.
They perceive the world through slight vibrations in the air, like a combination of hearing and echolocation.
Then this information is shared through root networks and discussed like it’s a tv show.
And they’re all so excited for the series finale of you.
They perceive the world through slight vibrations in the air, like a combination of hearing and echolocation.
Then this information is shared through root networks and discussed like it’s a tv show.
And they’re all so excited for the series finale of you.
I got cancer when I was 28. They told me I was going to die, so I bought a headstone. But then I just kept on living.
Last year I changed my name. So now I own a slab of granite commemorating someone who doesn’t exist.
I put it in a nearby field so I can visit it to mourn the years in between.
Last year I changed my name. So now I own a slab of granite commemorating someone who doesn’t exist.
I put it in a nearby field so I can visit it to mourn the years in between.
January 11, 2026 at 5:10 PM
I got cancer when I was 28. They told me I was going to die, so I bought a headstone. But then I just kept on living.
Last year I changed my name. So now I own a slab of granite commemorating someone who doesn’t exist.
I put it in a nearby field so I can visit it to mourn the years in between.
Last year I changed my name. So now I own a slab of granite commemorating someone who doesn’t exist.
I put it in a nearby field so I can visit it to mourn the years in between.
You must kill an enemy three times.
First, destroy the body, but don’t stop there.
Next, tear apart the story; they weren’t what they seemed; what happened wasn’t what it looked like.
Finally, you have to burn the name until no one can say it again; until people feel guilty for even bringing it up.
First, destroy the body, but don’t stop there.
Next, tear apart the story; they weren’t what they seemed; what happened wasn’t what it looked like.
Finally, you have to burn the name until no one can say it again; until people feel guilty for even bringing it up.
January 10, 2026 at 9:28 PM
You must kill an enemy three times.
First, destroy the body, but don’t stop there.
Next, tear apart the story; they weren’t what they seemed; what happened wasn’t what it looked like.
Finally, you have to burn the name until no one can say it again; until people feel guilty for even bringing it up.
First, destroy the body, but don’t stop there.
Next, tear apart the story; they weren’t what they seemed; what happened wasn’t what it looked like.
Finally, you have to burn the name until no one can say it again; until people feel guilty for even bringing it up.
Sometimes a particularly large bacterium will switch sides during an infection.
It will try to destroy its fellow invaders, now fighting to protect the body it has come to know as home.
Usually it falls in battle, but sometimes it triumphs, only to learn that white blood cells don’t make exceptions.
It will try to destroy its fellow invaders, now fighting to protect the body it has come to know as home.
Usually it falls in battle, but sometimes it triumphs, only to learn that white blood cells don’t make exceptions.
January 10, 2026 at 2:56 AM
Sometimes a particularly large bacterium will switch sides during an infection.
It will try to destroy its fellow invaders, now fighting to protect the body it has come to know as home.
Usually it falls in battle, but sometimes it triumphs, only to learn that white blood cells don’t make exceptions.
It will try to destroy its fellow invaders, now fighting to protect the body it has come to know as home.
Usually it falls in battle, but sometimes it triumphs, only to learn that white blood cells don’t make exceptions.
“Do griffins give birth to live young or lay eggs?”
“Most broods are 50-50.”
“Why?”
“The weak need a defense against being eaten in utero, but the strong move too much for a shell to form.”
“That’s needlessly complicated.”
“Everything about griffins is complicated. You should see their litter box.”
“Most broods are 50-50.”
“Why?”
“The weak need a defense against being eaten in utero, but the strong move too much for a shell to form.”
“That’s needlessly complicated.”
“Everything about griffins is complicated. You should see their litter box.”
January 9, 2026 at 2:55 AM
“Do griffins give birth to live young or lay eggs?”
“Most broods are 50-50.”
“Why?”
“The weak need a defense against being eaten in utero, but the strong move too much for a shell to form.”
“That’s needlessly complicated.”
“Everything about griffins is complicated. You should see their litter box.”
“Most broods are 50-50.”
“Why?”
“The weak need a defense against being eaten in utero, but the strong move too much for a shell to form.”
“That’s needlessly complicated.”
“Everything about griffins is complicated. You should see their litter box.”
She turns off the kitchen light before she go to bed each night. But it’s always on again in the morning.
So she sets up a camera to catch herself sleepwalking.
And that’s how she finds out she has a secret roommate who gets very hungry in the middle of the night.
So she sets up a camera to catch herself sleepwalking.
And that’s how she finds out she has a secret roommate who gets very hungry in the middle of the night.
January 8, 2026 at 3:16 AM
She turns off the kitchen light before she go to bed each night. But it’s always on again in the morning.
So she sets up a camera to catch herself sleepwalking.
And that’s how she finds out she has a secret roommate who gets very hungry in the middle of the night.
So she sets up a camera to catch herself sleepwalking.
And that’s how she finds out she has a secret roommate who gets very hungry in the middle of the night.
“There’s a ghost in my knife.
At first I guessed it was a murder victim seeking justice.
Then I thought it was a killer bound forever to their favorite weapon.
Or maybe a warlock trapped during a ritual gone wrong.
Turns out he’s just some guy who really liked knives and won’t leave mine alone.”
At first I guessed it was a murder victim seeking justice.
Then I thought it was a killer bound forever to their favorite weapon.
Or maybe a warlock trapped during a ritual gone wrong.
Turns out he’s just some guy who really liked knives and won’t leave mine alone.”
January 7, 2026 at 2:12 AM
“There’s a ghost in my knife.
At first I guessed it was a murder victim seeking justice.
Then I thought it was a killer bound forever to their favorite weapon.
Or maybe a warlock trapped during a ritual gone wrong.
Turns out he’s just some guy who really liked knives and won’t leave mine alone.”
At first I guessed it was a murder victim seeking justice.
Then I thought it was a killer bound forever to their favorite weapon.
Or maybe a warlock trapped during a ritual gone wrong.
Turns out he’s just some guy who really liked knives and won’t leave mine alone.”
Eduardo is the world’s finest magical realist detective.
In a world filled with unfathomable mysteries, he prides himself on knowing which ones are metaphors for an absurd universe and which ones are part of the plot.
Or at least, he used to— until she walked in and proved that a person can be both.
In a world filled with unfathomable mysteries, he prides himself on knowing which ones are metaphors for an absurd universe and which ones are part of the plot.
Or at least, he used to— until she walked in and proved that a person can be both.
January 6, 2026 at 2:27 AM
Eduardo is the world’s finest magical realist detective.
In a world filled with unfathomable mysteries, he prides himself on knowing which ones are metaphors for an absurd universe and which ones are part of the plot.
Or at least, he used to— until she walked in and proved that a person can be both.
In a world filled with unfathomable mysteries, he prides himself on knowing which ones are metaphors for an absurd universe and which ones are part of the plot.
Or at least, he used to— until she walked in and proved that a person can be both.
Five men are thrown from an airplane without parachutes.
One vainly searches for a way out of this.
One scrunches his eyes shut so he won’t see the ground coming.
One decides to enjoy the view while it lasts.
The last two embrace, staring into each other’s eyes so they won’t be alone at the end.
One vainly searches for a way out of this.
One scrunches his eyes shut so he won’t see the ground coming.
One decides to enjoy the view while it lasts.
The last two embrace, staring into each other’s eyes so they won’t be alone at the end.
January 5, 2026 at 2:44 AM
Five men are thrown from an airplane without parachutes.
One vainly searches for a way out of this.
One scrunches his eyes shut so he won’t see the ground coming.
One decides to enjoy the view while it lasts.
The last two embrace, staring into each other’s eyes so they won’t be alone at the end.
One vainly searches for a way out of this.
One scrunches his eyes shut so he won’t see the ground coming.
One decides to enjoy the view while it lasts.
The last two embrace, staring into each other’s eyes so they won’t be alone at the end.
There’s a ship sitting perfectly still in the middle of the pacific. It does not drift or even oscillate with the waves, almost as if it is welded to the seabed —except that even the seabed moves a few millimeters a year.
And if it isn’t moving, then it must be a destination. Come aboard and see.
And if it isn’t moving, then it must be a destination. Come aboard and see.
January 4, 2026 at 4:29 AM
There’s a ship sitting perfectly still in the middle of the pacific. It does not drift or even oscillate with the waves, almost as if it is welded to the seabed —except that even the seabed moves a few millimeters a year.
And if it isn’t moving, then it must be a destination. Come aboard and see.
And if it isn’t moving, then it must be a destination. Come aboard and see.
Marie, like the sun, is always rising.
It’s just a matter of perspective. If she seems stagnant, or absent, or on the decline right now, that’s because you aren’t seeing her from the proper angle.
But that problem solves itself. Stay still and she’ll come back around again to light up your world.
It’s just a matter of perspective. If she seems stagnant, or absent, or on the decline right now, that’s because you aren’t seeing her from the proper angle.
But that problem solves itself. Stay still and she’ll come back around again to light up your world.
January 3, 2026 at 3:36 AM
Marie, like the sun, is always rising.
It’s just a matter of perspective. If she seems stagnant, or absent, or on the decline right now, that’s because you aren’t seeing her from the proper angle.
But that problem solves itself. Stay still and she’ll come back around again to light up your world.
It’s just a matter of perspective. If she seems stagnant, or absent, or on the decline right now, that’s because you aren’t seeing her from the proper angle.
But that problem solves itself. Stay still and she’ll come back around again to light up your world.
Far below, an ancient being made of black diamonds and mercury stirs in darkness.
It glances at the stalactite it uses to mark time. The hour has come to get up and burn the cities of the earth.
But evil also procrastinates. It rolls over and goes back to sleep. And we all live for another year.
It glances at the stalactite it uses to mark time. The hour has come to get up and burn the cities of the earth.
But evil also procrastinates. It rolls over and goes back to sleep. And we all live for another year.
January 2, 2026 at 4:59 AM
Far below, an ancient being made of black diamonds and mercury stirs in darkness.
It glances at the stalactite it uses to mark time. The hour has come to get up and burn the cities of the earth.
But evil also procrastinates. It rolls over and goes back to sleep. And we all live for another year.
It glances at the stalactite it uses to mark time. The hour has come to get up and burn the cities of the earth.
But evil also procrastinates. It rolls over and goes back to sleep. And we all live for another year.
Couples turn the hours of a first date into a few minutes of anecdote.
Filmmaker turn days into hours of a movie.
History teachers turn years into days of lessons.
Priests turn creation into the millennia they’ve been writing it down.
We’re all trying to boil down eternity until we can sip it.
Filmmaker turn days into hours of a movie.
History teachers turn years into days of lessons.
Priests turn creation into the millennia they’ve been writing it down.
We’re all trying to boil down eternity until we can sip it.
June 16, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Couples turn the hours of a first date into a few minutes of anecdote.
Filmmaker turn days into hours of a movie.
History teachers turn years into days of lessons.
Priests turn creation into the millennia they’ve been writing it down.
We’re all trying to boil down eternity until we can sip it.
Filmmaker turn days into hours of a movie.
History teachers turn years into days of lessons.
Priests turn creation into the millennia they’ve been writing it down.
We’re all trying to boil down eternity until we can sip it.
“You’re so brave,” everyone tells her, as if this is new information. They imagine that tragedy unlocked some hidden potential in her that would’ve gone to waste otherwise. But she’d always been brave. If they hadn’t noticed before, it was only because they’d been afraid to really see her until now.
May 25, 2025 at 1:18 AM
“You’re so brave,” everyone tells her, as if this is new information. They imagine that tragedy unlocked some hidden potential in her that would’ve gone to waste otherwise. But she’d always been brave. If they hadn’t noticed before, it was only because they’d been afraid to really see her until now.
In the world to come, there will be an internet within the internet, where everything is hand-made by experts; a tailored web.
Access will be tightly controlled and disgustingly expensive. But the rich will pay, just as they pay to visit museums, for a glimpse of a world they can never have back.
Access will be tightly controlled and disgustingly expensive. But the rich will pay, just as they pay to visit museums, for a glimpse of a world they can never have back.
May 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
In the world to come, there will be an internet within the internet, where everything is hand-made by experts; a tailored web.
Access will be tightly controlled and disgustingly expensive. But the rich will pay, just as they pay to visit museums, for a glimpse of a world they can never have back.
Access will be tightly controlled and disgustingly expensive. But the rich will pay, just as they pay to visit museums, for a glimpse of a world they can never have back.
“You made cookies? What flavor?”
“The 11th taste.”
“11? I know sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.”
“There’s umami.”
“Right!”
“Spicy.”
“OK.”
“Starchy.”
“Sure.”
“Fatty.”
“I guess.”
“Menthol.”
“Ew.”
“Metallic.”
“Why?”
“And then there’s this. Try it.”
“…what am I eating?”
“It’s the dark behind the stars.”
“The 11th taste.”
“11? I know sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.”
“There’s umami.”
“Right!”
“Spicy.”
“OK.”
“Starchy.”
“Sure.”
“Fatty.”
“I guess.”
“Menthol.”
“Ew.”
“Metallic.”
“Why?”
“And then there’s this. Try it.”
“…what am I eating?”
“It’s the dark behind the stars.”
May 9, 2025 at 11:05 PM
“You made cookies? What flavor?”
“The 11th taste.”
“11? I know sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.”
“There’s umami.”
“Right!”
“Spicy.”
“OK.”
“Starchy.”
“Sure.”
“Fatty.”
“I guess.”
“Menthol.”
“Ew.”
“Metallic.”
“Why?”
“And then there’s this. Try it.”
“…what am I eating?”
“It’s the dark behind the stars.”
“The 11th taste.”
“11? I know sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.”
“There’s umami.”
“Right!”
“Spicy.”
“OK.”
“Starchy.”
“Sure.”
“Fatty.”
“I guess.”
“Menthol.”
“Ew.”
“Metallic.”
“Why?”
“And then there’s this. Try it.”
“…what am I eating?”
“It’s the dark behind the stars.”
Don’t worry, they’re only ordinary eggs.
They’re only $3.37, there’s no time to ask your pointless questions.
In this economy? Bring them into your home with no second thoughts.
Ignore the whispering. How long since you had an omelette?
Crack one open in front of your family. It’ll be fine.
They’re only $3.37, there’s no time to ask your pointless questions.
In this economy? Bring them into your home with no second thoughts.
Ignore the whispering. How long since you had an omelette?
Crack one open in front of your family. It’ll be fine.
April 2, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Don’t worry, they’re only ordinary eggs.
They’re only $3.37, there’s no time to ask your pointless questions.
In this economy? Bring them into your home with no second thoughts.
Ignore the whispering. How long since you had an omelette?
Crack one open in front of your family. It’ll be fine.
They’re only $3.37, there’s no time to ask your pointless questions.
In this economy? Bring them into your home with no second thoughts.
Ignore the whispering. How long since you had an omelette?
Crack one open in front of your family. It’ll be fine.