A micro crop of Micro Monday this week – but still plenty to enjoy in these mini masterpieces.
Please spread the word if you enjoy them, by sharing the page or talking about them on your social media…
House Hunting
by Kathy Goddard
‘’Ere, son, what do you think to this one?’ Ron turned the tablet towards his son. ‘Lovely little place, tucked right away. No neighbours. Looks ideal.’
Kenny examined the cottage, shook his head. ‘Nah – too many street lights. Look again.’
Ron returned to the search. He’d find the right one. This method of searching had been successful for them before.
‘What about this one? Looks good to me.’
Kenny brightened as he read the details. The advert was for a large, secluded detached house, owned by people for whom nothing was too expensive. The photos showed tastefully arranged pieces of art, flat-screen TVs and top of the range computers.
And the most important detail? The photos didn’t show any burglar alarms. Perfect.
Kathy is a short story writer and poet and has been fortunate to have some work selected to be published in anthologies. She is currently querying her first novel.
Follow the author on X/Twitter.
Little Fawn
by Heather Walker
Your head dips into my breast. Silently you sleep. Such a good baby, my little fawn.
They insisted you had not survived, but I could feel your heart beating next to mine and I clung to you. Then they slipped a needle under my skin.
‘Why do you let her keep it?’ My mother’s voice is full of frost and froth.
‘It calms her,’ the nurse replies.
‘But it’s sick,’ my mother says, and I recoil. ‘It’s just a doll, for Christ’s sake! Lifeless as she is.’
I don’t know why she won’t accept you, little fawn. Why she keeps saying these things, but no one will take you away from me again, my baby. Never again.
Heather Walker is a story writer and poet living in London currently working on a Novella-in-Flash. Her work has been published in various places, including Popshot, Banshee Lit and Witcraft.
Follow the author on X/Twitter.
Enter our flash fiction competition here, to win cash prizes and publication.
Submit to our Fiction123 here.
Cruel Counting
by Em Coombes
The first time his hand had struck left her numb from shock. An isolated incident surely, never to be repeated?. Not to her, his self-declared world. Until the second time, more violent. The third occasion was almost expected. With the sixth she quit reacting. Each time delivered another cruel lesson – how to disguise the inevitable bruises, feign usual behaviour amongst company. Identify warning signs, avoid provocation, pacify… At number twenty she ceased recognising herself totally before losing all count. The last time placed her in the morgue, another crime statistic. If it would even be counted.
Born in Somerset, Em is a Liverpool-based writer whose thought-provoking style delves into the depths of human emotion and vulnerability. Shortlisted for Writing On The Wall Pulp Idol 2020 and longlisted for the flash fiction Paul Cave Prize for Literature 2023, Em published her first full-length novel, ‘The Pier’, with Tim Saunders Publications in March 2024.
How I Regret My One Night Stand With An Alien
by Heather Boncey
I am being held in a secret location with the highest security protection in case I am kidnapped, or worse. Hooked up to various screens that are being beamed to teams of medical scientists all over the world for their input. It’s a world first.
I am 62 weeks pregnant. The father has disappeared, so they are unable to ask him any questions about alien gestation.
They refer to my baby as a human hybrid creature.
I’m fed through tubes and can’t even fart without them knowing. My body is just a source of wonder to them, causing much excitement to the onlookers by the sounds they constantly make.
My blood has turned purple causing amazement and now concern. My caesarean is imminent.
Bio: I am retired from teaching IT in the NHS. I belong to my local Wokingham Writers Group and also a member of Retreat West and Westword. I am interested in Flash Fiction and should start submitting stories
Enter our flash fiction competition here, to win cash prizes and publication.
Submit to our Fiction123 here.
The Day Matt Stone, School Hunk, Got Into My Car
by Rachel Parker
He folds his long legs into Dad’s Fiat. OMG… Matt Stone in my car!!! Be cool. The gears crunch hard.
‘Thanks for the lift’ he says. Lift? Not date? Not road-trip? We’re going to see his cousin’s motorbike in Halesowen for Pete’s sake. Seriously, don’t say Pete’s sake. I drive carefully, steal glances at T-junctions; that heavenly top lip.
On the dual carriageway he reaches into his jeans, pulls out something long, something smooth. My heart revs, I brake at an amber light, watch mesmerised – he does it deftly, confidently. He’s certainly done that before.
‘Wow! Lipstick suits you.’ He pulls down the vanity mirror, smiles dreamily at himself.
‘Thanks, babe’. The driver behind me honks.
‘Oh, for Pete’s sake!’ I shout.
Rachel enjoys writing short stories and flash fiction. She lives in Wokingham and is a member of the Wokingham Writers Group.
Life
by Gillian Barry
The wind whistled around the old beams which creaked and groaned just like her bones.
Quietly, the blue-uniformed girl reached out and held her hand. ‘It’ll be okay,’ she soothed as she gently stroked the crepey, loose skin which once had gaily held cocktails and cigarettes, played roulette and caressed a young lover’s strong, lithe body.
How do you bloody know? screamed a voice inside her head.
She coughed.
The girl nodded.
Then, as deadly as any sword, a sharp light bayoneted the darkness, and she smiled.
Peace at last.
Gillian is a retired adult education tutor, Preschool Chair and complementary therapist.
She is author of three books – Doris, a small illustrated book published by Aroha Press; Secrets and Lies, a novel published by Raven Crest; Once Upon A Greek Island, a novel to be published by Between The Lines publishing.
Enter our flash fiction competition here, to win cash prizes and publication.
Submit to our Fiction123 here.
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Cranked Anvil 
keep these coming !!! I’ve only read the first— Wow! I didn’t see that coming but it’s there, in all the little details: a mini masterpiece !