ON THE SHELF by Cath Barton

It was too quiet in the house. Alarm jagged at Ted and he sprang out of bed faster than he’d done in a long time, was down the stairs in big leaps and into the kitchen, staring round at the emptiness. No wife, no dog. He made coffee, stood with his back to the cooker … Continue reading ON THE SHELF by Cath Barton

LATE SHIFT AT THE MUSEUM OF SMELLS by Chris Cottom (1st place, Flash, Feb24)

I’m working afternoons on our enquiries desk. ‘Old leather walking boots?’ asks a raincoated lady who reminds me of Gran. ‘Freshly buffed with beeswax dubbin?’ I’m gagging for a cup of tea. ‘Sorry, madam. The museum’s banned bee-based treatments.’ Across our cavernous hall, kids are staggering out of our ‘Monarch Immersion Experience’ clutching their heads. … Continue reading LATE SHIFT AT THE MUSEUM OF SMELLS by Chris Cottom (1st place, Flash, Feb24)

THE UNIVERSAL SOUP by Richard Hooton (2nd place, Flash, Feb24)

Our anniversary meal was plodding along same as the previous thirteen when I noticed there was a universe in my soup. Eddying in the centre, a vast blackness teeming with galaxy clusters that reflected and refracted like diamonds. I tore my eyes away; the restaurant’s walls, plates and tablecloths as clinically white as a hospital … Continue reading THE UNIVERSAL SOUP by Richard Hooton (2nd place, Flash, Feb24)

THE DAY A STRANGER FOLLOWED ME HOME by Angela Fitzpatrick (1st place, Flash, Nov23)

I was on my way home from school and it spooked me when he ducked behind a hedge as I turned to cross the road. Then, when I stopped to read the text from Mum - Can you get milk, please? - he walked past and turned into Parsley Close, so I relaxed and shook … Continue reading THE DAY A STRANGER FOLLOWED ME HOME by Angela Fitzpatrick (1st place, Flash, Nov23)

THE ONE THING THEY COULD ALL AGREE ON WAS THE HAT by Mandy Wheeler (2nd place, Flash, Nov23)

The Hat Woman (as she became known) chose the counter in the far corner of the bank where the squinting CCTV could only produce a distorted picture of the tall, or possibly average height, figure in an orange coat that might have been yellow or maybe a greenish brown with gold buttons. As she pulled … Continue reading THE ONE THING THEY COULD ALL AGREE ON WAS THE HAT by Mandy Wheeler (2nd place, Flash, Nov23)

THE AMBER ROOM by Marina Merryweather (1st place, Flash, Nov22)

“Remember the Amber Room?” “Sorry?” He looked up from his phone, in equal measure disoriented and disgruntled. “The Amber Room.” She wondered how long it had been since she hadn't needed to repeat something she had asked him. She pulled her knees in for comfort. “I took you when we last went to St Petersburg. … Continue reading THE AMBER ROOM by Marina Merryweather (1st place, Flash, Nov22)

BOX by Mark Stocker (2nd place, Flash, Nov22)

At five, he tumbled into the box. It smelled of possibility. The floor was thick with things to dress up in, people to become. He lifted a fireman’s helmet, pressed a doctor’s stethoscope to his chest. There was so much choice. In the corner, he spied a cowboy hat with a broad, curled brim. The … Continue reading BOX by Mark Stocker (2nd place, Flash, Nov22)

THE MOON AND MAGDALENA by Chris Cottom (3rd place, Flash, Nov22)

It was the morning of our Moon Landing Party and Mum was in orbit herself. She’d loaded the icebox with Zoom lollies and beeswaxed the rosewood sliding doors of the black-and-white television we rented from Rediffusion in Reigate High Street. ‘Just us and next door,’ she said, spraying enough Pledge over my Thunderbird 3 to … Continue reading THE MOON AND MAGDALENA by Chris Cottom (3rd place, Flash, Nov22)