Flash the Court

Tag: Microfiction

  • “Ben Stiller’s Friend Flipped Me Off at a Restaurant in New York City” by Rachel M. Hollis

    “Ben Stiller’s Friend Flipped Me Off at a Restaurant in New York City” by Rachel M. Hollis

    “Ben Stiller’s Friend Flipped Me Off at a Restaurant in New York City” is quite a long title for a rather short story. A microfiction, in fact. In 140 words, Rachel M. Hollis tells the immersive tale of an urban love affair, partially set in an “apartment, both cramped and impossibly empty.” And while the title may seem flippant, the narrator is anything but insincere.  —Court Harler

    Because I tried to take a sneaky picture of them on my BlackBerry. Blurry, lopsided, famous.

    Before Ben Stiller’s friend flipped me off at a restaurant in New York City, my boyfriend and I were arguing on West Forty-Sixth Street. He loved that the city never slept and I couldn’t remember the last time I had.

    Before we were bickering on a busy street, we were staring at our phones in our Williamsburg apartment, both cramped and impossibly empty.

    I didn’t realize what had happened until we got home and I opened the photo. Ben, ignoring us. His friend’s middle finger—perfectly in focus.

    “I still can’t believe we saw Ben Stiller,” he said, like it meant something. Like we’d had a moment.

    I packed a bag and left while he was still staring at the photo. He never looked up.

    RACHEL M. HOLLIS lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, child, and a deeply unmotivated dog. Her work appears or is forthcoming in River Teeth’s Beautiful Things, Midway Journal, Lost Balloon, Gone Lawn, Necessary Fiction, and elsewhere.

    Featured image by Wes Hicks, courtesy of Unsplash.

  • “Beth” by Shell St. James

    “Beth” by Shell St. James

    “Beth” by Shell St. James could be a contemporary, albeit chaste, roommate romance, but the narrator’s slightly elevated tone suggests otherwise for this flash fiction. In four dramatic scenes artfully condensed to their very essence, St. James utilizes poignant detail and evocative imagery to depict an indelible setting and deliver an unexpected storyline.  —Court Harler

    The first time I saw Beth, she was dragging her luggage through my front door, cursing like a sailor as the suitcase got caught on the threshold.

    “May I help you with that?” My lips twitched as I tried to hide my amusement.

    She pointedly ignored me, a spirit of fierce independence evident in her scowl. Palms up, I backed off and watched her struggle, squashing down my impulse to take the dratted case out of her hands.

    The second time I saw Beth, she was sipping a glass of Merlot, listening to my favorite piece by Chopin, with her eyes closed. I stood in the shadowed corner of the study, quietly observing, as the music inspired her to rise from her chair and dance barefoot across the room. I fell in love with her as the candlelight lit her face, her auburn hair swirling in a fiery cloud, her graceful limbs fluid and expressive, painting the air.

    That night I crept into her bedroom as she slept, unable to resist the temptation to touch her. I gently stroked her cheek, wishing I could confess my feelings.

    Her eyes flew open in alarm, and she bolted upright in a panic.

    Ashamed, I fled the room, retreating to the attic.

    The last time I saw Beth, she was packing her things, intent upon leaving. I broke down and wept, begging her to stay, but she looked right through me. At the door she turned back warily, her fearful eyes scanning the empty front room.

    “Please don’t follow me,” she whispered. “Rest in peace.”

    SHELL ST. JAMES is an author and artist living in an 1895 farmhouse in the foothills of North Carolina. Her short stories have appeared in numerous magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, including Shenandoah Literary Magazine, Sci-Fi Shorts, Night Terrors: Scare Street (Vol. 12), and Creepy Podcast. Read selected stories for free at shellstjames.com.

    Featured image by Peter Herrmann, courtesy of Unsplash.