But what an exercise! Flash fiction truly forces the author to pick the meatiest words and the central punch in order to realize the entire story in the crunch of word counts. I worked on the flash fiction anthology, Morsels, and looking for alternative markets, stumbled across this gem of a contest:
Be Brilliant in 55 Words or Less
So, I entered. I won't post my story, "Mourning Chorus," here. If you visit the site and read the story, let me know.
It's listed under the name Victoria Burke, not T. R. Neff. And it should be easily recognizable by the image of a "familiar mushroom cloud" (which is a cheesy graphic I did years ago when I was first learning Bryce. Nifty program, by the way, if you are into 3D graphics).
Update: As of 18 JUN 2013, the story still has not been published. The folks who vouched for the sites validity are now scrambling with "ahhhhs" and "uuummmmms."
Since the site seems unwilling to publish it, I will.
"Mourning Chorus"
Fallout rains from a sickly morning sky. Sour winds carry howls of dying victims. I
tuck us into a bathroom without windows.
Ignoring my own pain, I wrap my arms around my sons’ shoulders. To stay
strong, I sing a hymn. Soon, my boys join in.
Four of us, as a chorus, thwart mortality, unafraid.
Edit: This entry was finally added, but too late to qualify for May's prompt. I still got some reactions, which are greatly appreciated and even more valuable than the cash at this point in my burgeoning career.
Also, my non-apoc story "Rictus" is published there as well. That graphic isn't mine, however.
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