Flash Frog
Small. Brightly colored. Deadly to the touch.
Category: Uncategorized
Atomic Habits by Kelly Pedro
Sam and I are watching a documentary about the future, and he tells me that he’s not worried about it. “How can you not worry about the future?” The TV flashes images of tropical storms battering the Solomon Islands as Sam rises from the… Continue Reading “Atomic Habits by Kelly Pedro”
The 250th Annual Radishtown Day Summer Parade by Ani King
*THE BLUE FROG 1st PLACE WINNER* Introduction by Guest Judge KRISTEN ARNETT The titular Radishtown of the story–set to sink beneath the rising waves while simultaneously celebrating an annual parade–immediately snagged my interest. A peculiar concept! How might one attend a parade while also preparing… Continue Reading “The 250th Annual Radishtown Day Summer Parade by Ani King”
Three Miles Off the Highway Past Exit 509 by Jo Gatford
*THE BLUE FROG 2nd PLACE WINNER* Al sells inflatable aliens in the parking lot outside the taco place with the sun-bleached sign; an army of little grey men with suspicious eyes and blow-up valves on their butts. There’s a steady stream of customers—for tacos… Continue Reading “Three Miles Off the Highway Past Exit 509 by Jo Gatford”
Pool Hoppers by Phoebe Gibb
*THE BLUE FROG 3rd PLACE WINNER* August flies by like four drunk chicks in a Nissan Altima, and the need for one last hurrah is urgent, as if we all might disappear. I’m coming down with something, but a viral infection proves easier to… Continue Reading “Pool Hoppers by Phoebe Gibb”
Ice Cream Day by Gary Moshimer
This is my favorite day at St. Anne’s preschool: ice cream day. I worked night shift last night and didn’t sleep this morning in anticipation. I like going in and helping, mainly because I’m in love with my son’s teacher, Sherri Wall. She is… Continue Reading “Ice Cream Day by Gary Moshimer”
Rotten Bones by Kate Faigen
Dr. Sun retracts the forceps, my back molar between its metal fingers. A bloody, blackened little rock. A victim of genetics. Some teeth can’t be saved, he tells me. I picture the rotten bones in my gums as drunkards leaving a concert, stumbling past… Continue Reading “Rotten Bones by Kate Faigen”
Writing Backwards by Lucy Smith
We leave messages on the mirror in the bedroom, knowing to breathe hard on the glass to make the words appear when the other’s gone. It’s not quite our handwriting; things change when fingers meet a slippery surface. Without the pressure and safety of… Continue Reading “Writing Backwards by Lucy Smith”
Pinch Me by Jessica Klimesh
Ellee and I are fighting over Newton, about whether he’s dead or not. Isaac Newton. “Pinch me,” I say to Ellee, “I can’t tell if I’m really alive.” The smell of burning leaves penetrates the neighborhood. “No,” Ellee says. “I met Newton once,” I… Continue Reading “Pinch Me by Jessica Klimesh”
Life in Colour by Marie-Louise McGuinness
She was ugly in the way that was cool in the 90’s, her stretched face crammed with razor cheekbones and legs that ran in milk-white lines down from her armpits. She was a model, the high fashion kind that walked the catwalk like a… Continue Reading “Life in Colour by Marie-Louise McGuinness”
Last Call by Tom Walsh
Outside the trailer, the air glows the same hushed red-orange as my neighbor’s heirloom pumpkins. The landlord says fire’s comin’, evacuate, but he doesn’t say where to so I use the final gasp of gas and drive to my local, the Last Call. Big… Continue Reading “Last Call by Tom Walsh”