Flash Frog
Small. Brightly colored. Deadly to the touch.
Category: Uncategorized
Night is a Mouth with No Shape by Joshua Jones Lofflin
There’s the fog, always, a mist that clings to the girl’s legs. She walks along this darkened highway—not a real highway, but a narrow stretch of pitted asphalt with hardly any shoulder. Cars sweep past. She used to be afraid of them, those unswerving… Continue Reading “Night is a Mouth with No Shape by Joshua Jones Lofflin”
Collision by Michael Czyzniejewski
Light my candles in a daze ‘cause I’ve found God. —Nirvana, “Lithium” The hardest part about being a ghost is getting over the sex, as in watching the living go at it. It’s ironic because when you first die, you swear to yourself—if we’re… Continue Reading “Collision by Michael Czyzniejewski”
Sunday Nights by Brad Barkley
That evening, Winston dropped off his granddaughter Claire at her dad’s house, Steven opening the door before they rang the bell. Grunted thanks, alcohol breath. Seven years of awkward, screendoor diplomacy. Hannah’s death might have united them in grief, if they’d already loved one… Continue Reading “Sunday Nights by Brad Barkley”
Darkrooms by Ali McLafferty
We who work in darkrooms have a secret. You’d never expect it of us; we are masters of monotony. We blank our faces and mute our bodies so that you forget us as soon as you leave. Take a moment now—Walgreens, Costco, Walmart—can you… Continue Reading “Darkrooms by Ali McLafferty”
Conductor by Cate McGowan
We kept the job site running after the accident. Hauled pallets. Poured concrete. Took our breaks by the fence with nobody saying much. The scaffolding stayed up, though no one climbed it for days. Raoul’s name was still on the schedule, and we didn’t… Continue Reading “Conductor by Cate McGowan”
After the Flood by Sarp Sozdinler
The apartment smells like damp shoes and expired vanilla extract. My brother stands in the kitchen holding a box of cocoa powder up to his nose, sniffing for mold. “Still good,” he says, even though it’s caked into a single brown brick. There’s a… Continue Reading “After the Flood by Sarp Sozdinler”
Dino Land by Will Musgrove
Unlike the park’s main entrance, the door to the break room doesn’t roar. Instead, the rusty hinges sigh like me easing into my La-Z-Boy. I step inside and see manager Julie spreading a Stegosaurus-themed tablecloth across the table where I’ve eaten lunch for the… Continue Reading “Dino Land by Will Musgrove”
Cartwheels by Natalie Schriefer
Nick’s millionth cartwheel looks like his first: He plants one hand on the grass and then, before I can catch his legs and help, he tumbles into a round-off. For a moment I’m taller than him, and I wonder if this is what being… Continue Reading “Cartwheels by Natalie Schriefer”
Papergirl by Lena Kinder
At midnight, Yvette runs a paper route. She goes to the distribution site, fills her car with newspapers. They look like burritos wrapped in blue and orange plastic bags. Morning Herald is printed in sans-serif at the top of each. The papers lie in… Continue Reading “Papergirl by Lena Kinder”
The First Time I Had Sex, Aliens Was on TV by Timothy C Goodwin
You want a great horror movie? Alien. You want a great war movie? Aliens. I say this to my date to sound normal: it’s normal to have the TV on in a hotel room—to comment on the art, to sniff the complimentary soaps—even if… Continue Reading “The First Time I Had Sex, Aliens Was on TV by Timothy C Goodwin”