Year 1, Week 26: Results!

You know what's really exciting? Cracked Flash Fiction is growing. It's awesome and amazing, since Rin, Si, and I never thought anyone would have too much interest in this competition. It's also fabulous that we've been getting so many entries lately! 

9, 10, 7 <== the amount of entries in the last three weeks.

We're always excited when we get more than three entries, so this is a-ma-zing. 

Tl;dr: You guys are great. 

Also, in case you forgot: it's-a me, Mars, judging today! :D

Honorable Mention 

Carin Marais with All That is Left

The imagery and choice of words in this piece is excellent; a vivid picture is painted by sparkling phrases like "storm's memory", "faltering flame", "damp rocks between the dunes", and "the colour of the sea on a calm day". The attention to the description of the setting, scattered between the women's hope, gives the story a lot of lovely depth. 

However, I did think some of the sentences could be shortened; I found my eyes wandering after two or three very long sentences in a row--punctuation gives an anchor for your eyes to keep track of words. I also was unclear on who said the opening line--the prompt, that is. Was it the women, or somebody with Christiaan? I couldn't tell if the ambiguation was on purpose or not. 

I love that Annalene is knitting a sweater. It's a clear sign that she hasn't given up on Christiaan, and it's even more powerful than her prayer; she's not sitting around just staring at the sea; she's actively preparing for his return--she's trusting that he will come back. 

First Runner Up

Asgardana with Small and Mighty

The last few lines of this piece definitely amused me and I could empathize with the main character--I have been the one that forgot a key piece for a project before, and it sucks! Poor soldier! The sense of utter, "Oh no," is distinct in the line, "I hang my head." 

Something I would have liked to see more of was the main character's reaction to this battle they've just fought--the only bit we really get of it is "My boots are marred with blood and bone, shrapnel bites into my side but the heavy weight of the bag across my shoulder grounds me to this cliff" (which also happens to be my favorite line). The sense of determination--to reach the highest point and stake the flag--is evident, but there's no emotional whiplash from seeing hundreds or thousands of people die, and being the winner and one of the ones to survive. I can still empathize with the character, but there's a lot that goes unsaid!

Y1W26 Winner!

Firdaus

with Being Death

This reminded me of whenever I'm downloading something on Windows--it strongly amuses me to think that Death's clock can change depending on the variables present, and Death is actually not entirely aware of when people are going to die. Those lines, "Five minutes left. // Five minutes? Five minutes!" made me laugh. Death was just all, "One minute. Five minute--wait what?! Ugh."

Between the 'new recruits', consuming a soul (but being irritated with people killing for no reason), and the variables changing the time of death, I have to wonder what is going on behind the scenes in this story. Though not entirely pertinent to the overall plot, and keeping in mind the 300-word limit, it makes me extremely curious what's Death's day has looked like, and what her job looks like on a day-to-day basis.

Death is definitely a relatable character, and I enjoyed how much I instantly thought, "Girl, I feel you," when she knew she was going to be late. That feeling of, "UGH, you're telling me I was wasting my time?" is terrible! 

Being Death 

"Raise the flag!"

The girl was shouting at a skinny boy, who was struggling with the rope of the flagpole as the speedboat cut across the turquoise waters towards shore.

"Raise the distress flag! The red one you idiot!" she screamed.

Then she went to work on the young boy lying on his back, turning slightly blue.

Death stood at a distance, waiting for the minutes to tick by. She brought out an ancient watch from the folds of the midnight blue gown that draped gracefully down her slender frame, and glanced at it.

Five minutes left. 

She was getting impatient. It had been a long, hard day, what with all the bombs exploding and people killing for no reason. Even with all the new recruits her job was grueling.

Three minutes left. 

Huffing with impatience, she watched the girl desperately give the boy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and then pump his chest. He was quite blue by now. 

"Please God!" the girl wailed looking up to the sky. 

One minute left. 

Death's eyes burned red with excitement. Her skin pale, as pale as death can be, quivered from the anticipation of consuming a soul. 

Five minutes left.

Five minutes? Five minutes! 

She looked up to the sky and groaned.

Make up your mind! 

The speedboat had reached shore and a team of paramedics were attending to the boy.

One hour left.

She was going to be late for her date. Damn. 

Death sat impatiently in the ambulance. The girl was holding the boys hand, crying.

Seventy four years, six months and twenty three hours left.
Death wanted to cry in frustration.

With a sigh, she dissolved into an invisible mist, heading straight for her date.

She had a lot of explaining to do to the Devil.

 

Congratulations, everybody! See you all on Saturday!

Year 1, Week 23: Results!

Welcome back to the results of last week's competition! We're excited to bring you the next installment of the Cracked Flash Fiction Competition!

Before we roll to our winner (just the one this time--we've been a little tight on energy and time!), we must announce that this will be Si's last time judging until the 10th of March. That means Rin and Mars will be alternating judging each week until The Return of Silicon. Guest judges are a possibility during this period! We like to keep you on your toes :D

If you see a decrease in the quality of memes and/or pictures provided, however, it probably can be attributed to losing Si's insanity (and knitting forum). 

Now! Onwards!

Y1W23 WINNER!

Steph Ellis

with Safe and Sound

Si: Wow, this was a very intense story. Great structure—I really liked how the countdown was interleaved with snippets of the story. The short lines keep it fast paced and the bits of backstory from the main character are well placed with the increasing creepiness of Dad's lines. The ending is CHILLING. Great job cutting it off just so the reader doesn't exactly know what happens—but man, can we imagine. I want to know more about what went wrong with Dad, why he became so dangerous. My favorite lines in this story are “My eyes told him yes even as I denied it.”, and “One. And you should be with your family.”. Terrifying and very evocative. The writing is really what makes this story—tightly in control and keeping the reader right on the edge, the whole time. Excellent job!

Mars: Michael certainly nailed the tone of this piece when he described it as 'haunting'. The tension within the story is compelling, particularly with the countdown, though one wonders what the father is expecting at the end of his countdown--the main character to spit out whatever s/he's not telling (the location of Suzy?), or is the father just indicating that the end is nigh (or both)? Either way, it pushes the story forward. The pacing is excellent, as well as the little drops of background information. 

I was a little lost as to what explicitly happened to Davey and Mum--"staring eyes" seems like they could be dead, but it could also mean a number of other things. Certainly terrifying either way--reflected aptly by the hiding of Suzy--and doesn't detract very much from the piece. 

"Once, I would have agreed with him, in those happier times before the world went mad and him with it," is my favorite line of the piece. Can't quite tell you the rationale, other than it sounds very . . . quotable--at least, the ending: "the world went mad and him with it." 

I feel sorry for the kid here--not just because s/he's probably going to face death/something worse, but also because: if noone will ever find Suzy, doesn't that mean Suzy will suffer a similar fate to the rest of her family? Haunting, haunting indeed. 

Safe and Sound

“I can’t answer that – you’ll beat me up.”  

“Ten.” 

The world turned upside down and I found myself flat on my back. I swore softly. I had promised my brother I’d keep our sister safe. 

“Nine,” growled my dad. 

I was in a no-win situation; damned if I did, damned if I didn’t. 

“Eight.” 

The sound of sirens came closer. Don’t let yourself get caught, Davey had said before vanishing. I’ll be back before you know it and then everything will be alright. And I had believed him. 

“Seven.” 

It had been weeks since we’d seen him. Mum used to count the days but now she too had gone. A fist grabbed my throat. 

“Six. You followed me, didn’t you?” 

My eyes told him yes even as I denied it. 

“Five.” 

I tried not to think of what I had seen. The sirens faded out again.  

“Four. It’s my job to keep the family safe.” 

Once I would have agreed with him in those happier times before the world went mad and him with it. 

“Three. We need to stay together.” 

But not that way I thought, remembering how I had shadowed him to an underground bunker, finally solving the mystery of where Davey and Mum had gone. Anarchy had bred insanity - as if poverty and starvation wasn’t enough. 

“Two. I am only making sure that my family does not suffer.”  

Those staring eyes haunted me day and night. I had moved Suzy then, taken her to a basement, locked her in safe and sound, told her I would be back soon. 

“One. And you should be with your family.” 

He had caught me but he would not get Suzy. She was safe in the basement. Nobody would ever find her.

And I cried as my world turned black.

Dangit, Steph. Stop writing so well.

 See you all back this Saturday! Don't let our one-judge act discourage you from joining; we'll still be as mad as ever!

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 14

Yes, that is a squirrel and a mole on a Stetson on a swimming cap on a woman's head.
Squirrel: Yesss, everything is going according to plan . . . *maniacal wringing of the hands*
Just look at that squirrel.

@nationwrites put in a request for an odd prompt this week, so I tried really hard to find one. Your stories will reflect if I did a good job or not, I bet. XD 

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Si and Mars

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition. (You also do not have to include the photo prompt(s). They just amuse us.)

YOUR PROMPT:

He put his hand back on the window, the yellow eyes wide open on his palm.

Are my pictures weird enough too? Anyways, we definitely look forward to your stories! :D

Trippin' Thursday!

What: A stress-free prompt-writing session.

Word count: 1000 word max. (Will have to chain comment anything more than 4k characters)

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). However many entries you like!

Remember: We don't care how much you mutilate the prompt (or if your story is just based off of it), 'cuz we're not going to be judging it. We also don't care if you do or do not include the photo prompts.

Bonus points: Do it in 5-15 minutes, with no editing.

YOUR PROMPT:

He tried to breathe, but the air wouldn't come.

Trippin' Thursday!

You call this bacon?

What: A stress-free prompt-writing session.

Word count: 1000 word max. (Will have to chain-comment if you actually want to post 1k, though. Found that out last week.)

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). However many entries you like!

Remember: We don't care how much you mutilate the prompt (or if your story is just based off of it), 'cuz we're not going to be judging it.

Bonus points: Do it in 5-15 minutes, with no editing.

YOUR PROMPT:

"You didn't find me; you dropped a building on me!"

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 12

I totally tried to write a Trippin' Thursday story that was less than 1k long and found out there's a character limit on the comments! Like 4056 characters or something. Boo, Blogspot, boo! Guess you'll have to chain-post if you want to have more than like 800 words on your Trippin' Thursdays.

Fortunately, you only have to write 300 words (or less)!

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Rin and Mars

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:

Her face was painted gold, her eyes as hard and dark as coal.

Trippin' Thursday!

What: A stress-free prompt-writing session.

Word count: 1000 word max.

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). However many entries you like!

Remember: We don't care how much you mutilate the prompt (or if your story is just based off of it), 'cuz we're not going to be judging it.

Bonus points: Do it in 5-15 minutes, with no editing.

YOUR PROMPT:

"You could have been anything back then."

They told me I could be whatever I wanted.
So, I became a jello salad.

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 11

We like completely unrelated photos.

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Si and Mars

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:

She bolted down the hallway.

Trippin' Thursday!

What: A stress-free prompt-writing session.

Word count: 1000 word max.

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). However many entries you like!

Remember: We don't care how much you mutilate the prompt (or if your story is just based off of it), 'cuz we're not going to be judging it.

Bonus points: Do it in 5-15 minutes, with no editing.

YOUR PROMPT:

Gawking like that made him look stupid.

Maybe this isn't entirely unrelated this week.
Or maybe it is. o.o

Year 1, Week 10: Results!

We're going to do something a little different today. Hold onto your hat, Hephzibah! (Okay, Hagar!)

Y1W10 WINNERS!

M T Decker and Firdaus

with Cut Throat and Character Tantrums

Cut Throat 

"You know, smiling at me every few days… it’s not the same as telling me you aren’t going to kill me…" Penelope sighed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. 

“I’m disappointed to her you say that,” Rogers sighed. “You should know me well enough by now…” 

Penelope looked at him from over her glasses as if to say, ‘Dude, I do know you more than ‘well enough’ by now.’ 

He gave her a sheepish shrug. “I promise you. When I plan on killing you— you’ll know.” 

“This,” she told him. “Is not nearly as comforting as you might think… Try phrases like: ‘I have no intention of killing you’ or ‘You know I’d never hurt you…’ Phrases like that build confidence.” 

“But you know, I’ll never lie to you…” 

Penelope sighed and shook her head. “You have a lot to learn about ‘comforting.’” 

“This is war. They didn’t call it ‘See how many cards you can take nicely.’” 

“Fine,” she sighed. “Got any threes?”

“Go Fish!”

Si: Great character interaction in this story! We get the sense that we, the readers, are just looking in through a window while the scene proceeds between Penelope and Rogers. I particularly like the line: “Penelope looked at him from over her glasses as if to say, ‘Dude, I do know you more than ‘well enough’ by now.’ ” The line that follows is chilling in its casualness. I was amused that the story ends on a different tone with Go Fish. I was a little confused as to whether the characters are spies on opposite sides … (okay I might be reading a little TOO many spy novellas but HUSH) … or whether this was just a really, really intense game of cards. Is the death threat real or figurative? I’m going with real. Love that we have a nice, clear sketch of two characters in such a short span of words. Great story!

Mars: I was amused by how what Penelope and Rogers were doing was obscured until the very last few lines. My favorite line was Rogers' comment--"I promise you. When I plan on killing you--you'll know." The first few sentences were a little weak--maybe it was the sighing from the both of them, or the open-ended sentences (the ellipses), but they could have been more grabbing. (Si and I speculated if they were spies from enemy sides and possible lovers (or whether it was just a really intense card game, which I guessed it was). It amused us; observe titles we came up with for a novel: Romeo and Juliet: Card Edition; Ace of Hearts; etc.,.) An amusing story!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Character Tantrums

"Smiling at me every few days is not the same as telling me you're not going to kill me." She mutters under her breath, loud enough for me to hear. 

I stand in the doorway watching her, trying my best to smile.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" My smile wavers a little.

"You want me to read that list you gave me? I know it by heart." 

"I see, you still believe I made up those things." 

"I did not put Margo into the washing machine! Okayyyy...I was really angry when she scratched and tore my lovely sofa but I didn't switch on the machine! I swear!" 

"You burnt my books!" 

"It wasn't me! I love books, though I was curious about that cabinet you kept locked. I was a little angry when I couldn't break in. But I wouldn't burn your study. No way!" 

"Look at your hand!" 

"Yeah, it hurts. You shouldn't have broken it!" 

"You really believe that, don't you? You don't remember throwing a tantrum and punching walls?" 

"Ha! You're such a liar, all writers are." 

"Whatever you say and do—you're not in my next book." 

I watch her face flush with anger as I gently shut the door and turn the key. 

Maybe I should kill her. A few sentences and she'd be gone. Somehow that seems such a waste of a complex character and to be honest I am rather fond of her. 

I whistle as I go off to explore other rooms in my head. I have a book to write, damn it!

Si: Woohoo, dialogue! I like how the piece doesn’t “give away” the true nature of the encounter--a writer and their character--until the end. The first half she just seems totally cray until you hit “All writers” and then we’re all OH I GET IT NOW. These two sentences are the best in the piece: 

"Whatever you say and do—you're not in my next book." 

I watch her face flush with anger as I gently shut the door and turn the key.

And IMO, I think the story is much stronger if it ends there. The following sentences tell us what we already know from the dialogue. I do like the idea of many rooms in a writer’s head. Well done!

Mars: There are only a few people I know of that don't envision their characters in their head (or hear them, heh), but I'm not one of them, so this was an entertaining story that I could connect to. I enjoy stories that are carried mainly by dialogue, but this one was a tad confusing for me--I could have done with some tags ('s/he said's). It was amusing to see how the writer was convincing her she had consciously done these things. Nice story!

Yup, you both get it, lucky ducks.

See you two next week!

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 10

Ah, the auspicious number 10. Two and a half months! Our competition is so old! Okay, maybe not, but we're getting there. Just wait until we're the ripe, old age of 6 months. Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait.

And onto the competition!

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Rin and Mars

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:

"Smiling at me every few days is not the same as telling me you're not going to kill me."

Trippin' Thursday!

What: A stress-free prompt-writing session.

Word count: 1000 word max.

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). However many entries you like!

Remember: We don't care how much you mutilate the prompt (or if your story is just based off of it), 'cuz we're not going to be judging it.

Bonus points: Do it in 5-15 minutes, with no editing.

YOUR PROMPT:

"Wait, your lot bleed?"
"Yours doesn't?"

I think you might be trippin' on something, too.
Or maybe that was the artist.

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 9

So, here we are again. It's always such a pleasure. Remember how you tried to kill me--that's the wrong song. 

Space Unicorn, soaring through the--

No, that's not it.

Well, what do you want of me?

A writer. 

We need a writer? 

We're holding out for a writer 'til the end of the night!

You heard the alternate-ego. Are you ready for this? Are you hanging on the edge of your--*shot*

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Rin and Si

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:

"I hate it. I wish it would stop."

Trippin' Thursday!

In accordance with our theme of insanity (and in tribute to what first began our travels in CFF (One of us was actually on medication when we first began prompt writing together and calling it CFF (which is where our mascot, Flavio, comes from))), we have dubbed these writing sessions Trippin' Thursdays. You have more liberty to be insane on Thursdays than Saturdays, because we're not going to judge it! This is a totally original idea andnothinglikeFF'sWarmupWednesdays idk what you're talking about. Have fun, and have at it! We definitely look forward to your entries.

What: A stress-free prompt-writing session.

Word count: 1000 word max.

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). However many entries you like!

Remember: We don't care how much you mutilate the prompt (or if your story is just based off of it), 'cuz we're not going to be judging it.

Bonus points: Do it in 5-15 minutes, with no editing.

YOUR PROMPT:

"What are you doing now?"
"Looking for skid marks."
"Skid marks?"
"Yeah, from that bus you threw me under."

And a completely unrelated image prompt!

Year 1, Week 8: Results!

Guys! We had seven entries! We haven't done that well in almost 7 weeks! Way to go, all you beautiful contestants! (Can you tell this is exciting!) From this lovely batch, we have selected three stories (I mean, like usual, but seven entries, guys).

Also! Announcement: For fun, we're going to start having Trippin' Thursdays (it'll come out at 12:01 am). Stress-free prompt-writing (no judging). You also get like 1k to write with (and I guess we really couldn't care how long it is, as long as it's still flash fiction, but 1k seemed reasonable, so). Hope to see you there!

Note: Si wrote her reviews while being menaced by a totally fearless squirrel.

Honorable Mention

firdaus' Crashed

Si: OMG this story. Such pain. Much tragedy. Wow.

Great dialogue, great story progression. THE ENDING. There’s very little description but the reader is totally clear on what happened, and what is happening. The ending, while powerful (excellent job cutting it off where you did btw), is a little confusing because it seems like the nurse was aware of the husband in the room the night before--so it took me a second to “get” that she didn’t. The dialogue throughout is great: short lines that keep you in the story, but there isn’t any wasted space. It conveys emotion with the briefest of description, and I like that it’s not hard to keep track of who is speaking even though we don’t have “tags” (he said, she said)--the clarity of the dialogue makes them unnecessary. Well done!

Mars: This story is great in the way that it makes even the reader question reality. Whenever a ghost shows up in a story and delivers factual information that the main character couldn't have known, it makes me wonder if they were really there or not--when the husband details the extent of her injuries, for example. The ellipses used complemented the dialogue instead of detracting from it (I have a thing about ellipses. When used in excess, I don't like how they make dialogue sound, usually, but here it fit the whole "I've just been severely traumatized" thing). Watch out for repetitive sentence structure--"She woke up [. . .] . Her throat was dry. She watched [. . .]"--since that can make a piece lose some of its luster. I have to give you props on the ending, though--that moment of hope, just to be crushed by an unassuming bystander. What a punch in the gut! 

First-Runner Up: 

Steph Ellis' Leonard

Si: I really like the twists in this story, and the unreliable narrator. We don’t know that he’s unreliable--first he’s crazy, then he’s a sane bystander, then he’s clearly seeing things. It’s hard to handle this kind of narrator well, so great job! There was some confusion over the Leonard in the fight and Leonard the bystander--clarified somewhat by him thinking it annoying that the guy shared his name--but at the very end of the story, he seems totally cognizant that the guy IS actually him. So it’s hard to tell whether he is unaware of what he did, or whether he knows. My favorite part was the description of Leonard in the mental hospital--you can really see it. The initial dialogue is also very well done--each line is short but easy to follow. Great job!

Mars: A sense of pity is evoked readily by the great character development in this piece. There was also clever hinting towards Leonard's true location and mindset before the final reveal--lines like "their conversation echoing round and round in his head," and the description of the other residents of the asylum. In his "I shouldn't be here" thoughts, one could assume that it was simply a nursing home. The only real confusion I feel while reading the story, even now, is the line, "He heard a cry, the sound of a body crumpling." I'm not sure what's going on there. Otherwise, however, I found it was very easy to keep track of the story, and the ending was fabulous. 

And, without further ado, the moment you've all been waiting for--

Y1W8 Winner!

Phil Coltrane

with Come to Grief

Si: This story had excellent emotion and tension throughout! I loved the way that the details of the situation--the father’s age, the futuristic setting, the relationship between father and daughter--were dropped throughout the story and avoided a big info-dump. Great integration of backstory, world/setting, and the story! The scene is not action-y but still has a lot of tension--is she going to press the button? Is he going to convince her? I’m curious as to why he tried the Immortality Treatment so late--or why if he had it earlier, it didn’t manifest until year 437. I like the way he switches tracks from “Push the button if you love me” to “Push the button because you hate me.” “In his bloodshot eyes, she saw something virtually unknown to modern civilization: real pain. ” --great line. Excellent story!

Mars: I love the idea that mankind has found immortality . . . almost, and now pain is practically nonexistent. Though it is never mentioned directly in the story, I get the sense that all Zara can feel for her father at this point is pity (good character emotion!). I thought it was a very unique take on the prompt, as well--it's not something I would have thought of. I would have liked to know more about the 'electrochemical command' that Zara got--it didn't really make sense to me. All in all, however, this is an excellent piece of sci-fi. The last line--Zara confessing to her already-dead father--tugged at my heartstrings a little bit, and also gave the piece a nice, circular feel.

Come to Grief

"I love you." 

"You're only saying that because I almost killed you." Zara pulled her hand away from the glass panel, and the crimson circle that would terminate his life support. 

Paralyzed below the neck, the man in the biomedical bed tilted his head toward Zara. "Please... daughter. By law and custom, as my sole relative, only you may end my suffering." His raspy voice raked against Zara's heartstrings.

Zara stared at the husk of a man. Holographic indicators overlaid his medical data. Age: 437. Pulse, blood pressure, brain activity. Diagnosis: Immortality Treatment Rejection Syndrome. Prognosis: progressive paralysis, agonizing pain, death within the year. In his bloodshot eyes, she saw something virtually unknown to modern civilization: real pain. How could she let him suffer in this cold hospital room? She was his daughter: he was her responsibility. 

Zara felt the impulse firing through her neurons: the electrochemical command telling her finger to press the button. 

"No!" She turned away from him. 

"My daughter... Medical science gave me four centuries of life, but has reached its limit. Close the circle. End my suffering." 

"Growing up, I dreamed of a father," Zara confessed. "Someone to love me unconditionally. But you weren't there." She turned to him again. "I made my own way in life -- and quite well! Now you send for me, not to make amends, but merely to press a button?" 

"Then you hate me. Push the button. Give me what I deserve." 

"I don't hate you," Zara said pityingly. "I don't even know you. You're a stranger to me." With one hand, she stroked his brittle hair. With the other, she pressed the button. 

"I love you," he mouthed silently, and then he was gone. 

Zara slumped to the marble floor and cried. "I love you, too."

We look forward to more of y'all's work in the future! See you tomorrow or on Saturday!

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 8

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Si and Mars

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:

"I love you."
"You're only saying that because I almost killed you."

Year 1, Week 7: Results!

We were pleased to have three very varied entries to choose from this time around. The mishap on Saturday had us wondering if we'd get any at all!

Honorable Mention

Ophelia Leong's Neighborly Duties

Rin: This was a fun one. I liked how Matthew wasn't really all that interested, a nice twist on the typical vampire/human scenario. My favorite line was "Superglue dripped onto the floor like sap and Elena hid the paintbrush in the trashcan," because that bit of description puts a vivid picture in my head of how it would squish under the feet when he stood up. Nice job.

Mars: This felt both done and not done--I like to imagine Matthew suddenly jumping out of his shoes and driving a hidden stake through Elena's heart (I also wonder where she got that superglue that doesn't dry for five minutes? I'd like some)--but it did make a nice little story arc for a flash. Matthew's obvious disdain/disinterest was a nice touch, as opposed to the the normal love-at-first-sight scenarios in typical YA Urban Fantasy fiction. Something else I'm just noticing: the word style is done well here; it feels flowing and quite . . . surreptitious. Stealthy, flowing, cat-like. Good job!

(Bonus points to you for making me learn a new word: surreptitious. Also, Elena's "no man should be able to resist me!" thought made me think of a Mockingjay parody (observe lyrics "Gale and I have chemistry . . ."))

First Runner Up

M T Decker's Hypothetically Speaking

Rin: I love crime-scene type shows, so this story was a treat for me! The dialogue was good and flowed well, giving me a good idea of the character's personalities even without the help of much description. I like how instead of having it where the answer is clear, the characters went through a bunch of different scenarios in which someone might have a use for it. Especially enjoyed the mention of a real-life forensic science thing, fingerprint fumigation. Well done!

Mars: (I forgot to finish this I'm so sorry) Dialogue-heavy stories are something I'm generally very fond of; it pleased me to see a flash that carries a plot well through mostly dialogue. I am left wondering what conclusion Gina was drawn to, but that feels like part of the charm for the speculating, progressive tone of the piece. I like the look into Gina and her husband's relationship--we see one side of them in the brainstorming session, but there's a hint towards something else; nicely done character dynamics without being flashy. Nice work.

And, without further ado, the moment you've all been waiting for--

Y1W7 Winner!

Josh Bertetta

with A Sticky Situation

Rin: I loved this one! The mysterious feel was good and I liked how I was kept guessing how the super glue would tie in until the very end. My favorite line was "He didn’t care about her deformed ear, her abnormal arm, or club foot. He loved her for who she was," because the sweetness of it really did a good job of making me question my own intuition and whether I was reading more suspicious things into what came above it, making that last line really pop!

Mars: It took me a few re-reads to understand exactly was going on, and then I had a little "Awww" moment. The suspense was artfully played up to drive home the last line--what exactly his greatest work was. The reader can tell how obviously he dotes upon her--even before his declaration of love--which demonstrates excellent characterization. This is a really cute piece!

A Sticky Situation 

“Why do you have a pound of superglue—you know what? Never mind. I don’t want to know…I’ll just trump it up to another one of your idiosyncrasies.” She smiled, and tucked her hair behind her good ear, leaving her thick auburn locks covering the other. 

He asked her if she’d like a drink; she accepted. 

They sat across from one another, the tub of superglue on the mahogany coffee table, and sipped the brandy in silence. He stared into her large round eyes, then let his own admire the perfect symmetry of her face. A paragon of beauty. 

“Can I use your restroom?” 

“Of course. Shall I help you?” 

“Thank you, but I think I can manage.” She propped herself up on her cane, and hobbled toward the hallway. “Third door on the left, right?” 

“That’s right.” 

He refilled her drink, and waited, musing over the work to be done—his greatest work, his magnum opus. 

Upon her return, she thanked him for refilling her drink, sat, and together they shared hopes and dreams and thoughts on life. She liked him, and she knew he knew it; he loved her and he knew she knew it.

He didn’t care about her deformed ear, her abnormal arm, or club foot. He loved her for who she was. But she neither loved herself nor believed her worthy of love. 

She took a big sip of brandy, set the tumbler down, and yawned big and heavy. Her perfect cheeks flushed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I—I—”

Her eyelids grew heavy; she eked out an embarrassed smile, and passed out. 

He cradled her in his arms, brushed back her hair, and kissed her forehead; he bent at the knee and picked up the bottle of “Dr. Frankenstein’s Medical Grade Biotic Super Glue.”

 Great job, everybody! See you on Saturday (this time on time, heh)~

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 7

We've had a #crackedflashfail this Saturday. We apologize for everyone who was up at midnight, waiting for the prompt to come through (if there were any, that is. Heh). 

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Rin and Mars (Sie is packing)

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Due to our scatterbrains, we forgot to put up the prompt promptly. (*murdered for bad pun*) Therefore, the deadline has been extended to Sunday, 3 PM, PDT. Note that this is abnormal and will be for this week only. Still 24 hours to write, however!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:

"Why do you have a pound of superglue--you know what? Never mind. I don't want to know."

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 6

It's always such a pleasure. Remember how you tried to kill me--
twice?

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Rin and Mars

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:
"Oh, no. We brought the wrong kid."
"You're kidding me."

Actually, it's at midnight, but details.

Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 5

Welcome to the second month of Cracked Flash! (Well, I suppose, technically the third, since the very first challenge was in June, BUT NUANCES.) 

Take a looksy through the full rules if you haven't already!

Judges This Week: Rin and Si (Mars is gone to Canada)

Word count: 300 max

How: Submit your stories as a comment to this post, along with your name, word count, and title (and Twitter handle or blog if you've got 'em!). Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Midnight tonight, PDT!

Results announced: Next Wednesday!

Remember: The prompt can be mutilated, but not beyond recognition.

YOUR PROMPT:

"Well, this just got awkward."
"There's a corpse on the floor. Of course it got awkward."