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Saturday, 2 November 2024

Saturday Sample: Tripping the Flash Fantastic by Allison Symes, spring water

 


Introduction

I never anticipated I’d become a published flash fiction writer when I began my writing journey. I had been happily writing short stories (1500 words +) when CafeLit issued their 100 word challenge.

My first thought was you have to be kidding me? How can you tell a story in such a small word count?

My second thought was they wouldn’t have issued the challenge if it was impossible. Go on, Allison, give it a go. See if you can do it.

I did and discovered it was possible to write stories to a tiny word count. What I didn’t anticipate was how quickly I would become addicted to the form! Since then I have written across the flash fiction spectrum from five word stories right up to the top end count of 1000 words.

In this collection, you will find a mixture of word count lengths and styles. There is historical flash fiction included and some stories told in poetic form. Flash fiction is more flexible than you might think in what you can do within its structure.

I hope you enjoy this latest collection of my flash tales as much as I loved writing them.

Best wishes.


Allison Symes

 

 

 

Allison Symes loves reading and writing quirky fiction. She discovered flash fiction thanks to a CafeLit challenge and has been hooked on the form ever since.

In this follow-up to her From Light to Dark and Back Again, Allison will take you back in time, into some truly criminal minds, into fantasy worlds, and show you how motherhood looks from the viewpoint of a dragon!

Enjoy the journey!

 

 

 


 

          TRIPPING THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

 

The big boss sighed as he reset the consumer unit in his kitchen.

Someone decided now was the time to trip the light fantastic. Bloody inconsiderate, he called it.

Now he had the mother of all headaches as the power went through him. It made him feel like he was a torch. Still, he would have the joy of passing on the pain.

Power always cost something and tomorrow he would be doing the charging.

 

BRINGING UP BABY

 

Round toys, square toys, bashed but favourite, all were strewn over the lounge. Helena suspected the substance near the top of her curtain rail was jelly. That was the price you paid for hosting your two-year-old’s birthday party.

It could’ve been worse. In Helena’s case there would never be a need to book a “magician” to entertain the kids. Magic ran in the family. When she thought of what her daughter, Amy, could do if she had enough knowledge, Helena’s blood ran cold.      

Not many can do that to a witch.

 

  

TIME FOR SOME PEACE

 

As some inconsiderate beings insisted on interfering with her peace, she must show the sods how much she hated disturbances.

She padded to the entrance. About twenty feet away were the dwarves, digging out another mine. They were wasting their time. She knew where the gold was. She sat on it.

Still a moment later her problems were solved. A blast of flame, no more dwarves, and she could resume guarding her baby and enjoying her rest.

It was hard work being a mother dragon.

 About the author

Allison Symes is published by Chapeltown Books, CafeLit, and Bridge House Publishing amongst others. She is a member of the Society of Authors and Association of Christian Writers. She adores reading and writing quirky fiction which she calls fairytales with bite. 

Her website is https:\\allisonsymescollectedworks.com and she blogs weekly for online magazine, Chandler’s Ford Today, often on writing related topics – http://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/author/allison-symes/

 

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