With all the great flash fiction around the web, I normally find two or three that give me a real kick in the morning before I get to the work that pays. Continuing from yesterday, here’s a couple more that struck my fancy this morning.
238 by John Kenyon
The story can be found here.
The lack of emotion and structure of the story make it work. There’s a parallel between the two time periods that is apparent in the descriptions, but doesn’t fully realize itself until the end.
There’s hints of commentary here and there as well in the choosing of descriptions, but the story itself focuses on the confusion of a single character and the very personal reaction to his suffering. Nice job.
Thirty Miles North of Cheyenne by Court Merrigan
The story can be found here.
Wow. This is some dark western noir. Utterly hopeless. Each paragraph is a like an additional kick to the ribs. It’s unrelenting. As the reader, you keep expecting a hero, a savior, something. Numerous opportunities for salvation are presented, but are each quashed in their turn.
Finishing the tale leaves you in a funk. It’s a reaction to a vivid scene, with believable characters, playing out events that you imagine were far too common in their time. It’s well crafted, but hurts.
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