There’s something about these days of autumn in the northern hemisphere, with their chilling breezes and lengthening shadows, that makes one’s mind linger on the strange, the eerie, and the macabre. As our bodies seek our warm, winter shelters and our mugs of pumpkin-spiced lattes, our minds wander to what might be out there, lurking […]
Is there anywhere more strange and mysterious than a forest? From the first step within its branches, you can almost imagine that anything is possible. Around any curve of a packed-earth path, you might find the breadcrumbs of Hansel and Gretel or stumble across a buried treasure chest or wander into a secret dragon’s lair… […]
How can you tell when something’s broken beyond repair? For some things, it’s easy to tell when they’re beyond the help of Gorilla Glue or duct tape: a shattered glass, a watch that no longer tells time, a semi truck tire spreading strips of popped rubber on the highway. But some things are more difficult […]
Last month, my family went on our first real vacation since COVID, and from the record-breaking number of visitors pouring into the U.S. National Parks, we obviously weren’t the only ones ready for some sort of escape from the stresses and struggles of modern life. And what a relief it was to stand upon the […]
Last year, we were faced with a drought of reprints. It takes a lot of submissions to find just the right stories for the magazine because most subs don’t fit in some way or another. As you know if you’re a long-time reader or as you’ll see as you open this issue, we have a […]
What does it take to make a monster? The world is full of terrors: creatures that stalk and pounce and tear to pieces; perpetrators that prey on the weak and vulnerable; and all those other strange and unsettling things that lurk on the edge of our vision or whisper into our ears. Look back into […]
I don’t know that there’s ever been another year when I’ve been more excited about the coming of spring. As the northern hemisphere emerges from our cold, dark winter, many of us are also emerging from our cocoons of the past year’s isolation. We’re looking around at the world at all that’s changed and wondering […]
To: Past Me, March 1, 2020From: Future You, March 1, 2021 Dear Past Me, It’s me, Future You, writing from exactly one year further along the timeline. Sending you a message from beyond. Beyond what? Well, that’s what I want to tell you about. Brace yourself. 2020 is about to get weird. And scary. And […]
A few years ago, my son’s kindergarten teacher sent home a message about Valentine’s Day, celebrated here in the States each February 14. For their class party, each student could each bring a set number of cards or treats–one for each classmate. They could sign their own name, but they weren’t supposed to put a […]
Back in October, our editorial team took a technological leap forward: We held our first-ever staff Zoom meeting. Across five different time zones, with the help of computers and laptops and WiFi and Zoom, we were able to talk about some of our hopes and dreams for Flash Fiction Online and how best to continue […]
