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June 2019

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Table of Contents

Science Fiction

Sine, cosine.

By Marie Clementel

Literary

A Thousand Butterflies

By Chelsea Voulgares

Fantasy

How to Confront the Sphinx Haunting Your Garden

By Alexei Collier

Editorial

Relationships

By Suzanne W. Vincent

Column

FXXK WRITING CAUTIONARY TALE 10: DEATH AND THE WORKING WRITER

By Jason S. Ridler

Fantasy

Fairy-Tale Ending

By Beth Goder

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Relationships

Relationships Suzanne W. Vincent

Relationships.

I’m an introvert. I married an extrovert.

Opposites attract, I suppose, because (yes, I know it’s cliche) he completes me. All the cliches: My soul mate, my best friend, my whole world.

In other words, this girl who barely knew how to talk to live human beings (not that I’ve changed all that much since we married 30 years ago) found a great guy to share her life with.

U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, once said, “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships—the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.”

That’s not always easy. Relationships often come with a hefty share of heartache along with the joy. Relationships can thrive or fail miserably; they can be healthy or toxic; they can last a lifetime or a breathless moment. But we need them. Even introverts like me.

Two of our stories this month—“Sine, Cosine,” and “A Thousand Butterflies”—are both about a lover watching a loved one suffer.

Two—“Fairy-tale Ending,” and “How to Confront the Sphynx Haunting Your Garden”—are about lonely characters who long for relationships.

The wonderful thing about each pair of stories is the varying directions they take us through those relationships.

We hope you enjoy them with a friend, relative, or lover of your own!

© Suzanne W. Vincent

Meet the Author

Suzanne W. Vincent

Suzanne Vincent is the editor-in-chief of Flash Fiction Online. That’s what people think anyway. Actually, she’s really a pretty ordinary middle-aged woman packing a few extra pounds and a few more gray hairs than she’s comfortable with. As a writer, she leans toward the fantasy spectrum, though much of what she writes is difficult to classify. Slipstream? Isn’t that where we stick stories when we just can’t figure out where else they go? Suzanne’s first professional publication was right here at FFO, published before she joined the staff: “I Speak the Master’s Will,” — a story she’s still very proud of. While she doesn’t actually have time to blog anymore, she once did. You can still read her ancient posts on writing at The Slushpile Avalanche. Suzanne keeps a house full of kids (3), a husband (1), and pets (too many to number) in Utah, USA. Yes, she’s a Mormon. No, there isn’t another wife. Mormons haven’t actually practiced polygamy since the 1890s. Too bad. She’d love to have another woman around to wash dishes and do laundry.

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