Oren Shafir's Blog, page 5

Red (a 200-word suspense flash fiction story) by Oren Shafir

Sometimes just the sight of his flaming red hair made me want to strike him.
His neediness was suffocating me. The way his cheeks flushed when we walked in the fields. The way, even the tips of his ears blushed when he went on and on about how he longed to make beautiful things.

And that particular morning, it was everything: his sincerity, his thick accent, his hook nose, his pale skin, the fact that we'd been stuck together in that little yellow house for too long - and most of all...

Good Morning, Good Morning! (a 200-word freaky flash fiction suspense short story) by Oren Shafir

My eyes snap open, and I can tell right away by the tone of the light that it's exactly 6 a.m. I sit up swinging my bare feet in an arc off the bed to the floor. I can feel the energy of life. It will not be one of those days. 


Yesterday, I woke up heavy and apathetic but today, I feel serene, yet ful...

Tattoo You (a 500-word suspense flash fiction short story) by Oren Shafir

Tattoo YouThere were more people than when Mike had seen her on the news story, and this time, they were mostly women. And then, of course, they were all looking at him. Well, actually, they were all looking at what Scarlett was doing to him - that was the point.

Whatever the reason, though, Mike liked being the center of attention. He was already scanning his prey out of the corner of his eye. He wouldn't even have to think of a pick-up line, they would just talk about whatever Scarlett was d...

The Finger (a 250-word suspense flash fiction story) by Oren Shafir

How to get your parents' attentionI gave my parents the finger when I was just 8-years-old, but I didn't get the reaction I had been hoping for. I never have -  not until now that it is. 


When I told them I put a big dent in the car, he said: "Marion, you start l...

Genre (a 400-word freaky flash fiction story) by Oren Shafir

My Dearest Joseph,

This is what is known as an epistolary work, but you wouldn't know that because you don't exist. Even within the framework of this story, however, you would not have a clue because - well - you haven't a clue.
What this really is, you see, is a juvenalian satire, an indictment of our society. I know you have no idea what any of those big words mean, but bear with me because the next part is all about your favorite subject - you.

You have a successful business....

5 Seconds (a 250-word freaky flash fiction suspense short story) by Oren Shafir

Image: www.spoon-tamago.com
Five seconds can be the difference between life and death. In this case, it was the difference. Under oath, I had no choice but  to admit this, even if it meant damning myself in doing so.
Everything that normally brought me respect was now making me despised. The judge, the witnesses, the people in the galleys, journalists, the world it seemed had nothing but contempt for me.

But what about those witnesses? Did any of them know what it was like to be the only th...

The Reconciliation (a 150-word freaky flash fiction short story) by Oren Shafir

Her body ached; they'd been talking for hours.

"All I ask is that you consider it," Mike said, but he had repeated that sentence so many times that it was ignored.

"Do you think I'm a bad father?" he asked.

"That's not an answer," he said. "I would never hurt the kids you know."

Cheryl saw a tear roll down his cheek.

"Mike, I know you love the kids. Listen, look at me. It's not too late," she said.

Mike...

The Dance (a 100-word freaky flash fiction story) by Oren Shafir

One day, they crossed paths in the narrow passage between the bathroom and the hall closet - only enough room for one to pass. Instead, he took hold of her and they spun, lips meeting softly. 


And now they danced again.Only this time, it seemed to him that the dance would go on forever, their entire lifetime in one silent kiss...

Another cup of tea (a 200-word flash fiction horror short story) by Oren Shafir

He remembers a young girl, but the things in this house are the possessions of an old woman. Plastic covering the couch upholstry. A lace tablecloth. Porcelain figures on the mantel of a fisherman's wife, a bell and a kettle. 


"You collect miniatures?

"I told you they're my amulets."

"Perhaps I should go."

"Nonsense, you're not well enough to go yet," she says, "drink your tea."

He tries to find the young girl in her leathery face.He tries to remember the feeling, the furious excitement that...

Cassie ( a 300-word freaky flash fiction short story) by Oren Shafir

Although my flat was tiny, I could observe all of humanity six flights below on the walking street. It was as though the black cloud of winter had dissipated overnight and the entire country had converged to feel the sun and gawk at each other below me.

They never saw Cassie though. Or if they did get a peripheral glimpse, they averted their eyes and walked faster, or at best offered her some coins. Cassie was unusually agitated today.

“You have to leave. You all have to leave,” she insisted,...