Emily June Street's Blog, page 19

Week Eight Winner: The Holy Island by Karl A. Russell

“Oh, don’t be so bloody flaccid! ”

David gripped the rusty railing tightly as Marsha’s voice echoed across the valley. Afraid to lift his feet from the worn stone, he shuffled after her.

“Marsha, I don’t think-”

“Of course you don’t think; You never do. Daddy says you’re brainless. Spineless too.”

Across the bridge, another tourist couple paused to watch, smiling. Marsha swore at them and they hurried away. She sighed theatrically.

“Do you have to make a holy show of yourself?”

She stomped on , sil...

Summer of Super Short Stories Week Eight Winners!

Bridges are fascinating structures. Architectural wonders, embodying millennia of trial-and-error and engineering invention, they provide powerful and versatile metaphors for the human mind. In both their functional and metaphorical capacity, bridges connect two domains that might otherwise be mutually inaccessible. But a bridge is also a bottleneck where access can be granted or denied by whatever authority controls the span.

The stories in this week’s round use the bridge of the prompt in di...

Summer of Super Short Stories Week Eight

Welcome to week eight of Luminous Creatures Press’s first Flash Fiction contest! Our guest judge this week is reader and coder extraordinaire Dave Peticolas.

You have until 6 pm (PST) on Saturday to submit a 500-word story based on the prompt picture below. Post your story in the comments section; include your name, a title, the word count (not including title), and your Twitter handle if you’ve got one. Only stories submitted before the deadline will be eligible to win. We’re on San Francisco...

Week Seven Winner: The Choosing by Karl A. Russell

They ran through the woods, white clad ghosts flitting between the trees. Lachlan caught sight of Sheilagh and swerved to join her, hoping that she would be one of the lucky ones. He called her name, then realised too late that she was not alone. A roar of hungry triumph told him that The Beast was close by, but it was a meaningless, abstract realization. For the moment at least, all of his thoughts were of Moira.

She wore the ceremonial robes, as they all did, an ornate headdress singling her...

Summer of Super Short Stories Week Seven Winners!

First, let me say that I was honored to be asked to judge Luminous Creatures Press Summer of Super Short Stories contest for week 7. I am often humbled by the caliber of writing found amongst my ilk on this media called ‘social’. This week’s entries were no exception. Four writers entered the contest, and all four stories were spectacular, with well-drawn characters, vivid imagery and creative structure. Each writer, to my delight, attacked the prompt photo with a distinctive idea! Bravo, peo...

Summer of Super Short Stories Week Seven

Welcome to week seven of Luminous Creatures Press’s first Flash Fiction contest! Our guest judge this week is Kristen Falso-Capaldi.

You have until 6 pm (PST) on Saturday to submit a 500-word story based on the prompt picture below. Post your story in the comments section; include your name, a title, the word count (not including title), and your Twitter handle if you’ve got one. Only stories submitted before the deadline will be eligible to win. We’re on San Francisco time; check the world cl...

Week Six Winner: Of Earth and Stone by David Gentner

Those who lived in the quiet hamlet had long forgotten the original purpose of the colossal gray stones standing in the neighboring pasture. No trees grew near them; no moss or lichen gathered upon their smooth surfaces. But the air was always fresh, and the lush green of the hilltop always appeared dappled with sunlight, even on the most overcast of days. It had become a place of celebration: a place where they could rejoice in their blessings, mourn their losses, or where one could simply l...

Summer of Super Short Stories Week Six Winner!

Hello friends!

You are all writers after my own heart. You took a lovely pastoral photograph and turned it into something ominous. I enjoyed all of the stories, and was a bit jealous I hadn’t come up with one or two of them.

Golden Afternoon – Poor Adam, all he wanted was to enjoy one last golden afternoon before the end of the world. Impatient Eva made sure it was the last thing he would enjoy. I liked the choices Carlos made regarding his character’s names; whether it was his intent or not,...

Summer of Super Short Stories Week Six

Welcome to week six of Luminous Creatures Press’s first Flash Fiction contest! Our guest judge this week is Rebecca J. Allred of The Angry Hourglass.

You have until 6 pm (PST) on Saturday to submit a 500-word story based on the prompt picture below. Post your story in the comments section; include your name, a title, the word count (not including title), and your Twitter handle if you’ve got one. Only stories submitted before the deadline will be eligible to win. We’re on San Francisco time; c...

Week Five Winner: Same Time, Next Year by Voima Oy

In the remote countryside, there are places that still observe the old ways. It is only recently that we have begun to welcome visitors. But, that’s the way the world is, these days. Times change, like the weather.

In the summer, we have a holiday for hungry ghosts. It is not the Buddhist concept, though. Based on Shinto, this celebration is even older than Obon and Tanabata, but it’s also about love and death and meetings.

The streets are hung with strings of colored lights and lanterns. There...