Flash Fiction Friday
Evening edition.
Happy Flash Fiction Friday, evening edition! I took yesterday as a day of rest and recuperation from the madness of my schedule, then when I was home in the evening, my sinus allergies went radioactive, resulting with me taking an allergy medicine that swiftly shipped me off to sleep.
A big thanks to James Jensen and Wendy Cockcroft for checking in to see if I was alright and/or if there would be a flash fiction Friday post and indeed, here we are! I really appreciate y’all for reaching out!
What I’m Reading
I spent yester-afternoon, soaking up the sun on a beach that I love over in Coronado. It has been years since I let my feet meet the salty seas. I live in San Diego - going this long without touching the ocean is a crime.
It felt medicinal, being out there by the rolling waves, feeling the sun’s kiss on my skin, and hearing the songs of seagulls.
While out on that glimmering, golden shore, I curled up with a fun book: Dropshipped by Stephanie Sanders-Jacob . I am a little more than halfway through this campy creature tale and absolutely loving it. For a horror writer, this was a perfect beach-read. For non-horror people, this might not be the book to use as a source of relaxation, but it is a ton of fun if you like creepy, gross monsters, and absolutely kick-butt Mom-main characters.
What I’m Writing
Over the past week, between teaching, beaching, and delivering speeches, I’ve been throwing 100% of my writing attention toward Tiny Dreadfuls. I have eleven of twenty stories or poems ready to go, so feeling good being at the halfway point, but I need to get these done by the end of this weekend if I have any hope of having an arc in hand by StokerCon which is in thirteen days… pray for me.
If you’re wondering if I have a social life - I swear I do. I spent all of last Sunday eating cheese and celebrating life with friends. Look - evidence of me in the wild!
Dennis K. Crosby, KC Grifant, the rest of our group, and I had an absolute blast at this day filled with unlimited amounts of glorious cheese.
I mentioned earlier how I was delivering speeches - this past week marked my last official event as the President of the Graduate Student Association within the School of Leadership and Educational Sciences. It has been my absolute honor working with my peers and colleagues at the University of San Diego, serving our community in this capacity. I am so grateful for the time I enjoyed as President and look forward to what next year will bring.
Flash Fiction Friday Prompts
Pick one, blend both, pick neither. If you feel so moved, feel free to drop a link to your Substack in the comments for us to read your post on your page OR feel free to drop your entire story in the comments below. The biggest thing to remember is to have fun!
Here’s to the writers who joined the action last week:
To the prompts!
PROMPT 1: Karma comes to collect.
OR
PROMPT 2: A tooth falls out.
Here is my drabble for inspiration - I chose prompt number 2.
“The Fall” by Sarah Faxon
My tooth fell out. Time slowed as I watched the glimmering, shimmering porcelain-like jewel plummet from my mouth. In one rotation after the other, it descended from our journey together and onto one of its own.
My right hand swung into action in the half-speed ballet. Reaching to save my lifelong friend from disarray. My left hand flung the pizza which had persuaded my tooth from its warm home.
But my hands were just too slow.
The tooth clanked to the plank of my family's outdoor deck.
It bounced once.
Twice.
Before falling between the cracks and out of my life.
© Sarah Faxon 2026
The above story is actually based on a true event. When I was seven or so years old, I was eating a slice of pizza in my grandma’s back yard at a friends & family get-together, and the pizza sucked out my wiggly tooth. In real life, the tooth fell straight down between the gaps of the deck’s plank never to be seen again.
Alrighty, y’all. Go forth and write!
And here’s to those we honor in the States during Memorial Day weekend. Here’s to the service and sacrifice they and their families have made.
Cheers, dears!
-Sarah
I think I'm going to jump in this weekend.
Woo hoo! Great prompts as usual, Sarah. It's late here, so I'll have my fun tomorrow. I loved your tooth story. 😊