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Forever Town

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In Forever Town, I saw those who were content and happy, and those who felt overwhelmed and burdened by life. I felt each of these, unpredictably, at different times. When I was young, in my teens, my family had business in other places. So, I would stay in Forever Town, trying to be an adult, all on my own. Paying bills; feeding my brother, boyfriend, and whoever else was around; caring for the house and property; gardening; and mowing grass, because it does grow endlessly in Forever Town. Trying to be a good person, as that also goes. Soon I found that people who seemed to be my friends, even my boyfriend, really all had problems of their own. I was just a little girl, in a rather small Forever Town, hoping for the best, and trying to prepare for the worst. My investments took the shape of friendships, because none had any money in Forever Town. Sometimes I would buy friends items, sometimes I would feed friends, and often times, when things were tough, I was alone. Alone in Fore...
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Slush

#worthingflash is open to anyone who writes flash fiction. Writers from all over the world have contributed. I mention this because I have had three of my stories published in Australia and yet one magazine "Slush" refused my work because I am not Australian. I am glad that others are less prejudiced. #slush Derek McMillan Derek McMillan is a writer in Durrington in the UK. His editor is his wife, Angela. He has written for print and online publications in the UK, USA, Australia and Canada. His latest book is an audio-book with the cheerful title, "Murder from Beyond the Grave" which is available on eBay. 
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THE LUCKY PENNY

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THE LUCKY PENNY By Linda S. Gunther Cynthia pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head.  The drizzle of rain blurred her eyeglasses.  She ached for a walk, the one she did most every day - two miles round trip along the beach path. But it had been a week full of rain. She started across the parking lot and spotted a shiny penny on the blacktop. She heard on NPR news that nobody picks up lucky pennies anymore. People don’t want pennies. In fact, penny production in the U.S. would be halted this year. Cynthia didn’t like pennies either.  But there it sat on the ground, the shiniest penny she’d ever seen screaming to be picked up, kept for luck, respected as a prize, and likely forgotten within thirty minutes of being found.  No need to pick it up. Just a silly supersti tion. She crossed the parking lot, le...
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The Citadel

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The Citadel The Citadel was a  building on the south coast. Although it had the look of a castle, this was an illusion. The battlements were far too small to be of any use to men-at-arms. The protection was provided by state-of-the-art equipment. The modern-day men-at-arms in the Citadel were fighting a cyber-war. They were protected by eight protocols which were changed on a random basis. Naturally, the protocols were top secret. This means they were available to anyone with a computer and access to the internet. Hackers are no respecters of persons. My son, who worked at the citadel, was coming home on holiday that weekend. “I am forbidden to tell you which protocol will be in action. I am not allowed to inform you.” All of his phone and WhatsApp messages were monitored of course. I didn’t need him to tell me which protocol was in action. One protocol was called ALAL which, as you can see, repeated itself. The fact that he had engaged in a little tautology was a...
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Flash Fiction and Education

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Teachers are familiar with pupils who will write the minimum because it minimises the mistakes they might make. With flash fiction, correction should normally involve shortening the story.  Shakespeare used the phrase "Brevity is the soul of wit." He deliberately gave it to the most tedious character in "Hamlet", Polonius. Most stories can be improved by removing redundant phrases or words. Mark Twain once apologised for the length of a letter to a friend by saying, "I didn't have time to write a short one." Flash fiction is not a soft option. It involves thinking about what point you are trying to make and eliminating everything else. Pupils are invited to send their flash fiction to worthingflash@gmail.com for the chance to have it published in the blog worthingflash.blogspot.com , and I can assure you there is nothing better for motivation than seeing your work in print and realising other people will read it.
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Happy Star Wars Day

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                                       from #worthingflash
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Heavenly Calling

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Heavenly Calling by George Dimitriu Gicu, a corpulent and bearded individual, arrived one summer in Poiana Braşov together with his sons. The first thing they did was to eat fried potatoes with various toppings, out of some cardboard Mexican hats. Fatty! Very fat, so they went for a quick walk to recover. At one point, Gicu sees a large, transparent sphere, guarded by two men, so he goes towards them: – Hello! What's with this sphere? Is it for zorbing? – Yes! – I want to use it too! He had heard about the new fun in Poiana and was curious to try it too. Basically, you entered that sphere, let yourself be tied with some harnesses and then you started downhill, in a fraternal communion with it. He informs his children that such a thing is not for them and leaves them at the arrival point with one of the men, after which he begins to climb the hill with the other. On the way, he tries to pull the tongue of the man who was pushing the sphere toward...
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