Aphelion

Untrue, Robin.

Your opinion means you liked it. That is valid! I liked it too. That's why I published it

Hola, Aphelionites I am working my way slowly through the indices of the blessed saint Kailhofer below and reworking each challenge into a single html file, and then linking those stories to the [a href="http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/flash/FlashChallengeIndex.html"] Flash Challenge Index[/a], whic...

As we roll into the end of the third of this trilogy of truly weird years, let us give thanks, by telling a tale of a mid-winter festival. Just anything but Christmas. I'm looking for a solstice tale from another timeline, a far-off world, or the strange country through the door at the back of the p...

W e've only had one entry for this challenge, so take it away Robin Lipinkski! They Will Come By: Robin B Lipinski Mr. John J. McDunn was a quirky sort of fellow. Modern society deemed him to have various mental conditions, all relating to being a person who had to have everything in order. John had...

And we have an entry!

It's been over a year since I ran a Flash Challenge, and for that I sincerely apologise. Let's try this again, shall we? Since this is the first challenge in a while, I thought "The Return" would be an appropriate premise. It is entirely up to the author who has returned, whence, and why. Has Cthulh...

Hello!

The premise is a pun, or play on words. As a mechanic is someone who fixes vehicles and makes them work, the story assumes that a 'quantum mechanic' is a little man who makes sub-atomic particles work properly. Hence, when they go on strike, the universe grinds to a halt...

Test. test.

While we enjoy March's stories, let us work on April's, shall we? Tell us a tale in a thousand words or less of man's interaction with the Gods. The question is: which gods? Are we talking about Zeus and his lecherous brethren? Lovecraft's Great Old Ones? Von Danniken's Space Gods? Gaimen's transpla...

The Cryptid Hunter Lowan, a dark-haired man about 36 years old, with his rifle in hand, was silently walking through the woods, looking for his prey, with all his senses focused on the possible target. Located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 71 and Interstate 49 in Arkansas, stood the small cit...

Corner of the Eye It was another strange night. A night like so many other recent nights which could be labeled, strange, for the person known as, Bob. “Bob, you’re a strange duck. Why are you pouring laundry soap into the coffee pot?” Not a strange question coming from Bob’s coworker, Phil. Afteral...

Borehole “So, Captain Meyers, could you briefly summarize what happened a year ago that led to the second mission your team is a part of now? - Just to refresh the memories of our NPR listeners.” “Sure. In February of 2021 we sent a camera through borehole which we had drilled through the icecap he...

Little Foot At Mark and Jane’s trading post which supplied hunting and fishing equipment along with groceries, work cloths, gas and other basic essentials needed in a rural area, a group of Bigfoot hunters talked with two locals about a strange occurrence that has been happening for over a hundred ...

LOVE COMES IN ALL SHAPES “I have to tell you what I just read, I’m really shook.” Kate stormed out of the log cabin and onto the porch where Chris was enjoying his morning coffee and re-reading Sherlock Holmes on his e-reader. “Oh, yeah? What’d you just read?” He asked, eager to get back to his thi...

Good day, all
Apologies, someone appears to have stolen a month of my life.

Two received so far...

Lipinski wrote: ↑March 01, 2021, 10:09:14 PM has anyone seen a brain rolling around in here? i mean, one minute the brain is thinking about Plato and fig neutons and the next "POP! off goes the brain... Here brain. Heeere brain! Be a good boy. Braaaain?

Braaaaaaaaaains

Yeti, kraken, Yowies, Jersey Devils, Nessie... The world contains much that science cannot categorise, or so urban legend tells us.

Tell us a tale, in a thousand words or less, of an encounter with a cryptid. Entries to me by PM by midnight(ish) on 13 March, if you please.

Evening all! The votes are in, and congratulations to Robin Lipinski, whose tale A Glowing Ray of Hope garnered half of the votes this month. Second was Michelle Dutcher, with A God's Hope and third was JonTrue with The Last Star (my personal favourite). Last but not least was Sergio Palumbo's Diffe...

The Last Star By JonTrue Long after my body has decomposed and the sun I look up to every morning has grown cold and consumed everything I ever have, or ever will, love. After countless millennia pass on the relentless winds of time, as those vigilant points of light in the night sky wink out one b...

A God’s Hope By Michelle "Bottomdweller" Dutcher Within the emptiness of a god’s mind, mountain lions romped and played, suspended in time and space. They had hovered there - alongside memories of lush, green hillsides and cool water rushing over the limestone fords of the Father of Waters – while ...

Different Hopes... By Sergio "Ente per Ente" Palumbo The fall to the surface of that planet had been devastating, and it was obvious his destroyed spacepod would not provide any usable parts left. The soldier, Dewei Yneard, 30-year-old, knew that not even the lifesaving module aboard – which was un...

A Glowing Ray of Hope By Robin B. Lipinski It was a war. Just another war in an endless parade of wars which have existed since the time mankind learned to harness the power of hate. The war was one of science and politics. It was a battle between countries and the struggle to be the dominant socie...

Good Day, all. Apologies for the delays - there have been fun and games behind the scenes.

We have four responses to the "New Hope" challenge. Read on, and then tell us what you thought.

Two entries so far...

Evening, all I thought for this challenge, as it is a new year, we could try and encourage some optimism. Tell us a tale, in a thousand words or less, of the dawn of a new age, the start of something hopeful and the end of a time of darkness and fear. I want characters, I want a story arc, and I wan...

Through the Heart... By Sergio Palumbo The tumbling down of his apartment building had been unexpected, and the whole edifice had collapsed to the ground with no warning. Franz Huybert had found himself wounded, covered with blood on his arms and legs, and buried under giant sections of load-bearing...

Do-over By Michelle Dutcher Evelyn began to suspect that the doctors were correct. Maybe she was experiencing a mental breakdown. Afterall, her memories didn’t start until last week when she had found herself in the last house on the left, in a quiet suburb just north of the city of Boston. There wa...

Yesterday’s Tomorrow By Megawatts A bright-piercing white light that oozed into a Kaleidoscope of colors, very beautiful and restful when looking over the low hills that surrounded Bedford Farms, rained down for about thirty seconds that day. What it was, no scientist could give more than an opinion...

THE SOUND OF SILENCE By Jontrue No one expected the end to come so soon. There was no warning, no cries from the scientific community, no prophets speaking for their gods, no cult heads prepping their flocks with kool-aid. The end was not spectacular or glorious. It all ended with a simple ‘wompf.’ ...