2023 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 12
Write a piece of flash fiction each day of February with the February Flash Fiction Challenge, led by Managing Editor Moriah Richard. Each day, receive a prompt, example story, and write your own. Today’s prompt is to write about mourning.
For today’s prompt, write about mourning. Whether it's a loved one, a lost opportunity, or a physical transition (like a job loss or house move), the choice is up to you!
Remember: These prompts are just starting points; you have the freedom to go wherever your flash of inspiration takes you.
(Note: If you happen to run into any issues posting, please just send me an e-mail at mrichard@aimmedia.com with the subject line: Flash Fiction Challenge Commenting Issue. Fingers crossed there are no tech hiccups!)
Here’s my attempt at a story about mourning:
Adam
He has questions—impossible ones to answer now.
“Why didn’t he just tell me?” he asks.
I know he’s not asking me. I slide my hand over his bare chest, comforting as a butterfly’s wing in a hurricane. I say, “Because he knew you’d convince him to stay. When people are that depressed, there’s nothing anyone can do for them. But he knew you loved him.”
“I hope so,” he says. “But I guess we’ll never know now.”
What could anyone say to that? We lay in the dark, breathing together. Distantly, a neighbor’s dog begins barking—lonely, echoing.
Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner. She also runs the Flash Fiction February Challenge on the WD blog, encouraging writers to pen one microstory a day over the course of the month and share their work with other participants. As a reader, Moriah is most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook.
Learn more about Moriah on her personal website.
