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Flash Fiction – In The Blink Of An Eye

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Hugh W. Roberts

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April 2, 2024, prompt: Write a story that happens in a flash in 99 words (no more, no less). A flash of inspiration? A flash flood? Who shows up in a flash? Who is impacted for a lifetime by a single flash incident? Go where the prompt leads!

In The Blink Of An Eye – by Hugh W. Roberts

The time machine hummed to life in a blink, thrusting me into a whirlwind of eras. Past and future blurred into a kaleidoscope of moments.

I glimpsed dinosaurs roaming prehistoric jungles, the crowning of kings and queens in medieval and Tudor castles, and cities bustling with futuristic wonders.

Time was a relentless river; I was a fleeting leaf upon its currents.

With a final flash, I returned to the present, breathless and exhilarated. Yet, in my mind, the echoes of centuries persisted, a reminder that anyone can journey through the annals of time in the blink of an eye.

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

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Image credit: Charli Mills

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43 responses to “Flash Fiction – In The Blink Of An Eye”

  1. SCY3 # 1 Tips: How To Write Fantastic Stories That Will Impact Readers by Hugh W. Roberts – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write avatar
    SCY3 # 1 Tips: How To Write Fantastic Stories That Will Impact Readers by Hugh W. Roberts – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write

    […] the 99-word flash fiction challenge, a creative endeavour led by the talented blogger, author, and writer Charli Mills. At first, 99 […]

    Reply
  2. Y3 Story Chat Summary #15: “Waiting” by Philip Cumberland – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write avatar
    Y3 Story Chat Summary #15: “Waiting” by Philip Cumberland – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write

    […] Hugh’s Views and News “I have to agree that the tension in this short story is excellent – I’d go as far as saying it’s one of the best ‘suspense’ short stories I’ve read because it conveys so well what suspense is all about in writing and our lives. I note that Philip says that he’s placed short stories he’s written into longer novels. That’s where I think this short story belongs. I do love open-endings, but I feel the way this story ended and the way it was told is too open. Although I enjoyed the story, I felt somewhat deflated when I got to the ending, but only because I wanted to know more. As for which genre this story fits into, I’d say ‘Drama.’ However, if it were put into a longer story and we say find out more about other characters, such as ‘The Elderly Driver’ who drove into Arthur and Claudia’s car, I can see the story having an element of a thriller to it.” […]

    Reply
  3. Marsha avatar
    Marsha

    I am amazed that you can weave such an in-depth tale in a mere 99 words. Yet the word pictures were clear as a leaf floating down a stream. I’m in awe, Hugh!

    Reply
    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
      Hugh W. Roberts

      Thanks, Marsha. It’s amazing where inspiration for some stories come from.

      Reply
      1. Marsha avatar
        Marsha

        I’m sitting here thinking, I should write a poem or story, and the call of comments draws me in. Then I’m so impressed by others after reading their blogs that I don’t write anything. What’s up with that?

        Reply
        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
          Hugh W. Roberts

          I found myself down that road once, where all I was doing was reading blogs and commenting on them. I had to take action, which i did, and now have a balance of reading and writing.

          Reply
          1. Marsha avatar
            Marsha

            I sat down last night and forced myself to write – even though it was a short Tanka. I want to publish a book of poems by the end of the year. I have a lot of material, but my style and subject matter has changed over the years. For my poem last night, I revived an old blog post, updated the pictures online, and then wrote a poem offline. I found out that when you publish a book, you have to unpublish your material from your blog.

            Reply
            1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
              Hugh W. Roberts

              Yes, but it depends on where you’re selling your book. I know with Amazon Kindle Unlimited where you get paid per page view, you’re not allowed to publish any of the material from the book on your blog. However, if you sell you book via Amazon, you can publish snippets on your blog.

            2. Marsha avatar
              Marsha

              Interesting. What’s the difference, they are both Amazon?

            3. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
              Hugh W. Roberts

              Kindle Unlimited is where you get paid by the page that it read. People don’t buy the book, but the monthly subscription they pay Amazon for Kindle Unlimited allows them to read as many books as they like.

            4. Marsha avatar
              Marsha

              Yes, but don’t they come on the same deposit?

            5. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
              Hugh W. Roberts

              I’m not sure what you mean by deposit. Email me if you need anymore details, Marsha.

            6. Marsha avatar
              Marsha

              When you get a deposit from Amazon, doesn’t it include both Kindle Unlimited readers and those who bought the paperback book?

            7. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
              Hugh W. Roberts

              Yes, it does. But authors do not pay to include their books in the Unlimited Kindle programme. However, if they do include them in Kindle Unlimited, they are not allowed to publish the stories anywhere else.

            8. Marsha avatar
              Marsha

              That might explain why I don’t get anything from Ingram Spark. I get checks for pennies!

  4. Y3 Story Chat #15: “Waiting” by Philip Cumberland – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write avatar
    Y3 Story Chat #15: “Waiting” by Philip Cumberland – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write

    […] Hugh’s Views and News […]

    Reply
  5. Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up - April 2024 avatar
    Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – April 2024

    […] Flash Fiction – In The Blink Of An Eye […]

    Reply

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