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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
  6. Dan Antion avatar
    Dan Antion

    This one is very good, Hugh. I could feel the world rushing by.

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

      That’s exactly what I thought the leaf was experiencing as it rushed by on the fast-flowing stream, Dan.

      Reply
  7. Terri Webster Schrandt avatar
    Terri Webster Schrandt

    Great story, Hugh. Time travel in the blink of an eye and in 99 words! I love how you were inspired by walking over a fast-running stream. Way cool!

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

      Yes, ideas for stories can come at any time, Terri. Even while out walking in the rain with the dogs, I saw that leaf travelling down that fast flowing stream and instantly thought it was like time travelling.
      Thanks for the thumbs-up on this piece of flash.

      Reply
  8. Eugi avatar
    Eugi

    You know, to go back in time and see happenings through your own eyes could be scary and exhilarating. I feel a leaf going down a relentless river and experiencing history would be a once in a lifetime adventure but what you end up in a bad situation? Will bad or good memories persist? This is great writing, Hugh, and would make a great series, IMO.

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

      Thank, Eugi. Whenever I have the chance to go back in time, I always go back to happy memories and the happier times. They help a lot.

      Reply
      1. Eugi avatar
        Eugi

        You’re welcome, Hugh. I prefer to go back to happier memories, as well.

        Reply
  9. willowdot21 avatar
    willowdot21

    A great story Hugh from a genre I really like 💜

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

      Time travel is my favourite of them all, Willow.

      Reply
  10. Brenda avatar
    Brenda

    Loved this Hugh. Usually we think about using time machines to travel either backwards or forward. I guess it’s not instant, but books give us that window into different times. Feeling inspired, then a visit to Watersstones for some time travelling

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

      That crossed my mind about going forward or back, Brenda. But then I asked myself what if there was another dimension that we could travel in time. That’s what I went with and changed part of the story to ‘cities bustling with futuristic wonders,’ rather than witnessing the first man to walk on the moon.

      Glad you enjoyed this piece of flash. It was a walk over a stream that after heavy rain last week that bought the story to my mind.

      Reply
      1. Brenda avatar
        Brenda

        It surprises me what triggers our thoughts sometimes.

        Reply
  11. Mr. Ohh's Sideways View avatar
    Mr. Ohh’s Sideways View

    in the blink on an eye, three generations of E-Coli can come and go. Those same bactteria can kill a man, who might have lived a hundred years. It boggles the mind. 🤣🙃😎

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

      I hope there is no E-Coli in the family, Michael.

      Reply
      1. Mr. Ohh's Sideways View avatar
        Mr. Ohh’s Sideways View

        Not yet anyway. But they’re breeding faster than we are 🤣🤣🙃

        Reply
  12. JT Twissel avatar
    JT Twissel

    A different sort of piece for you Hugh – wise and zen-like.

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

      Thank you, Jan. It was a trip over our local stream that gave me the idea for this story.

      Reply
  13. Author Jan Sikes avatar
    Author Jan Sikes

    Love, love, love this, Hugh!!

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

      Thanks, Jan. Please do tell me why you loved it so much as it helps me going forward with future stories.

      Reply
      1. Author Jan Sikes avatar
        Author Jan Sikes

        To me, even though it’s fiction, it’s also representative of present day life and all the history we have access to. We have our own virtual time machines. That is what I loved about it, being able to relate it to my current world.

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

          Thank you, Jan. That’s great feedback and will certainly help me with my future stories and writing.

          Reply
  14. Jennie avatar
    Jennie

    Well done, Hugh! “Time was a relentless river; I was a fleeting leaf upon its currents.” Wow!

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

      Thanks, Jennie.

      I got the line you mentioned from the small stream at the bottom of the road I live on. I cross the bridge over it almost everyday and stood there and watched the leaves taking a ride downstream. The stream was fast-flowing due to the heavy rain we’d had.

      Reply
      1. Jennie avatar
        Jennie

        Lovely! Thanks for the backstory.

        Reply
  15. Kymber Hawke avatar
    Kymber Hawke

    I really enjoyed this, Hugh! :)

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

      Thanks, Kymber. What was it that made you enjoy it? I’d love to know more as it helps me with future stories.

      Reply

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I’m Hugh

Welcome to my blog. I’m delighted to have you here. This is the place to discover tips on blogging and WordPress, flash fiction, photography, and more. I enjoy engaging with my readers, so please feel free to explore, join discussions, and contact me. I’m happy to assist! Find out more about me and my blog by clicking the ‘Meet Hugh’ button.

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