25 responses to “Flash Fiction – Crossroads Of Desire”

1. 

   Celebrating 2025: 12 Most Inspiring Posts That Defined the Year!

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   […] Flash Fiction – Crossroads Of Desire […]

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2. 

   Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – July 2025

   Jul 31, 2025

   […] Flash Fiction – Crossroads Of Desire […]

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3. 

   Eugi

   Jul 8, 2025

   Choices we make should be thoroughly thought out before we act, Hugh. The consequences can be a slippery slope. Your story made a good point of how consequences can affect our lives. Eloquent writing, my friend.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Jul 8, 2025

      Thank you, Eugi. We face choices every day. Some are nice to make, others come with danger that can sometimes have a little excitement and risk attached to them. However, we should always consider the consequences that go with them.

      Reply
      1. 

         Eugi

         Jul 8, 2025

         You’re welcome, Hugh.

         Reply
4. 

   Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com

   Jul 7, 2025

   Interesting response to the prompt. It isn’t a choice I’d make but it would make life rather challenging.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Jul 8, 2025

      I can only imagine that both Bill and his wife have made choices that will not only make life challenging but also bring consequences to the rest of their lives.
      Thanks for reading this piece of flash, Janis. I always try to think outside the box when I take on a writing challenge.

      Reply
5. 

   Gary A Wilson

   Jul 7, 2025

   Hi Hugh,

   This was a hard story to read then click [ Like ]. There was so little to “LIKE” about this scenario.

   That said, you did a great job of describing the scene in very few words.

   You left me hurting inside, not necessarily for your fictional characters but more so for real people who find themselves in similar situations and struggle with the same choices. Romantic relationships, especially when the first germane fact is that the couple is married and find themselves so deeply disappointed in this crucial fact.

   But let me offer some feedback on your story.

   Your whole second paragraph was strange. It didn’t clarify what each choice was and I decided that you intended to only hint at what each meant – adding meat to the feeling of difficulty with his options. I think I read this paragraph 4-6 times trying to parse what you were saying.

   Your third paragraph settles Bill and us with the unclarified 3rd option. Okay – but we’re still wondering what this means. At this point did you intend to leave us wondering?

   Your 4th paragraph almost blew me out of the story. Having made his decision from his 4 options, Bill reached for the box of 4 pills. . . umm. Did we just switch to Matrix-like process where pill 3 of 4 activates his selection?

   But no – I completely missed your intent because a later line clarifies that the pills are all the same and they need time to help him perform as expected by Nina. Oh. I’m back to where I thought your story was going – but why did you call out 4 pills? The pill container could have held any number of pills without changing the story, or did I miss something significant about those 4 pills? Maybe they were what remained of a 6-pack of helping Bill rise to the occasion?

   From this point on, especially when you switch the scene to Bill’s wife, all was clear.

   Some might suggest that you more strongly signal that you’re switching scenes with:

   [ . . .  ‘See you in an hour, lover,’ came back.

   # # #

   Three miles away, Bill’s wife looked . . . ]

   … but in this case – I think it’s clear enough as presented, but I did pause to think this through and if you had used them – I would not have paused at all.

   You built a great, but profoundly, sad image of four people living lives very much below anything that could look healthy. I’d offer that there are really 4 stories germinating from this painful seed cluster.

   Another great job Hugh.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Jul 8, 2025

      Thanks for the great feedback, Gary. I’m glad you enjoyed this piece of flash fiction, which was centred around the prompt word.

      Given that this was a piece of flash fiction, even though there was no word count limit, I wanted to make the story as brief as possible. I agree that I could have made more of the four choices Bill faced, but I was hoping some of the words I used in each choice would have been clues, but obviously not. With a few tweaks here and there, I’m sure I can improve on that, so thank you for bringing it to my attention.

      I did want the reader to wonder what choice Bill had made without giving too much away. Given that I enjoy my pieces of fiction coming with a twist, I thought I got away with it without going into too much detail later in the story.

      I’m glad you thought I might have included a slice of science fiction with the pills situation. As you may know, science fiction is my favourite genre to write, so I guessed it crept into something that it wasn’t intended to do.

      As for there being 4 pills in the box, I did some research on the medication Bill was going to take, and found that here in the UK, you can buy a box of 4 pills to see how everything goes. That way, you are not buying a lot of medication that may not work or may disagree with you. It’s a safe option. If all works well, buyers can then purchase boxes containing many more pills. They get cheaper, the more pills there are in the box. As you can tell, my research went well.

      I considered breaking the story up when I got to Bill’s wife by inserting a separator, but the more I read the story, the less I thought one was needed. However, if this story ever made it into a book, I’d take the advice of my editor.

      Thanks again for the fantastic feedback, Gary. It is feedback like yours that makes all the difference.

      Reply
      1. 

         Gary A Wilson

         Jul 8, 2025

         You’re very welcome Hugh. I really wanted to give you some quality feedback and hoped some of it would be actionable.

         I thought you might be deliberately trying to be obscure with Bill considering his 4 options, but I have two issues with this technique in this story. 1) Bill would not think in vague terms and you presented this portion as being his thoughts. Someone struggling with such heavy weights would be thinking specifically what to do in the next few hours and 2) you already have a great twist at the end. His (unnamed wife) also being out and about surprised me and plucked the tragedy chord pretty hard – an excellent twist.

         You might want to consider both clarifying those early options and use a bookend technique to describe his (named ) wife and her conflicted feelings and thinking about her same 4 options going forward right after she handed over the cash and watched her toy-boy leave the room. It would be a powerful 1-2 slap in the face ending.

         But – brrrr – what a sad story you’ve created! Powerful and soul-scarring.

         Did you ever see that anecdotal story of the traveling business man who was estranged from his whole family. During one trip, he paid for a prostitute to arrive at his hotel door, but when the gal showed up, he immediately recognized her as being his daughter and she – he as her father? This horrible possibility may have some truth to it (I don’t know) but gracious what a horrible place to find one’s self.

         Your story hits some of those same emotional pain-points and may be more realistic than my anecdote above.

         Blessings

         Reply
         1. 

            Hugh W. Roberts

            Jul 9, 2025

            I appreciate all the feedback you’ve given me, Gary. This is the kind of feedback I crave—much better than being told ‘Well written’ or ‘An interesting story’ with no explanation of why they said that.

            Although you mentioned ‘Bill’s thoughts,’ I was narrating the story from a third-party perspective. Had I been telling it from a first-person point of view (as Bill), I would have definitely expanded on the thoughts. Nevertheless, you’ve given me a lot to think about to improve this piece of flash. I am truly grateful for that.

            I haven’t heard or seen the story about the travelling businessman you mentioned. However, it reminded me of a true story a friend told me many years ago that was similar, though in both cases, the two people involved were male. Many years ago, I wanted to write and publish the story on my blog, but I didn’t think it would be well-received by readers.

            Reply
6. 

   Erika

   Jul 7, 2025

   Choices to make every day… and some days they are a bit more essential. But those choices take us to consequences we need to learn from and to feel life instead of only existing. Sometimes a trip beyond the fence shows that the grass isn’t greener over there.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Jul 8, 2025

      That’s a great way of saying it, Erika. And the choices the couple in this story faces will certainly have consequences for both of them, as well as those around them.

      Reply
      1. 

         Erika

         Jul 8, 2025

         Oh, yes, life is good in connecting plans, experiences and resulting developments. Very well written with a lot of room for further thoughts, Hugh!

         Reply
7. 

   Cathy

   Jul 7, 2025

   Choices and consequences, we all have to make them and live with the outcome. Excellent story, Hugh.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Jul 7, 2025

      So true, Cathy. And some of those choices should be discussed with one another rather than trying to hide them away.
      I’m glad you enjoyed the story.

      Reply
      1. 

         Cathy

         Jul 7, 2025

         Oh yes, definitely discussions too.

         Reply
8. 

   Esther Chilton

   Jul 7, 2025

   I like your interpretation of the prompt. These are serious choices to make in a relationship. This couple really shouldn’t be together any longer and you leave us with a sense that they won’t be. I’ll add this to my prompts post for this week, Hugh. Thank you for joining in.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Jul 7, 2025

      Thank you, Esther. I think this couple drifted apart years ago. They probably never discussed choices between themselves. Had they discussed them, their relationship would have taken a different course.
      I’m glad you enjoyed the story. I liked the prompt as life offers us so many choices everyday.

      Reply
      1. 

         Esther Chilton

         Jul 7, 2025

         Thank you, Hugh. You’re right; we do face choices every day, some more difficult than others.

         Reply
9. 

   Author Jan Sikes

   Jul 7, 2025

   Life is all about choices. And then living with the consequences of those choices. I’d love to know how this played out for them. :) Intriguing story!

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Jul 7, 2025

      I’m guessing they drifted apart until it was too late, Jan. Sometimes people don’t see all the choices that life offers them.

      Thanks for reading and leaving a great comment.

      Reply
10. 

    Liesbet @ Roaming About

    Jul 7, 2025

    A good story, Hugh. As always. But I’m not sure if both of them are making the right choices. Such a timely and interesting prompt, “Choices.” It’s something I struggle with daily in our life on the road. And in life in general.

    Reply
    1. 

       Hugh W. Roberts

       Jul 7, 2025

       Thank you, Liesbet. Some choices are nice to make, such as selecting a cake, but others can be difficult and change our lives forever. And then there is the question that arises after making a choice: Did I make the right choice?

       Reply
       1. 

          Liesbet @ Roaming About

          Jul 7, 2025

          Yup. “Hindsight is a bitch.” :)

          Reply