Stories with a twist – Hugh's Views & News

Flash Fiction Friday – Five Minutes

Published on May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 by Hugh W. Roberts23 Comments

This week’s flash fiction has an adult theme.

If I’d not taken five minutes, my eleven-year-old son Billy would now be dead.

It could have been so different if I had not decided to do what I promised myself for the last five years. Just five minutes, that’s all it took.

The world of technology had taken over my life. Like most of humanity, I had my head buried in a screen. Morning, noon and night, I couldn’t resist it.

I was missing out if I wasn’t checking my social media accounts or email every five minutes. I was missing out on a new world! A new world that just five minutes could change.

The distant sound of crying coming from Billy’s bedroom forced me to bring my head up from the screen of my iPad. Why was he awake and sobbing at this ungodly hour?

When the familiar sound of a ‘ping’ came from my iPad, I could feel myself being pulled into the online world again. I’d made the mistake of looking down and seeing the notification on the screen telling me that Rachel was online.

Aroused by the thought of Rachel, my finger hovered over the Skype button, where I could instantly connect with her, while my ears picked up the sobbing coming from Billy’s room.

What should I do? Check on Billy, or find out if Rachel wore that sexy nurses’ uniform.

Thank goodness I chose to take those five minutes wisely.

If I hadn’t used them to check in on Billy, I’d never have discovered he’d been contemplating suicide. Not only had the death of his mother, five years earlier, taken him to the edge of a cliff, but my new online world and the neglect it had forced upon him had also taken him there.

The self-harm images he’d been looking at online were worlds apart from those I’d watched when Rachel was online. Ready to blackmail me, she’d had the camera ready to record me that night.

Not only had those five minutes saved my son’s life, but they’d also saved mine.

Photo of an old broken clock on a building — Five minutes.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘More Glimpses.’

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32 short stories and flash fiction pieces take readers to the edge of their imagination.

More Glimpses

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Flash Fiction Friday – H2O

Published on May 12, 2023May 12, 2023 by Hugh W. Roberts41 Comments

“They’re just rocks. Most of the planets we’ve visited have them.”

“I know, but I’m sure one has moved since we arrived here.”

“But rocks can’t move on their own. Something or someone must have moved it. The ship’s instruments did pick up a small tremor last night.”

Miles bent down while pointing towards the ground to the right of the first rock.

“Looks like something either pushed or pulled this one. If the ship’s camera had been working, I’d have proof that this rock is nearer the ship than it was yesterday. What’s taking mission control so long to figure out what’s caused the camera to fail?”

Shaking her head, Hilary bent down beside Miles and examined the ground.

“It must be alive,” cautioned Miles. “These marks on the ground clearly show it has moved. Yet there’s no evidence that someone or something has moved it. I thought you said there was no evidence of life on this planet, Hilary. Without any signs of H2O, you said nothing could survive here.”

Consisting of at least 50% of water, the human visitors had no chance when the rock struck. Not even their spacesuits helped protect them.

The dusty, dry planet became alive again as the other rocks slid slowly towards the bodies to feast on the liquid nectar they needed to survive.

While decomposing flesh helped plant life grow and spread instantly, the sound of a click from the ship’s repaired camera finally returned the first image of a beautiful, welcoming new world where humans could exist.

Photo of a rocky terrain with greenery, plants and mountains in the background — Beware: Not everything is what it seems to be.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘More Glimpses.’

***

32 short stories and flash fiction pieces take readers to the edge of their imagination.

More Glimpses

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

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When Death Comes Quickly #flashfiction

Published on August 2, 2021August 2, 2021 by Hugh W. Roberts35 Comments

July 22, 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a hometown. It can be your hometown or a fictional one. Who is there? When is it set? What is happening? Go where the prompt leads!

When Death Comes Quickly – by Hugh W. Roberts

Finding herself abandoned by her parents, Annabelle settled down for the night. This was the first time she’d be alone in her hometown, and it was dark, damp and smelly.

Squeezing into a tiny corner, she sobbed. Why had her parents decided now was the time to leave their hometown without her? She was too vulnerable to be left alone.

It was a bright light that woke her before she and her hometown were covered in a minty mouthwash that instantly killed them.

Not even a germ was safe when its hometown was the mouth of a human being.

***

Image of a street in a small town in late autumn after a snow shower — Image Credit: Charli Mills

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch. Click here to join in.

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Click on the ‘Diversity With A Twist’ image to read my post ‘How To Write Yourself Into A Piece Of Fiction Without Knowing It’ on my new column at the Carrot Ranch