Flash Stories

Ring of Stars

hamed Jan. 23, 2025, 6:43 p.m.

It was a crisp morning when Juma first saw it—a massive metallic ring, gleaming under the African sun, lying in the middle of his family’s maize field. It had crashed overnight, its origin a mystery. The villagers had gathered around, whispering in awe and fear. Some said it was a satellite, others that it was a fallen star. But Juma, ever the dreamer, just saw something else.

He walked toward it, the ring nearly as tall as he was, its surface covered in strange etchings, pulsating faintly as though it had a heartbeat. His fingers brushed the cold metal, and the world seemed to quiet. The ring hummed, a deep, resonant sound that vibrated through his bones.

“You’re… alive?” he whispered, half to himself.

Then, the hum shifted, a soft voice crackling through the air like static. “Yes, I am. Are you the one who touched me?”

Juma’s heart raced. …

Chai-tanic Mishap

hamed Jan. 23, 2025, 7:10 p.m.

Aman "The Snack Guy" Sharma, a mid-tier YouTuber known for his over-the-top food reviews, was live-streaming to his 50,000 subscribers from his tiny Mumbai apartment. Today’s episode: "Rating the Best Chai in Mumbai from Zomato!"

“Alright, folks,” Aman said, adjusting his camera. “I ordered the classic cutting chai from ‘Aunty’s Authentic Chaiwala.’ Let’s see if it lives up to the hype.”

The doorbell rang. Aman grabbed the Zomato bag with dramatic flair, hyping up his audience. “And here it is, my liquid gold! Let’s—”

He paused mid-sentence, pulling out not chai but a plastic container of dal makhani.

The chat exploded:
_‘Bro, chai turned into lunch! 😂’
‘Aunty’s dal makhani review incoming?’

“Wait, what?!” Aman said, holding the container up to the camera. “This is NOT chai. Unless… it’s some revolutionary new chai dal fusion I don’t know about.”

He immediately switched into “angry customer mode” and dialed Zomato support, putting the …

The Box in the Attic

hamed Jan. 23, 2025, 6:22 p.m.

The attic smelled of mothballs and old paper, a dense, musty reminder of lives long lived. Mina had been up here a hundred times before, but tonight felt different. The house was unusually quiet for one filled with three generations of her family.

The economic crash had driven them all under one roof—Mina, her parents, her grandfather, and her teenage son. Five people navigating lives on top of one another, trying not to suffocate.

She was looking for old tax documents, a tedious chore her mother had nagged her into. Instead, she found the box.

It was tucked behind a stack of yellowed newspapers, bound tightly with frayed twine. Written across the top in faded ink was a single word: Farokh. Her grandfather’s name.

Mina hesitated. She’d never known him to keep anything sentimental. He was a stoic man, his words clipped, his past shrouded in vague stories of "better …

The Song Between Us

hamed Jan. 24, 2025, 6:58 p.m.

The city was wrapped in a soft glow as Matty Healy stood on the balcony, his guitar slung loosely over his shoulder. The view of the skyline was beautiful, but his mind was elsewhere—on the notes he couldn’t quite shake, the melody that lingered in his head like a haunting refrain.

He had written hundreds of songs, but none had come so effortlessly, so raw, as the ones he’d composed since the rumors about his romance with Taylor Swift started circulating. The tabloids were buzzing with the news, dissecting every lyric, every gesture. “Is this about her?” they'd ask, with every new single release.

He strummed the strings, his fingers finding the familiar chords. The song he was writing was nothing like the others. It wasn’t about fame, or stardom, or the tired themes of love lost in the spotlight. This one was different. It was the quiet moments they …

The House That Waited

hamed Jan. 20, 2025, 6:24 p.m.

The sun hung heavy in the sky, casting an orange haze over the fields that used to be green. The air was thick with dust and the smell of burnt earth. A few years ago, they'd laughed at the idea of ever leaving. But the droughts, the heatwaves, the wildfires—they didn’t leave them much choice. Now, Mara and her family were part of the Great Migration, like millions of others, heading toward the northern cities where the climate hadn’t yet devoured everything.

They had left behind their home, the smart house that had once been the pinnacle of convenience. Automated lights, self-regulating temperature, an AI assistant that seemed almost alive. It had been a safe haven during the worst of it—the house that did everything.

But now, it was abandoned.

Or so they thought.

As they settled into their new temporary apartment, Mara unpacked the last of their belongings, her …

The Extra’s Revenge

hamed Jan. 27, 2025, 6:33 p.m.

Todd had been a background actor for years. He’d played “Man Drinking Coffee #3,” “Guy at the Bus Stop,” and even “Zombie #27.” It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills—barely.

And then came Lights in the Fog, the latest thriller starring Chase Kensington, Hollywood’s golden boy. Chase’s face was everywhere: billboards, soda commercials, and smug little award acceptance speeches. Everyone adored him.

Todd hated him.

It started on day one of filming when Chase breezed onto the set, sunglasses on, ignoring the director’s greeting. He spent more time checking his reflection than rehearsing. During a break, Chase “accidentally” knocked Todd’s coffee onto his script and muttered, “Watch where you put your stuff, man.”

By day three, Todd had seen enough. Chase berated a crew member for bringing him lukewarm kombucha. He made fun of an extra’s shoes, loud enough for everyone to hear. And the cherry on top? Chase …

The Supportive Girlfriend

hamed Jan. 27, 2025, 6:38 p.m.

The cameras were relentless, their flashes turning the night into a strobe-lit spectacle. Ava adjusted her grip on Leo’s hand, squeezing it gently as they walked the red carpet. His first major premiere. Her hundredth.

Leo’s grip was clammy, his smile tight. He looked stunning in his designer suit, but Ava could feel the tension radiating off him. She leaned closer, whispering, “You’ve got this. Just breathe.”

The reporters shouted questions. “Ava! Over here! Are you two official?” “Leo, what’s it like dating one of the most famous women in the world?” “Ava, are you helping Leo’s career?”

Ava smiled serenely, ignoring the chaos, but Leo’s jaw clenched. He hated this part—the speculation, the invasive questions. He was an actor, not a tabloid headline.

Inside the theater, away from the cameras, Leo finally exhaled. “I don’t know how you do it,” he muttered, collapsing into a plush seat.

“Do what?” …

Smoke and Song

hamed Jan. 24, 2025, 6:48 p.m.

Olivia Rodrigo sat in the green room of the Wiltern, her acoustic guitar resting across her lap. The muffled sounds of the crowd filtered through the walls, a low hum of anticipation that matched the nervous flutter in her chest.

The FireAid Benefit Concert had been organized in record time, a response to the devastating wildfires that had ripped through the hills of Los Angeles. Entire neighborhoods reduced to ash, families displaced, lives upended. She’d seen the images—haunting skies of orange and gray, the air thick with despair.

She strummed a chord absently, her mind drifting back to her own memories. The summer when she was twelve, the wildfire that had come dangerously close to her hometown. Her family had packed the car in a panic, her dad grabbing photo albums and her mom clutching the family dog. She remembered sitting in the backseat, clutching her guitar, wondering if their …

"Ctrl+Alt+Defeat"

hamed Jan. 21, 2025, 5:16 p.m.

The crowd roared as the final match of the Nexus Invitational began. On opposite sides of the stage, Kira "PixelQueen" Nakamura and Alex "VoidKnight" Chen adjusted their headsets, their fingers hovering over keyboards. The announcers hyped up their rivalry—two of the best Starforge players in the world, destined to clash in this best-of-five showdown. What no one knew was that their rivalry ran deeper than the game.

Kira’s heart pounded as the match loaded. She glanced across the stage, catching Alex’s sharp jawline and the faint smirk he always wore. She hated that smirk. It was the same one he’d had when he’d beaten her in last year’s finals. But tonight, she was ready. She had to be. After all, she couldn’t let him win—not after everything.

Months ago, Kira had joined a Starforge Discord server to blow off steam. There, she’d met "Voidling," a witty, sarcastic player who shared …

The Diplomatic Dog

hamed Jan. 23, 2025, 6:45 p.m.

When a stray dog named Max trotted across the new Romania-Hungary border, no one—least of all Max himself—had any idea it would be the start of a diplomatic incident.

Max had never cared much for borders. He’d wandered freely between the small villages of both countries, chasing squirrels and sniffing out discarded sandwiches. But today was different. As he approached the newly established checkpoint, two guards were standing side by side, holding flags that looked suspiciously ceremonial for the sleepy morning. One waved the Romanian flag, the other the Hungarian one.

Max, ever the opportunist, saw the flags flapping in the wind and decided they looked like a perfect invitation for an impromptu game of fetch. He bolted forward, snatching the Romanian flag out of the guard’s hand with a swift, agile swipe.

"Hey!" yelled the Romanian guard, stumbling backward.

But before the Hungarian guard could react, Max zoomed to …