Flash Stories

Code Gray

hamed Jan. 17, 2025, 1:58 p.m.

The hospital hallways hummed with chaos—overcrowded ER bays, patients on gurneys lining the walls, and the faint smell of antiseptic failing to mask desperation. Nurse Clara Morales darted from one room to the next, her clipboard tucked under her arm, exhaustion etched into her face.

The memo had arrived that morning. A new “pilot policy” from the private equity firm that now owned the hospital. “Focus resources on high-value patients,” it read. In other words, prioritize those with the best insurance or the deepest pockets.

Clara had stared at the memo for a full minute before crumpling it in her fist.

Now, as she checked on Mr. Bennett, an elderly man with no insurance and a failing heart, the injustice gnawed at her. “They’ll move him out,” the charge nurse had warned her earlier. “Can’t afford to keep him here.”

Clara adjusted his oxygen mask. "How are you feeling, Mr. …

The Road to Somewhere

hamed Jan. 16, 2025, 5:12 p.m.

The distant pop of gunfire echoed through the humid night. Lina clutched her son tighter, his small frame trembling against her chest. “Maman, I’m scared,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of their hurried footsteps.

“I know, bébé,” she said, her own fear buried beneath layers of practiced calm. “We just have to keep moving.”

Behind them, Port-au-Prince burned. The gang wars had turned their neighborhood into a battlefield, and the police—the few who hadn’t fled—were powerless. Two nights ago, they had watched their neighbor’s house go up in flames, the screams inside silenced too quickly. Lina knew their turn was next.

Now, they were on the road, along with hundreds of others, shadows moving through the darkened countryside. Her husband, Marcel, walked ahead, carrying a tattered bag with the last of their belongings: a change of clothes for each of them, a few cans of food, …

In the Waiting Room

hamed Jan. 15, 2025, 5:05 p.m.

Mira sat at her cluttered desk, eyes scanning the screen in front of her, the cursor blinking beside another email from a supplier—another delay. The shelves in her small bakery, Sweet Beginnings, sat half-empty, a stark contrast to the days when her display case would be brimming with freshly baked pastries, warm bread, and vibrant cakes. Now, there were only a few sad loaves and half-baked attempts at new recipes, each more experimental than the last.

“Flour, sugar, eggs... where are you?” she muttered under her breath, clicking on yet another message about an estimated shipment. No guarantees. No exact dates.

The global supply chain crisis had made even the most basic ingredients difficult to source. Mira had spent weeks calling, emailing, and begging her regular suppliers to send the most basic things she needed—flour, chocolate, butter—but each time, she was met with the same cold, impersonal reply: delayed, no …

A Promise in the Stars

hamed Jan. 18, 2025, 5:08 p.m.

February 1, 2003, began as a day like any other for Karen, the sun filtering through the kitchen window as she brewed her morning coffee. She stood in front of the counter, the scent of freshly ground beans filling the air, but her mind was far away, fixed on the stars. Today, her husband Rick was supposed to be coming home. Rick, who had spent the last two weeks aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. She had watched him launch with her heart swelling with pride, but also with a pang of anxiety, as she always did when he was in space.

She knew the risks, knew that every mission carried the weight of danger, but they had promised each other long ago that they would live in the present. They would savor the moments they shared, whether he was grounded on Earth or orbiting above it.

The phone rang, pulling …

They Are Comming For Your Job?

hamed Jan. 12, 2024, 3:03 p.m.

Jack was a software developer who loved his job. He enjoyed solving problems, creating applications, and learning new technologies. He was proud of his skills and his portfolio.

But lately, he had been feeling anxious and insecure. He had heard about the new trends of generative AI, which could produce code, design, and content with just a few inputs. He had seen some of the examples online, and they looked impressive and realistic. He wondered if his job was in danger, if he would soon be replaced by a machine that could code faster and better than him.

He decided to try out one of the generative AI tools, just to see what it could do. He signed up for a free trial and entered a simple prompt: "Create a web app that allows users to upload and edit photos". He clicked the generate button and waited.

To his surprise, …

The Inheritance

hamed Jan. 14, 2025, 4:59 p.m.

At forty-five, Lisa's inheritance arrived in three forms: her mother's arthritis, curved spine, and empty savings account. She recognized them all – they'd been coming for years, wrapped in double shifts and missed doctor's appointments, in grocery store mathematics and deferred dreams.

"Just like your grandmother," the doctor said, studying Lisa's x-rays. "The wear pattern's identical. Housekeeping work?"

"IT support," Lisa corrected. "But Mom cleaned houses. Grandma too." She didn't mention the weekend cleaning jobs she'd taken after the tech company switched to contractors, cutting their health insurance. Or how her daughter Ashley now cleaned offices after school, despite Lisa's promises that things would be different for her.

Her college roommate Rachel posted photos of her daughter's Stanford graduation. Their paths had diverged slowly at first – small differences in starter homes, vacation choices, preventive care. But time was an amplifier. Rachel's parents had paid for her education; Lisa's debt …

The Return of the Exiled Prince

hamed Dec. 21, 2024, 6:39 a.m.

The moon hung low over the desert, its pale light illuminating the rugged silhouette of a lone rider. His cloak, tattered and worn, bore faint traces of royal embroidery—symbols of a past long buried. Forty years had passed since the prince, Ardeshir, had been cast out by his uncle, Mehrdad, who seized the throne in a storm of treachery and blood.

Ardeshir had been seventeen then, a boy with fire in his eyes and rebellion in his veins. But against Mehrdad’s army of shadowy divs, summoned through dark pacts, he was no match. Exiled to the desolate lands of the east, the young prince had been left to wander the mountains, carrying nothing but his father’s broken sword and the bitter taste of betrayal.

The years hardened him. In the wilderness, Ardeshir found allies among the nomadic clans who still whispered of the true king. He trained with warriors who …

Across the Divide

hamed Jan. 18, 2025, 4:23 p.m.

“Rent just went up again,” Sam typed, the words heavy on the screen. She stared at her phone, sitting in the corner of her tiny Brooklyn apartment. The radiator hissed, and the faint smell of burnt toast wafted from the neighbor’s kitchen.

Moments later, the reply came: “I can’t imagine. Here, rents have been capped since the crisis. Have you thought about leaving?”

Sam sighed. “Where would I go, Marta? The U.S. is like quicksand. Once you’re in, you can’t afford to get out.”

Across the Atlantic, Marta sat in her sunny Lisbon flat, sipping espresso. Outside, the pastel buildings of her neighborhood gleamed in the afternoon light. Her job as a remote UX designer paid enough to cover rent, groceries, and even a weekend trip to the Algarve now and then. But she didn’t say that to Sam. She didn’t want to widen the gap between them.

“I heard …

Beyond the Horizon

hamed Jan. 15, 2025, 6:26 p.m.

Commander Elena Vasquez stood at the edge of the launch pad, the roar of the engines in the distance vibrating through her chest. The Crew Dragon capsule, sleek and white against the bright blue sky, sat poised like an arrow ready to pierce the heavens. It was almost time.

Her gloves felt tight, the material too smooth, too unfamiliar. She flexed her fingers inside the suit, willing her hands to stop shaking. The mission was historic—SpaceX’s first crewed launch to the International Space Station. But for Elena, it wasn’t the technology that filled her with awe. It was the people who had made it possible, the years of preparation, the endless nights of training. And most of all, it was the dream—her dream—that had started when she was just a little girl, watching the moon landing with her father, the stars above whispering her name.

"Commander Vasquez, are you ready?" …

The Secret

hamed Jan. 15, 2024, 4:39 p.m.

David felt a surge of panic as he heard Sarah's footsteps approaching the bedroom. He quickly turned off the light and pretended to be asleep, hoping that she would leave him alone.

He knew that she wanted to be intimate with him, to feel his touch, his kiss, his embrace. He knew that she deserved it, that she was a loving and faithful wife, and that he was a lucky man to have her.

But he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to be intimate with her, or with anyone. He couldn't overcome the fear that gripped his heart, the fear that stemmed from a dark secret, a secret that he had kept hidden for years.

David was a victim of childhood abuse. When he was a young boy, he had suffered at the hands of an older neighbor, who had violated him in unspeakable ways. The memories of …