81 Words Flash Fiction Writing Challenge – Stories Page 9
An attempt to set a World Record for the most contributing authors published in an anthology
Full details about the 81 word writing challenge and the world record attempt can be found on the main 81words writing challenge page.
81 Word Stories – 801 to 900
Most of the ninth collection of 100 stories (stories 801 to 900) received via the 81 words writing challenge was removed from this website on 28th May 2021. I have left all the contributing author names on this page – you can see a list below.
I have also left a few of the stories on the page for you to enjoy. I hope they will encourage you to purchase the anthology 🙂 Every book sold generates money for a very worthy charitable cause.
You can learn more about the 81 Words Flash Fiction Anthology here. The book was published by Victorina Press.
Story 801:
THEY MET BY MOONLIGHT
by Ros Masterson
"Did you hear that?"
"What?"
"A sort of scratchy sound."
"Scratchy like an itch?"
"No, scratchy like a shut-out cat."
He listens. "No."
The moon goes behind a cloud.
"There it is again. You must have heard it. There's a really big fox round here." She clutches his arm.
"Don't be scared, if it's only a fox."
She swings round. "It's behind me. Not scratchy, swishier than that; like a knife cutting through silk."
"Oh, that was me – is it silk?"
Story 827:
THE SEASIDE CARAVAN
by Hannah Cole
Liz could barely lug the wheelchair up the steps, or carry Jack through the narrow doorways.
Emily talked about last year, next year, "we always…", but this would definitely be the last time.
Leaving Emily cocooned in her sandy towel, Liz carried Jack to the water.
He laughed, trying to kick.
As Liz heaved him higher on her hip, a wave knocked them sideways.
Jack spluttered, choked.
Liz screamed, "Towel, Em."
But Emily was far down the beach. Walking with someone.
Story 868:
THE LIVING STATUE
by Rosalind Adam
With his gilded hat and death-mask smirk, he assumes the pose. His heartbeat slows. He tunes out the lad who yells in his ear. He braces against the drunks who push and cajole.
Neither cheek-muscle twitch nor cramping leg betray the illusion until a passer-by offers a coin. He stirs, sucks air into DVT-prone lungs and morphs into a brief jerk-jive routine. Then, with slowing breath, his blood pressure returns to near-death low, taking street art to the limits of life.
Story 870:
DIVE IN
by Andrew Carter
We jumped into a life raft just before our trawler went down.
We watched it sink – booms, nets and catch.
The boat sank, leaving a white box afloat.
The ocean was terribly rough.
We were very afraid.
We were hungry.
We were so cold.
A raging sea calmed.
A white box floated near us.
I reached towards the box with a paddle.
I managed to bring it in, and what was inside?
Wet matches, toothpicks, floss, diving helmet and dive tables.
Story 887:
WHAT'S THE TIME GRANDAD?
by Tom Gaunt
"Don't touch that clock," Grandad had said.
Me being me, I touched it, first having noticed that the time on his clock was wrong: 19:18 the digital display had read.
I looked at my watch, saw it was 15:20 and altered the clock display to the correct time.
I pressed the button on the top and suddenly felt like I was dropping down a very large hole.
Here I am, with my grandad. Two time travellers. The year is now 1520.
Story 896:
LEARNING ENGLISH
by John Vandore
Little Johnny was learning English, thinking one day, when he grew up, he'd know it all. But every time he thought he was getting a grasp of the language, along came something new.
He already knew about subjects and objects, verbs and adjectives and pronouns. He knew about adverbs, but then along came 'adverbial', and even an 'adverbially challenged anthology'. Whatever next?
Little Johnny was so exasperated that he resorted to intensifiers and nearly found out about negators and expletives too…
Story 900:
SHOELACES AND SHEEP
by Ashleigh Whittle
She tripped on her shoelace and dropped the bag. A panicked inhale echoed across the meadow. Sleeping sheep lifted lazy noses to smell the intruders.
"Quickly, Cheryl."
"I can't see anything."
"Shush now."
The dark blue sky was closing in quickly. "Ouch." Cheryl opened her eyes and closed them, opened them… Stars swirled in the sky…
"Cheryl, if you drop that bag again – Cheryl?"
Terry turned and saw her lying on her back. A hoof peeked out of the sprawling bag.
81 Words Flash Fiction Writing Challenge – Ninth 100 Contributing Author Names
Here is a list of the ninth pen of 100 contributing authors, listed in the order their stories appear in the book:
- Ros Masterson
- Louise Goulding
- Sihaam Osman
- Kudakwashe Chirapa
- Benjamin Noel
- Charles Murphy
- Robbie Brown
- Seth Turner-Higgins
- Grace Turner-Higgins
- Eileen Baldwin
- Isabel Flynn
- Jeni Lawes
- David Viner
- Glo Curl
- Dr. Sriharsha Sripathi
- Joseph Mould
- Pappo Nindo
- Dianne D. Pingalo
- Iris & Phil Hatchard
- Joe Brothers
- Charles Lee
- Sreedevi Ganti Mahapatra
- Helen Aitchison
- Mohit Dass
- Matthew Gooch
- Jimmy Doom
- Hannah Cole
- Ripunjoy Borgohain
- Matthew Dawson
- Tonia Nem
- Pam Knapp
- Paula Lacey
- Vishnu Nandan
- Richard Stanley
- Manda Riehl
- Caiden Lang
- Michael Hardy
- Lyndsay Lomax
- Medeia Sharif
- Emily Knight
- CL Wearne
- Debbie Rolls
- Gwynne Weir
- Jan Courtney
- Aerin Bernstein
- Karen Bevan
- Gemma Bevan
- John Bevan
- Adam Bevan
- Rebecca Hubbard
- Joseph Lancaster
- Campbell Hinshelwood
- Brittany Holmes
- Karen Western
- Sharon Pinner
- Jacek Wilkos
- R. J. Kinnarney
- Tim Warren
- A. A. Rubin
- Michelle Weaver
- Diana Senechal
- Kathryn Smith
- Kate Leimer
- Emma Robertson
- David Don
- Eleanor Dickenson
- Alicia Yau
- Rosalind Adam
- David S Mitchell
- Andrew Carter
- Lauren M Foster
- Karen Rust
- Thomas Belmar
- Ella Wilson
- Katerina Hellam
- Betty J Burton
- Boaksey
- Jonathan Hunter
- Swi Neo Mary Yap
- Michael J. Lowis
- Tanya Hill
- Meghan O'Brien
- Klaus Gehling
- Patrick Moorhouse
- Yvonne Mastaglio
- Clara Baird
- Tom Gaunt
- Ashley Kim
- Michael Farmer
- Geoff Freedman
- Alistair Forsyth
- Richard H. Argent
- James Crerar
- Elaine Carlyle
- Rosalind Newton
- John Vandore
- Veronica Crerar
- Sean Tobias May
- John D Lary
- Ashleigh Whittle