In Stephen Book’s “Beyond the Pale”, a man stumbles into a bar with the name Beyond the Pale, a seedy looking place. The bartender’s name is Rick and it seems like all the guys in the bar have problems. Our lead character finds out just how bad the problems are.
Tess Almendarez-Lojacono’s “Just One Thing” is a remembrance of a Friday meatless dinner of a Catholic family, years ago. Our narrator describes a family in which learning was emphasized and the children were encouraged to be the best they could be. Not really any fantasy element, but a story nicely told.
“The Trick” by Christof Whiteman is something that Roger can do that impresses his day care supervisor. But all he wants to do is jump on the trampoline.
The Classic Flash for this issue is Edgar Allan Poe’s “Shadow – A Parable”. In a plague-ravaged city, seven men gather in a room with the dead body of a friend and are visited by a fearsome spirit.
Flash Fiction Online will probably have new stories posted by the time you read this, but #9 will still be available. All the stories are well-worth the time spent on them. Check them out at.