Flash Fiction #1 Winner Is…

I offer a monthly flash fiction and in May of 2022 the winner was Lawrence Henry!

Lawrence is an up and coming author of the Nomad YA book series focused on teens who have gotten caught up in a militaristic situation they have to fight and think their way out of. It’s an action packed series with well thought out characters, a compelling story arc, and some twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. (Yes, I’ve read some of his work, and it’s brilliant!)

You can check out when his work is scheduled to be released on his website here!

Please read his flash fiction entry and enjoy his creativity! Note, the next flash fiction will be posted on June 1st!

Calder entered the new coffee shop at a jaunty pace. It was a rare day a new coffee shop had such a large online following in only a few days. The last time he’d checked their social media page, he could have sworn he’d seen someone had written a warning about something involving the Perky Pixie coffee shop, but the page refreshed before he could finish reading.

Oh, well.

The bell above the door jingled, and a slim barista with a pale, hawkish face and brown hair stood behind the counter smiling. Other young ladies also flitted about the establishment, some dancing with patrons on a central dancefloor.

A coffee shop with a dancefloor? That’s new.

The words “beware the fairy ring” flashed through Calder’s head as he approached the counter. The hawk-faced barista batted much-too-bright green eyes at him.

“Welcome to the Perky Pixie. Would you like a sample?” Her smile reminded him of a dog’s snarl, toothy and wide. There was an inherent danger in that smile.

Calder grinned nervously, “No, thank you. I would like to buy a cup of…” he hesitated, reading through the drink names on the menu. “Autumn’s Eye Caramel Mocha.”

“Very well,” the barista’s grin shifted to one side. She seemed amused. “May I have your name?”

“Cal,” he said. His eyes shifted to her apron. Didn’t these places usually require a name tag?

Her eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips. He placed cash on the counter, and waited several minutes as the barista prepared the drink. A small plastic rectangle set upon the counter caught his eye. Curious, he picked it up, thinking it to be a credit card left behind. It was a name tag. Keely.

Calder put the tag back as he’d found it a moment before Keely turned back from the coffee machinery. As she handed him the drink, he thanked her. Her predator’s grin returned, bright and vicious.

“Come and see me again, soon,” she said.

“You got it, Keely!” Calder nodded at her wide-eyed expression, suddenly feeling unsure of what had just happened. He sipped the coffee on his way out the door, oblivious to the threads that now tied him to this place.

Kudos Lawrence! and Cheers!

Huckle!