Flash Fiction Online #140, May 2025
“Robot, Changeling, Ghost” by Avra Margariti
“Entropy in a Fruit Bowl” by Nicole Lynn (reprint, not reviewed)
“Eight Legs of the Mother Hunted” by Brandon Case
“To Be a Woman Is to Be Without a Name” by Chidera Solomon Anikpe (nongenre, not reviewed)
“Transubstantiation” by Sam W. Pisciotta
“Yes, No, Goodbye” by LeeAnn Perry (reprint, not reviewed)
“Sour Milk” by Phoenix Mendoza
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Just in time for Mother’s Day, the original speculative fiction in this issue features parents and children, often in very dark tales.
In “Robot, Changeling, Ghost” by Avra Margariti, a woman receives a robot child after her real child dies. The intent is to have the dead child’s soul inhabit the artificial body. Complicating matters is the fact that the woman believes her child was a changeling.
As can be seen from this synopsis and the story’s title, the author mixes concepts from science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Part of the text is narrated by the dead child, adding further complication. Such complexity in a very short space reveals great ambition. Inevitably, perhaps, this makes the story into something of a patchwork.
Another aspect of the plot, which I will not reveal, is even more disturbing than its supernatural content. Some readers may find that this particular theme cuts too close to the bone, and should be aware of the content warning supplied by the magazine.
The narrator of “Eight Legs of the Mother Hunted” by Brandon Case is a gigantic spider, fleeing with her offspring from the humans who wish to obtain them for their silk. As each infant is killed by the arrows of the hunters, the mother consumes it, along with one of her own legs. By the end, she is barely able to move, but still seeks to preserve the lives of her surviving children.
The author creates a great deal of suspense and empathy for the narrator in this fast-paced story. The mother’s eating of her own legs is a major part of the plot, but seems difficult to explain. She thinks of it as a stupid act of self-destruction that reduces the chance of saving her offspring, so one has to wonder why she continues to do it throughout the story.
In “Transubstantiation” by Sam W. Pisciotta, the parents of a dead infant are still able to interact with her ghostly form. They attend a séance in an attempt to strengthen this connection, with extraordinary results.
The story’s climax offers a striking image and an unexpected plot twist. The combination of mundane, realistic details with miraculous, ethereal events adds to the work’s emotional appeal.
The main character in “Sour Milk” by Phoenix Mendoza is the young daughter of a serial killer. She communicates with the bodies of his victims, leading to a relationship with one of the undead women.
This horror story is particularly gruesome, with detailed descriptions of the rotting corpses. Its impact depends entirely on its final, shocking image, which may be too strong for some readers.
Victoria Silverwolf is not a mother.