Flash Fiction Online #137, February 2025
“Galactic Oracle Eulogy” by Samir Sirk Morató
“BIGHAPPYFRIEND LIKES HUMANS” by Rodrigo Culagovski
“The Lonely Eldritch Hearts Club” by Faith Allington
“Conflict Resolution” by Holly Schofield (reprint, not reviewed)
“Schism” by Kiernan Livinstone
“Mirror-hole” by Beth Goder
Reviewed by Michelle Ristuccia
“Galactic Oracle Eulogy” by Samir Sirk Morató follows the lament of an oracle of a body-like spaceship, which is dying of cancer. Morató skews hard into world building, at times peppering so many rapid-fire descriptions that the ideas lose their meaning. That being said, the story as a whole retains a personal, emotional underpinning through interactions with a parent, and the choices the parent and the oracle make. Many poignant lines capture the feelings of the narrative. Overall I felt that trimming a few bright ideas would have allowed the remaining to have more impact, especially as this is flash fiction length. Morató presents eco-horror on a high-concept SF body that lives in the void, bringing the concept back around to the effects of our choices on our bodies.
“BIGHAPPYFRIEND LIKES HUMANS” by Rodrigo Culagovski follows a tenuous ambassadorship with an over-powered alien. This entertaining piece underpins what we cannot control as individuals, yet what we are responsible for as a race. The idea that aliens perceive us as violent is a bit predictable, but Culagovski did keep me reading and chuckling until the end.
Faith Allington delivers a banger opening in “The Lonely Eldritch Hearts Club.” As our character dates an eldritch being she chose off a dating app, we are treated to interesting visuals that evoke the proper tone of horror and wonder, that smudge magical realism into apocalyptic horror. Allington manages to weave many threads into this flash fiction piece, including a surprise development which, even more surprisingly, ensures that our sympathetic character retains agency even under the touch of an eldritch being.
Kiernan Livinstone weaves a lovely depiction of a hive-mind in “Schism.” Elegant use of textual formatting helps keep this piece fascinating and immersive. The problem it (they?) face emerges gently, cascading like a crescendo of the musical instrument the hive-mind insists on devoting their energy to, against their fellow hive-creatures’ advice. Like the Instrument that Has No Name, Livinstone makes us feel the complexity of life, of decisions that have no clear right answer. This story might be applied as an allegory, but it’s subtle enough to avoid the feel of a pulpit.
Ever had someone tell you that your worries are made up? “Mirror-hole” by Beth Goder follows a nervous teenager gas-lit by friends and family who consider the hole in her mirror no big deal. This horror story might appeal to readers familiar with depersonalization, and to anyone who’s ever caught their reflection acting a little off. Sometimes there is no explanation for events that simply feel wrong, and Goder does well to capture this experience.