Flash Fiction Online #145, October 2025

“To Breach a Citadel” by Jeannie Marschall

“A Touch of the Wild” by Annie Wilkins

“Mushroom Aesthetic” by Aggie Novak

“Woodsong” by Arthur H. Manners

“This Is What Mouths Are For” by Parker M. O’Neill

Reviewed by Mina

This issue has the subtitle “Wilderness Horror Issue.” It begins by quoting Frost’s poem: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep.” If you like your horror in small slices, this issue should satisfy.

“To Breach a Citadel” by Jeannie Marschall is about a creepy forest that fights back. Six men felling trees on the edge of Ubiet Downs find a camera showing the last moments of its owner. But are the men themselves immune to the same fate?

In “A Touch of the Wild” by Annie Wilkins, Kathy has always longed for a grandfather who would be there for her and who she could be proud of. One day, he turns up on the doorstep, more monster than human. Be careful what you wish for!

“Mushroom Aesthetic” by Aggie Novak starts with Milica venturing deep into the forest to collect mushrooms. She finds an unknown species of mushroom but ignores the danger signals about what nourishes it. A predictable ending.

“Woodsong” by Arthur H. Manners is grim but good. A father and son are trapped in a forest full of things waiting to eat them. But what matters most when you face the dark?

“This Is What Mouths Are For” by Parker M. O’Neill is truly horrific. The characters are lost in a swamp, reduced to hungry mouths and bellies. And…cannibalism. Need I say more?