Flash Fiction Online #19, April 2015

“I am Graalnak of the Vroon Empire, Destroyer of Galaxies, Supreme Overlord of the Planet Earth. Ask Me Anything.” by Laura Pearlman

“The Kiss” by K.C. Norton

“Face Time” by Matthew F. Amati

Reviewed by Jamie Lackey

The April issue of Flash Fiction Online contains three original speculative stories.

“I am Graalnak of the Vroon Empire, Destroyer of Galaxies, Supreme Overlord of the Planet Earth. Ask Me Anything,” by Laura Pearlman is a fun science fiction humor piece. Graalnak spends an hour answering questions on the internet, and a creative poster tricks the invading aliens into leaving by starting a rumor about superior radishes in a far corner of space. The story is legitimately funny.

The main character in “The Kiss” by K.C. Norton is “slightly psychic” and can tell how her relationships will end based on the first kiss. She doesn’t want to know how things will end with her current boyfriend, but finally kisses him anyway. And then, when it reveals nothing, she’s not sure if she’s relieved or terrified. The descriptions are lovely, but there were moments when the story dragged.

“Face Time” by Matthew F. Amati is an unsettling horror piece. Jane’s mother wears different faces, and each face terrorizes her and her sister in different ways. But when Jane’s call for help simply results in a new face, she decides that the only way to win is to play her mother’s game, and tries on a new face of her own. The story is a great example of a well done unreliable narrator.

Jamie Lackey lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their cat. Her Kickstarter-funded short story collection, One Revolution, is available on Amazon.com. Find her online at www.jamielackey.com.