On "Endings" by Sean Lovelace (473 words) ***

Why bother writing the story when the endings of each story are as fun as these are? Lovelace has a wicked sense of humor that makes for compelling writing despite the lack of plot or character. Read the ends of each piece here at Flashquake.

On "Goldenboy" by Sarah Black" (625 words) ****

Here's a coming-of-age story that's surprisingly as innocent as the narrator's age. I think coming of age, and I think some kind of traumatic experience (as in John Updike's "A&P") or some kind of "big" experience, like losing one's virginity. Here, Black chooses to focus, however, on simply a walk through a city with a friend. The new experiences aren't terribly "big," but they're big in the eyes of our little narrator. The descriptions are beautiful, full, and part of what makes this short short so utterly beyond its minimalist number of words. Read the story here at Flashquake.

"Tasting the Fruit" by Kate Blakinger (413 words) *****

Try this one on for size. In less than five hundred words, a friend's jealousy will drive him to commit acts of utmost cruelty. I'm floored by how quick it happens and how well it's recounted. Suffice to say, with friends like these . . . Yeah, you know. Read the story here at Flashquake.