A Little Flash
Flash Fiction, that is
Hello dear reader,
A lot of writing is done in gaps. Moments stolen from a day, little nuggets scribbled in notebooks and single sentences that make no sense but to the author, driving much forward.
I’d written the following flash fiction in such a gap. Make of it what you will.
Tongues
The wind speakes in many tongues in the desert. Or so I was told. The sun beat down in an insisent way, pushing its heat, enforcing it until the land itself shimmers. I am seeking a way out, as all do who are lost. But everywhere I look, the dunes and the sizzling heat are all there are.
I’d die now, with exhaustion. My body has sweated all that it could and if there is any liquid left in me, it is in my veins. That too would not sustain me. Not for long.
I stumble in the daze, the yellow world around me spinning, spinning, spinning until I hear a voice. It is unlike any voice I’ve heard, and yet feels strikingly familiar. I do not know the words, they fall on my ear like strangers, unwelcome. Yet, I know them in my bones.
Welcome home.
I laugh. Delirious. There is no home here. In this blinding heat and billowing sand, my body will lay until there is nothing left. I will be one with the sands.
I fall face forward into the loving embrace of everyone that came before. They welcome me, caress me, and the heat lifts. Beneath the sand is a shade I’d forgotten—though how do you forget what you did not know? My heart pumps sand and my breath becomes the wind, speaking in all tongues of everyone, everywhere.
Over the last year, I’ve written three flash fiction pieces including the above. Do you write flash fiction too? What do you think of the format?
Let me know in the comments below.
Until next month,
Keep writing
Akshay
You’re reading Missives from an Island a newsletter by Akshay Gajria, a prize-wining writer, storyteller and writing coach. This newsletter is delivered to your inbox on the 30th of every month. You can also find Akshay on Threads, Instagram, and Medium. If you enjoyed reading, consider tipping him by buying a cup of tea (or three) here or buying his ebook (linked below). You can discover his work at akshaygajria.com
