February 2025 Flash Fiction Winner: Again
A Few Final Echoes
By Miles Da Costa
On their beach he tends a fire he’d fashioned from driftwood and beachgrass. His socks balled up and tucked into his shoes, his shed jumper folded neatly atop. He’d wanted to feel the cool silica sands under his feet, the chill of the falling dusk. It is quiet, just shorebreak closing over. He leans over the fire, an urn in his hands. He empties what remains of her into the flames, a slight wind carrying her downwind, some ash alighting. Yesterday’s hair and bone flashing away, like a handful of thrown flour, as though she’d some final things to say.
Miles Da Costa lives in Tasmania, where he’s working on two novel manuscripts, one he has begun to query and submit. Miles enjoys writing flawed characters, reading across various genres, and cycling when it’s not arctic outside.
Our monthly Flash Fiction contest is co-hosted with Melbourne writing collective, The Provocative Inklings. This contest is free to enter, and writers of all ages, from anywhere in the world, are invited to submit! Follow us on Instagram or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date.
