June 2024 Flash Fiction Winner: Cosy

The Quilt
By Elaine Chennatt

Here's the patch made from her first baby grow, stitched neatly next to the pocket square her grandfather wore on his wedding day. Next to that, the only remaining piece of the blanket her mother carried around in her early years. Jules traces the patterns with her fingertips, feeling the echoes of past lives woven into each thread. Wrapped in its embrace, she loses herself to the memories it holds; the stories her grandmother told her help her drift to sleep as a girl. Alone now, Jules pulls the quilt tighter around her, comforted by family ghosts.

Elaine is a writer & educator from London, currently based in nipaluna (Hobart). She is the in-house reviewer for Aniko Press, an indie small-press that brings together curious readers and writers. Find more of her work at wordswithelaine.com
@cestelaine

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.