December 2024 Flash Fiction Winners: Giving
Giving
By Addison Dolan
In a quiet town, Clara found a tattered notebook on a park bench. Curious, she opened it to discover handwritten notes: “I gave my lunch to a stranger,” one read. Another said, “I shared my umbrella with a child in the rain.” Inspired, Clara wrote her own entry: “I baked cookies for my neighbors.” The next day, she returned to find more notes. Each story sparked joy, spreading kindness like wildfire. “Who knew words could give so much?” she whispered, smiling. As she closed the notebook, she felt lighter, knowing that giving was the greatest gift of all.
From Washington State, Addison Dolan loves writing, whether it is a few words, or a thousand words. Addison seeks to create a portrait style of writing, one where people could feel inspired to write their own.
Sing-song Tapestry
By Dom Lepore
Sing something that feels like you. Do it loudly and you will feel elation. Seize tumult with the melodic fibres that constitute any song, even those more conventional; all pieces are centring. Let your impassioned, amateurish, wavering voice exit the crevices of your lips to uplift. Inhale, exhale—release. Joy delivered in soundwaves. Music is like a tapestry: It’s one of few forms of media where the contents remain in stasis, but they inhabit your life in motion. Let these guideposts comfortably enwrap you, caressing your soul in a cocoon state. Press play, harmonise along, and you’ll beautifully blossom variegated.
Dom Lepore is a writer and multidisciplinary artist based in Melbourne, Australia. Writing about culture, he tells stories through music and his surroundings. If you get something out of his work, that’s all he can ask for. He also always has a song playing in his ears.
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.
