April 2026 Flash Fiction Winners: Roots
ROOTS FLASH FICTION WINNER
Isles O’er
by Thomas Siefert
Normandy, France
I couldn’t read the storm of Man, thus I settled in the valley where my spirits had grown. Their language had survived in a few words I often misused. And when I sat, humbled by ignorance, on the cliffs above the northern sea, I kept silent and listened. Could I hear something true? A whistle that spoke through the heart and bypassed my conscience? What a strange, wide world we live in. So many different domains. And the roots only grow so long to strangle you when you wander too far.
Thomas Siefert is a French writer and editor. As a writer, he works with the French and English language, and focuses on the creation of new forms of story-telling and emotional effects. He has published two novels, an illustrated poetry collection, and multiple works in magazines in France, Belgium, and the US. He currently lives on the coast of Normandy. He likes cookies and Bauhaus.
ROOTS FLASH FICTION RUNNER-UP
Kākano
by Ysabel
Melbourne, VIC
They said I had potential. Always perched on the branches, delighted by the endless sky.
Yet from the depths below, they call out. They worry how the winter wind threatens my fall. They take root easily — choosing their ground, tending, staying.
I realise that "potential" demands rootlessness. A ruthless shedding of ground that held me. Carrying names I can't pronounce anymore.
In unfamiliar ground, dark and still, I begin. I remember what I can. I make home anew.
Perhaps things take root in the spaces left behind.
So do I.
Ysabel: “Born in Manila and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Finding joy in between the quiet and chaos of urban life. At the start of my journey into fiction. This piece is an homage to one of my favourite words in Te Reo Māori – “kākano” meaning “seed”.”
A note from our April flash fiction judges, Amy Han [@amyvhan / @woafie.writers.studio], on why she selected these pieces. We also had a surprise guest judge, 15-year-old Words of a Feather writer, Mimi Xu. Each judge viewed the entries anonymously, separately, and came back with the same winner & runner-up!
On ‘Isles O’er’ by Thomas Siefert:
Amy: “There's something both evocative and precise about this piece. It's rooted in a very specific place and voice, and yet it feels universal. I was moved by the idea of truths carried on the wind - something we might hear if we pause long enough to listen. Contrasted with the violence of that final line… the tension between being grounded and being held. This piece really made me stop to think about the theme of roots - what they have to teach us, whether it is possible to disentangle ourselves from them, and how far they might actually reach.”
Mimi: “This is my top choice. The choice of words weave together so well. This entry immediately stood out to me, especially the way a story and world has been built in so little words.”
On ‘Kākano’ by Ysabel:
Amy: “The concept of this one really struck me - the idea that rootlessness might actually be a prerequisite for growth. That potential demands a kind of ruthless unmooring. I hadn’t thought of it this way before … this reframe (and the beautiful Maori word, Kākano) felt both interesting, poetic, and true.”
Mimi: “This entry is my overall second choice. The last two lines really stood out to me especially.”
Congratulations, Thomas & Ysabel! 🌟
Our monthly Flash Fiction Competition 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.
