Friday Flash Fiction
  • Home
    • Opportunities at FFF
    • About Friday Flash Fiction
    • Terms & Conditions
  • 100-Word Stories
  • Longer Stories
  • Poetry
  • Authors
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E-F
    • G-I
    • J-L
    • M-O
    • P-R
    • S-V
    • W-Z
  • Submissions
    • 100-Word Submissions
    • 500-Word Submissions
    • Short Poetry Submissions
    • Writing Good Flash Fiction >
      • How to complete the Entry Form
    • Appeals/Feedback Request
    • Contact FFF
    • Technical Stuff >
      • Terms & Conditions
      • GDPR Compliance
      • Duotrope
    • Support FFF

November 1st, by John O’Keefe

3/11/2023

 
“This kind of thing can spread,” he would tell us, “wars don’t recognize borders.” We soon stopped paying attention to his warnings even though some of the worst battles were fought barely fifty miles north of us. It was gradually becoming trench warfare anyway; curling (sport?) seemed more exciting.

It was on a lazy mid-August day when we got the news that a stray cluster bomb had maimed his daughter-in-law and killed Tommy, his only grandchild. We didn’t know how to tell him but soon he found out anyway. He refused to go to the funeral and has not visited his daughter-in-law in the sanatorium.

Today, All Saints’s Day, we’re getting ready to visit the graves of the loved ones. He says he’s not coming. “As long as I see no evidence, I can believe that Tommy is still alive. He’ll grow up to be twice the man I ever was. And he’ll become a poet or a park ranger or a peace activist. A fierce one!”
​
Mimi Grouse
4/11/2023 06:28:29 am

A profoundly moving, thought-provoking story.
Nice one, John.

John O’Keefe
4/11/2023 09:57:38 am

Thanks, Mimi.

Their aim is to divide us.

Christa Loughrey
4/11/2023 07:43:00 pm

This is so sad. The poor man.

Sue Clayton
5/11/2023 01:17:02 am

I couldn't add better comments than those of Mimi and Christa. Powerful.

Robert P. Bishop
14/11/2023 03:00:56 am

Hi John...I enjoyed this story. Yes, wars have a way of escaping borders.

John O’Keefe
14/11/2023 11:20:32 am

According to Voltaire, war is in our heart.


Comments are closed.

    Longer
    Stories

    Longer Friday Flash Fiction Stories

    Friday Flash Fiction is primarily a site for stories of 100 words or fewer, and our authors are expected to take on that challenge if they possibly can. Most stories of under 150 words can be trimmed and we do not accept submissions of 101-150 words.


    However, in response to demand, the FFF team constructed this forum for significantly longer stories of 151-500 words. Please send submissions for these using the Submissions Page.

    Stories to the 500 word thread will be posted as soon as we can mange.


    Picture
    Please feel free to comment (nicely!) on any stories – writers appreciate it.
    Just at the moment, though, we're moderating some of them so there might be a slight delat before they appear
    .

    One little further note. Posting and publishing 500-word stories takes a little time if they need to be formatted, too.
    ​Please note that we tend to post longer flash fiction exactly as we find it – wrong spacing, everything.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

Picture
Website by Platform 36