Flash Fictions: Families Aflame and Forged

Forged in the Family

Malla lit the forge beside her bother. “We can resmelt the starmetal from grandfather’s broken blade. I’ll make a pair of short swords for us.”

“They’ll be light, good for a long journey,” Paldo nods. “I’ll etch their spellrunes.”

“We’ll save Mom and Dad yet!”

The Ciconia

She glared at the boulders below. “I know you’re a famed aviator-adventurer-inventor and all, but if you try to land there we’re going to die!”

The Ciconia’s propellers rotated up. Now hovering, mechanical stork legs descended.

“You were saying?” he asked.

The Right Thing to Do

My daughter is in Mom’s cozy room. She won’t look at me.

“I loved her too,” I say.

She holds her grandmother’s wedding ring.

“Their sacrifice will save our economy,” I say. “It was the right thing to do.”

“When you’re old, I’ll do the right thing too, Dad.”

Banquet

“You’re late,” Amada says.

Nuronin sits beside her. “A wizard is never late, he always—”

“Yes, whatever,” she waves. “The Emperor ate the phoenix egg. Said it was delicious.”

“I told him not to…”

“Now he’s immortal?”

The Emperor burst into flames.

“Nope!”

Take This

Outblowing smoke and heat drifted from the crashed spaceship. Adam laid the alien he’d saved on the ground.

“You’re brave,” it said in a whisper. “Here, take this.”

“Is it, a Green Lantern ring?”

It blinked perplexed. “No. It’s a medkit. Help me!”