Announcing “Encore: Bingeworthy” Flash Fiction Contest Winners!
Announcing the winners of the “Encore: Bingeworthy” March 2026 flash fiction contest!
Read it nowS13 - Encore
Cry of the Beast
The cry sends a chill through me, as it does every time I hear it. It always arrives at the height of summer, yet I pray this is the cycle it will not come.
But it does. It always does.
I take out the muting silk and put it in my ears and those of my beautiful daughters.
Purpose
Marjorie woke up strapped to a surgical table in an unfamiliar laboratory. One minute, she had been walking to her car alone, worried her life was going nowhere; the next, she’d fought for it as a pungent cloth covered her nose and mouth.
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The Karaoke Dragon
Ziff pushed open the squeaky doors to The Crooner’s Saloon and took a cautious step inside. A goblin hunched over the keys on an old piano, pounding out a medley filled with far too many flat notes. Two she-elves stood on stage, both dolled up in an overabundance of petticoats and ruffles,
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The Algorithmic Hero
If life were a streaming service, Max would’ve hit “Skip Intro” a long time ago.
Every day played out the same: wake up, scroll, eat cereal that claimed to “optimize your morning,” and try not to think about the flashing ad
A Tale-Tail Pair
My detective partner, Monica, was anything but optimistic. Her dark eyebrows were always arched above calculating eyes, and her lips were always set in a frown. She even refused to wear her hair down at work because she thought it made her look
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The Age of Dragons
The sun shone kindly upon me as I sharpened my sword, taking satisfaction in the shink, shink, shink. A butterfly perched nearby on a blade of emerald grass.
My lazy smile widened. “Hello! It feels so good to be free, doesn’t it?”
A low buzz
The Surrender Weapon
“Our triumph is close at hand, thanks to Dr. Drago!” General Kohl proclaimed triumphantly as he stood in front of the B-17 Flying Fortress, the sunlight reflecting off his bald head. He pointed to a huge, opaque metal cylinder directly beneath the aircraft.
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Cracking the Case
Frank the Pig Detective shuffled papers on his desk while his brother Bob studied the bookcase.
Wonder what kind of mood Bob’s in today?
Frank adjusted a paper that didn’t really need adjusting, and sighed. Before the Big Bad Wolf fiasco, he, Bob,
One Wish
The Agents Against the Abuse of Arcane Accords had originally been pitched as the Break-A-Wish Foundation, but someone thought that might be irreverent, so they went with Quintuple A instead.
Agent Vera Fray, Quintuple A’s best wizard, listened to the morning’s recorded call for clues as
The Abduction of Helena
“All I mean is, one of us has got to make pretend niceties or they won’t like us.” Friedrich crouched down beside Aloysia in the nursery of the kidnapped child.
Aloysia did not bother to contain her eye roll. She had insisted
Pride and Persuasion
With a deep breath, Avery squared his shoulders and entered the fray.
The Highfaye Ball attracted every well-born high elf and faye-blood lady in the city. Each with the single-minded purpose of ensnaring the wealthiest, most eligible bachelor of the season. Half-bloods like Avery need not apply.
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