Flash fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity.

Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown, a monthly bout of writing prowess. For this edition, we are going to alter the rules a bit to keep it fresh. You now get 25 words and 2 sentences.

How It Works

We give you inspiration in the form of a picture, poem, video, or similar. You write a flash fiction piece, using the inspiration we gave you. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked and awarded a prize.

The Rules

• 25 words is the limit. (You can write less, but you can't write more.)
• The whole story must only be 2 sentences. No more. No less.
• It can be any genre.
• Give it a title (not included in the word count, but keep it under 10 words).
• We're not exactly shy, but let's stay away from senseless racism or violence.
• One entry per person.
• Editing your entry after you submit it is permitted.
• We'll pick a winner on the last day of the month.
• LitReactor staffers can't win, but are encouraged to participate.
• All stories submitted on or before March 28 will be considered. We'll run the winner on March 29.

This Month's Prize

Max Allan Collins' book Seduction of the Innocent. Here's a bit more about it:

It’s 1954, and a rabble-rousing social critic has declared war on comic books – especially the scary, gory, bloody sort published by the bad boys of the industry, EF Comics. But on the way to a Senate hearing on whether these depraved publications should be banned, the would-be censor meets a violent end of his own – leaving his opponents in hot water.

Can Jack Starr, private eye to the funny-book industry, and his beautiful boss Maggie unravel the secret of Dr. Frederick’s gruesome demise?  Or will the crackdown come, falling like an executioner’s axe…?

A hardboiled detective novel inspired by the 1950s witch-hunt against crime and horror comic books.  Written by best-selling novelist Max Allan Collins (author of Road to Perdition and long-time scripter of the Dick Tracy newspaper comic strip) and featuring 16 pages of interior illustrations by comic-book artist Terry Beatty (Batman, The Phantom),SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT tells the story of comic book industry troubleshooter Jack Starr and his investigation into the death of a moralizing crusader out to get violent comics banned. 

The book was inspired in part by the real-life crusade of Dr. Fredric Wertham, who in 1954 published a non-fiction book also titled Seduction of the Innocent in which he accused comic books – especially violent ones such as those put out by Tales from the Cryptpublisher EC Comics – of corrupting America’s innocent youth.

Your Inspiration

Photo via Flickr

Now get writing!

And the winner is...Strange Photon!

Strange Photon squeaked in just at the 25-word limit by using sonofabitch and Goddamnit as single words—and it worked! I like that he didn't interpret the inspirational photo literally, but rather followed it down the tangent a bit first so that it only appears in the single, non-literal use of the word bird. I also like that the Grandma scolds the "sonofabitch" for unsafe driving while simultaneously ordering her driver to pull a similarly dangerous stunt. That's the kind of Grandma I'd like to be someday...

Driving to Church

"Goddamnit, Kris, that sonofabitch nearly ran us off the road — get alongside and I'll flip him the bird." Grandma always had a way with words.