When Flashers Meet by Pamela Painter, 2024
The magic trick:
Taking a would-be tense moment early in the story and moving the plot toward sweetness
This is a surprisingly sweet little story. And I do mean little. It’s bordering on flash fiction. So how does Painter make such an impact so quickly? Well, I think the story hinges on a specific moment. The narrator has been caught in a comprising situation. Things could go either way. Without spoiling things, the plot bends toward sweetness.
And that’s quite a trick on Painter’s part.
The selection:
I nod, swing my cart around and head for meat. Red meat. I hear his cart following me. Oh glory. It’s been years since a brisket bubbled in my old oven.
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