E. J. Zshornack Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

E. J. Zshornack is the Readers’ Choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. The winning entry is decided by the popular vote and rewarded with a special feature here today. (In the case of a tie, the writer who submitted an entry first is the winner per our rules.) Without further ado, here’s the winning story:

flash fiction prompt copyright KS Brooks Seattle Mariners March 2017
Photo copyright K. S. Brooks. Do not use without attribution.

Foul
by E. J. Zshornack

“Swing!” blasted the overhead. “Foul ball…here comes another pitch…another foul!”

Sitting behind home plate, I could not believe my luck watching my favorite baseball player go through his routine before each swing. He never fails to get a piece of the pitch. But today, he had a string of fouls.

“C’mon, Guy!” I screamed. With the last swing, he managed a triple and the crowd roared in excitement since the game was tied at the bottom of the ninth.

Baseball may be America’s past time but my fandom is limited usually to the last innings. It is a stretch sitting through an entire game. However, witnessing the action from behind home plate takes on a different spin. Like sitting in the front pew of a religious service, one’s attention is drawn forward and the rotation of players is a ritual not to be missed.

Seeing up close the most charismatic team member is an added bonus. I may be biased but part of my baseball education was inspired by him. Like a great teacher who encourages pupils to go the extra mile towards independent study, Guy LeBon ensured I was well-prepared to deserve my coveted seat.

The game was now in the hands of the next batter, the designated hitter. Could he manage to take Guy home and end it?

The crowd was reverently silent, as if transfixed in prayer.

“Crack!!” went the broken bat as the baseball flew long, missing the foul line by a hair.

That was enough.

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7 thoughts on “E. J. Zshornack Wins Flash Fiction Challenge”

    1. Emem, I know you can’t win the Reader’s Choice this week for your Pronghorn story, but I must say that you wrote a real winner. I found your story about the father and son at the golf course fleeing from the “resident pronghorn” thoroughly delightful!

      1. Mary Kay —

        The golfing duo of my hubby and son are the inspiration and the only “Pronghorn” I know of is the Golf Course in Bend, OR…not really the animal (LOL)…I had to look that up and was pleasantly surprised.

        I loved the dark theme of yours…expandable to a full short story exploring the human psyche…there is something also left unsaid…great!

  1. Thank you, Emem! I appreciate the encouragement. My mother said it was scary and sad, but a lot of life can be that way… it can be important to bring these things to light. Unfortunately too much is going on today, in very dark places.

    It’s good for the writers to communicate with one another. The Indies Unlimited Fan page could be used more often that way. Maybe one day it will be!

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