2024 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 2

For today’s prompt, write a story where the title appears in the story word-for-word.

Remember: These prompts are just starting points; you have the freedom to go wherever your flash of inspiration takes you.

(Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge. Our system randomly flags comments for review, so just sit tight and wait for us to set it free! If you run into any other issues with posting your story, please just send me an e-mail at mrichard@aimmedia.com with the subject line: Flash Fiction Challenge Commenting Issue.)

Here’s my attempt at a story where the title appears in the story:

Outside, the world is on fire

The news is playing images of a hospital halfway across the world. It’s been bombed. Children are screaming, blood cutting dark streaks through their rubble-dusted faces. “Breaking news!” is flashing across the screen, and it has been for days.

Meanwhile, she cries until she can’t draw breath because she spilled the breastmilk across the counter, and watches as it drips pointlessly onto the linoleum while the baby screams for help just down the hall. Her husband is sleeping after a long day at work.

Outside, the world is on fire. But inside, it feels a little bit on fire too.