Sebastian Pearce – Flash fiction with an Edge

  • Mourning Protocol

    Mourning Protocol

    I arrive at precisely 08:57, as programmed. Three minutes early is considered respectful, though not overbearing. Grief is a delicate affair. The flat is tidy but sterile, a converted newbuild on the edge of Sheffield’s old district—just enough character to feign soul. The hallway smells faintly of lavender, synthetic and…

  • “Next”

    “Next”

    A story by Sebastian Pearce based on the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt: What are you most excited about for the future? They ask us the same question every time. What are you most excited about for the future? I’ve learned to keep my answer simple. “The return of colour,” I say. “And…

  • What Bothers You?

    What Bothers You?

    A story by Sebastian Pearce based on the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt: You tell people it’s the small things that bother you. The way your coworker clicks her pen during meetings. How your neighbor leaves his garbage cans out two days past pickup. The sound of people chewing with their mouths open.…

  • Ten Certainties

    Ten Certainties

    A story by Sebastian Pearce based on the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt: You sit at your desk, pen hovering over the blank paper. The assignment seems simple enough: list ten things you know to be absolutely certain. Your therapist insists this exercise will help ground you after the accident, help you separate…

  • The Perfect Dinner Party

    The Perfect Dinner Party

    A story by Sebastian Pearce based on the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt: The Perfect Dinner Party If I could host a dinner and anyone I invited would come, the choice would be obvious. I’d invite myself—every version of myself I’ve ever been. The preparations took weeks. Seven place settings around my grandmother’s…

  • Better with Age

    Better with Age

    A story by Sebastian Pearce based on the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt: People always ask me what gets better with age. I tell them wisdom, wine, cheese—the usual answers. But I know the real truth now. What gets better with age is the hunger. It started when I turned sixty. A gnawing…

  • The Mnemonic Plague

    The Mnemonic Plague

    I never thought I’d miss forgetting. But as I sit here, surrounded by the relics of a world that no longer exists, I find myself longing for the blissful ignorance of an imperfect memory. My name is Dr. Evelyn Reeves, and I’m a neuroscientist. Or at least, I was. These…

  • Sleep Schedule

    Sleep Schedule

    A story by Sebastian Pearce based on the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt: I go to bed at 11:47 PM and wake up at 6:23 AM. Every single day. Not 11:45 or 11:50—11:47 exactly. The digital clock’s red numbers burn into my retinas as I force my eyes shut, and they’re the first…

  • Comfort Strategies

    Comfort Strategies

    A story by Sebastian Pearce based on the WordPress Daily Writing Prompt: You wake at 6:47 AM, three minutes before your alarm. This is strategy number one: train your circadian rhythm to anticipate necessity. No jarring sounds, no cortisol spike. Just the gentle emergence from sleep like surfacing from warm…

  • The Wake Up Call

    The Wake Up Call

    The headaches started three weeks after I quit drinking coffee. At first, I blamed caffeine withdrawal, though the timeline seemed off. The pain would hit precisely at 3:47 AM, yanking me from sleep with the sensation of ice picks behind my eyes. My doctor ran tests, found nothing, and suggested…