love – Oxford Flash Fiction Prize

First Place: Dugout by Emma Oldham

I spread my legs, drawing up my sarong, the colour of burnt dust, past my thigh. The fabric clings to my skin, wet with sweat. Every Friday, Nikola takes the long way home, circling the brittle edge of our camp in Coober Pedy like a dingo sniffing heat. Nothing’s pretty in this part of Australia.Continue reading “First Place: Dugout by Emma Oldham”

Second Place: Diva by Cate McGowan

She didn’t sweat. That was the first thing I noticed about her. This was Georgia in July. Church fans fluttering like moth wings, sundresses sticking to the small of your back. Pews tacky to the touch. But that girl, that new girl in the peach dress, stayed dry as chalk. No pit stains. No shineContinue reading “Second Place: Diva by Cate McGowan”

First Place: Hold by Andrew Lang

I remember you running faster than the other mums on sports day, I remember you saying, I’m not like the others I’m way out weird, I remember you saying, dry it up and put it away, never leave anything by the sink, I remember you singing on your guitar, oh the buzzing of the beesContinue reading “First Place: Hold by Andrew Lang”

Second Place: The Worst-Case Scenario by Emily Rinkema

At the end of the first week at my new job, Tina from Sales makes me go to a lunchtime baby shower with her. I can’t think of many things that could be worse–maybe a pap smear, maybe a water park, maybe a plane crash–but she tells me I have to go, that it’ll makeContinue reading “Second Place: The Worst-Case Scenario by Emily Rinkema”