They say he’s been out here over a hundred years, tending a little cemetery no one visits anymore. No one really knows why he doesn’t age — maybe the cold preserved him, maybe it’s something else.

We found the map in my grandfather’s things after he passed. Hand-drawn, edges worn soft with time, a note tucked inside: “Find Milo. He’ll know.”

So here we are — me, my brother, a compass, and a thermos of strong coffee — tracing the same path our grandfather must’ve walked decades ago.

We’re not sure what we’re hoping to find. Maybe stories. Maybe closure. Maybe just a man who remembers someone we love.

And somehow, that’s enough.

The wind’s picking up, but I swear, just beyond the ridge, there’s a little wooden gate. A figure in green waves once, then turns back toward the headstones — still keeping watch. Still waiting.

Flash Fiction Friday Prompt

The Cemetery Keeper was originally published in Story Lamp Reviews on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It began with an unusually high rate of communication lapses and near misses in one month at airports around Country C. Two months after that Country X experienced a nationwide blackout, attributed to atmospheric radiation. Scarcely two weeks after that the missile detection system of Country R, famed for its reliability, failed to alert on a rocket fired by insurgents from Country S.

Our routine data mining operation flagged a commonality between these disparate incidents: each was directly preceded by seismic activity originating in the ___ Sound. Our goal is to collect more detailed geological observations as input to an advanced prediction model. We reached the location by boat 6 hours ago.

Once he stopped typing he realized that something was terribly wrong. It was dead silent on the ship, no familiar hum.

The engines were off, in open water.

The needle on his compass started to spin.

Flash Fiction Friday Prompt

The Signal was originally published in Story Lamp Reviews on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Group was canceled. Mayford, bastard, found us mingling on the fourth floor. McKasey was gazing past the lawn, the lake, the trees --

“That fence,” he said. Twilight put a glow on a distant oak and shot a glint off the iron.

Mayford looked over his shoulder. “Exuberance the First, Second, and Third are all in there. So’s their wives and kin.” He was human, for a moment. “At least one girlfriend is in there too.”

“The roots to that oak is going through all of them.”

“That tree hasn’t grown in years,” the prick said. “Just stands guard.”

“You’ll be there one day?” McKasey asked, devoid of emotion.

Mayford let a breath past his ginger pushbroom mustache. “I’m supposing so.”

“We’re going to be buried with you?” I taunted, just because.

“Oh hell no,” he scoffed. “I have your cadavers sold to the university the day you all get sentenced.”

Flash Fiction Friday Prompt

May Prompt: Family Graves in the Distance was originally published in Story Lamp Reviews on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Welcome to Our Fifth Monthly Flash Fiction Prompt

Deadline: 31 May 2025

With cooler nights settling in in Melbourne, I’ve been craving stories with mystery, maps, and maybe a secret or two buried just out of sight.

This month’s image of a map, camera, and compass, I kept thinking about someone finding a secret that was meant to stay buried. Maybe it’s a place no one returns from. Or maybe it’s the first clue in something more intricate.

Your story can be a fantasy, horror, mystery, historical fiction, but we’d love to see how you make this month’s prompts your own — across any genre you like.

We also have one more written prompt for you to try as well.

May Photo Prompt:

In 150 words or less, write a story inspired by this month’s image above.

May Written Prompt 1:

In 150 words or less, write a story about: A town’s cemetery caretaker who hasn’t aged in 100 years.

Please remember that for Photo Prompts, you don’t need to include an image as we will use the one provided above before publishing. For Written Prompts, however, please include an image with your story and credit the source.

Before submitting your flash ficiton pieces to us please remember to proofread your work. I’d recommend using a free grammar checker like GrammarCheck or Hemingway Editor.

Quick Reminder:

1. Choose a prompt (or both).

2. Write your story in 150 words or less. Include a Title and Subtitle.

3. Add the prompt link for this month and relevant tags, which are ‘Flash Fiction Prompts’ and ‘Story Lamp Reviews’.

4. Proofread your story.

5. Submit your draft to Story Lamp Reviews using the three dots next to the notification bell and click, add to publication.

I’m really looking forward to reading all of your stories for the month of May. And please remember to check your word count before submitting.

Happy Writing!

Flash Fiction Friday Prompt was originally published in Story Lamp Reviews on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.