2026 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 16
Write a piece of flash fiction each day of February with the February Flash Fiction Challenge. Today’s prompt is to write about flowers.
For today's prompt, write about flowers.
(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 about flowers:
Being Loved
My mother bought a bouquet at the grocery store every single week. When I was a teen, I asked her why. She didn’t make a lot of money, not like other people’s parents did, but it wasn’t something I knew how to talk about except in these roundabout ways.
She shrugged, put one scraggly bunch back for another. “It makes me feel loved. We all deserve to feel loved, even when it’s something we do for ourselves.”
After her death, I found journals she’d kept for years before I was even born. One birthday entry lingered:
Danny said today that he’d buy me flowers if I asked, but he thinks they’re a waste of money. I know he would do it if I asked, but I don’t want to have to ask.
No one wants to ask to be loved.
My mother’s best friend and I take turns putting bouquets on her grave. Between the two of us, there’s not one week where the little plastic bouquet cup is empty.
