This story is about monsters that we know and try to forget, the ones that linger in our hearts and follow us home. Published in the July 2025 issue of Flash Fiction Online, this marks my entry into short fiction markets!

Welcome to the world: My flesh, my beating heart, a willing meal that refuses to remember the danger of being eaten

I wrote this in a literal fever-dream between migraines. Unsurprisingly, a migraine is a very key part of the story.

Other fun facts about this story:

• Originally, I wrote the convenience store as a “dep” because I’m currently based in Montreal, but I changed it later to be a little clearer in case you’re not familiar with the corner-store lingo of Quebec
• There is a very small amount of tagalog in this story! I was initially a little worried that someone would mistake “Ate” for the name of the main character, but I think the context comes through well enough? If there’s any confusion: Ate is a term of respect that usually younger siblings/cousins etc. call older female siblings/cousins. For example, my younger brother should call me “Ate Deanna” though he refuses
• I did not expect my mother to enjoy this at ALL. She couldn’t get through watching What We Do In the Shadows because she said it was too scary. Not that this is a haunt your nightmares for all time, gross you out and make you want to gag kind of horror, but I thought she wouldn’t have a taste for it. I was completely and utterly wrong. She loves it, and has requested more!

I hope you love it!