by Barry Ergang

With Spring in full bloom it seemed a perfect time to share this mystery flash fiction story by Barry Ergang! This story originally appeared in the print anthology Short Attention Span Mysteries, which was published by Kerlak Publications in 2005.

“Myron, take me shopping.”

‘Nag!’ he thought, leaning on the shovel and beaming at newly planted impatiens.

“C’mon! You spend more time in this garden than you do with me.”

Shrew!

“You’ll have to help with the gardening,” Myron said, smiling.

He swung the shovel with a gratifying whomp. “You can push up the daisies.”

You can find more of Barry’s short stories, plus many others, in our Terrific Tales section and you can find a review of Barry’s novella The Play of Light and Shadow & enter to win a copy of it along with 3 e-books, in this issue.

Barry Ergang is a Derringer winner for the best flash fiction story of 2006, and former editor of Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine. Barry has been accorded the dubious title “Guru of Groaners” by some fellow scribes. “The Mall Tea’s Fall Kin” is one of many groaners available in the collection PUN-ishing Tales: The Stuff That Groans Are Made On, available at Smashwords. Learn more on his website.