Oh, Jeff... I love you...
entry for Raymond's flash fiction challenge
Oh, Jeff... I love you, too...
but my monthly bill is due
I thought you said that you care
but gentlemen never share!
Oh Jeff, I love you, I do,
but I doubt your love is true...
* * *
Written for Raymond G. Taylor's Oh Jeff flash fiction challenge:
About the Creator
The daughter of silence
It all started when Echo was five. She kept having these nightmares where she would just fall into a dark pit, screaming insanely loud, yet no one, not even her own parents would hear her. It was terrifying. But the most horrible part was that when she'd wake up panting, her parents were nowhere to be found, just like in her dream. She'd always cry herself to sleep alone and helpless.
By Anna Exclusive • 2 years ago
Becca
"Everything is so... flat." Denille said stupidly as she looked around her new neighborhood. She looked around at the muted desert where even the smallest sign of life seemed to have given up. The plant life was shrubs that were half cooked by the heat and where there should have been a lawn, a mess of white rocks laid glistening in the sun. Even the sky looked stretched thin, like the sun had ironed it smooth. She’d moved from Riverside, where at least there were hills, but here in Barstow, everything felt baked and brittle.
By Sara Wilson8 days ago in Fiction
Guard Your Battery, Lose Your Humanity
I used to think my phone was my lifeline. In Amsterdam, where rain slicks the cobblestones and bikes fly by like they're late for something important, my screen was the one constant: notifications buzzing through tram rides, endless scrolls while waiting for koffie at a brown café, quick checks at red lights on the Keizersgracht. It felt safe. Controlled. Connected. Until it didn't. By early 2026, I was exhausted in a way sleep couldn't fix. My anxiety had crept up quietly — heart racing in crowds, that low hum of dread when the battery dipped below 20%. I blamed the city, the weather, work. But deep down, I knew the truth: I'd outsourced my presence to a rectangle in my pocket. I was here, but never really here. So on a drizzly February morning, I made a rule that felt ridiculous: no phone in public for 30 days. Pocket, bag, or leave it at home — but never in hand when outside my apartment. If I needed directions or music, tough. The goal wasn't total detox; it was forcing myself to look up, be bored, and — if the moment felt right — talk to someone. One stranger conversation a day if it happened naturally. No forcing, just availability. What broke first was the fidgeting. Days 1–10: The Withdrawal Hits Hard The first week was brutal. At the Albert Cuyp Market, my hand kept reaching for my pocket like a phantom limb. Without the screen to hide behind, every line felt exposed. I noticed things I'd ignored for years: the way an old man feeds pigeons near the Nieuwmarkt, the precise rhythm of bike bells, the smell of fresh stroopwafels mixing with canal water. I also noticed people. Everyone else was doing what I'd been doing — heads down, thumbs moving. On the 2 tram toward Centraal, a carriage full of silent faces lit by blue light. No one spoke. No one looked up. It hit me: we're all in our own little bubbles, floating through the same beautiful city. By day 5, boredom turned into restlessness. Waiting for coffee at a spot on the Prinsengracht, I had nothing to do but watch. A woman in a red coat struggled with her umbrella in the wind. Our eyes met. She laughed first. "This weather," she said. I replied, "It builds character, right?" We chatted for two minutes about nothing — the rain, the best waterproof jackets. It felt awkward, electric, alive. That tiny exchange cracked something open. My anxiety didn't vanish, but it lost its grip for a moment. Days 11–20: The City Starts Talking Back Halfway through, the experiment shifted from punishment to curiosity.
By Shoaib Afridi7 days ago in Fiction
Early March 2026: 4 Goals Accomplished
It's early March and I've now accomplished my 4th writing goal for the year of 2026. Before diving into the behind-the-scenes of it... why not tell you up front what that accomplishment was? I was published in a 2nd publication for this year. Published in Helix Literary Magazine out of Central Connecticut State University. You can read it for free right now!
By Stephen Kramer Avitabile8 days ago in Writers
Comments (9)
Please forgive the clumsy cut and paste. I would like to publish your entry (or entries) to the Oh-Jeff challenge in an upcoming book and of course need your permission to do so. Details are all here: https://dailyofferaccess.life/writers/oh-jeff-the-book%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E Thanks, Ray
Can be a true story. 😁
Short, snappy, and delightfully sassy! A playful twist on love and responsibility—poor Jeff doesn’t stand a chance against that bill!✨
Brilliant!
And her instincts are true. Loved your take on this challenge!
Loved your poem, Anna. Great challenge entry!
Sharing the cost of a bill is the sign of true love
Great flash fiction! Fun!💗💕💖
Wonderful flash fiction and great interpretation of the brief. Well done