Across the globe, the dreams of the artists are causing many a restless and feverish night. Someday soon the call would come, when the stars were ready. The time would be easy to know, for then mankind would have become as the Flash Fiction Contest; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Flash Fiction Contest would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom.

The fourth incarnation of the Escape Artists Flash Fiction Contest is coming. Pseudopod will be leading the charge this time. Every author may submit up to two original stories of 500 words or less for consideration between August 15 and September 15. Sharpen your pencils and get your stories ready to submit. The three winning stories will be purchased and run as an episode of Pseudopod. Stories will be published on a members-only section of the forums, so first publication rights will not be expended by participating in the contest. It’s easy to be become a member. Sign up for a forum account and make a single post so we know you’re not a bot. This is a good thread to start with. From there, all the pertinent details will be posted under “The Arcade”. Visit for rules and details.