A young girl loses herself in the green forest of virgins. A woman imagines an affair, but lacks the courage to pursue her beloved. Lost boys fall from stars, from tears, from bridges. They go missing in the breezes of time, and never return. Lovers are left waiting, brides are left wanting. Children leave for new worlds, some imagined, some real. Whispered thoughts seep into the hush of dawn. Girls, girls, why do you hate me so? Boys, boys, why do you tempt me so? Hearts falter. Breath stops. And, Yet, Love flows forever in a short time. Rich diction, haunting symbolism, and colorful imagery abound in this debut collection. Bittersweet and evocative, The Midnight Hour's Muse shares a sensual exploration of the nuances of affection, womanhood, and obsession through a compelling array of short tales and poems in prose.

A dazzling new anthology of the very best very short fiction from around the world. What is a flash fiction called in other countries? In Latin America it is a micro, in Denmark kortprosa, in Bulgaria mikro razkaz. These short shorts, usually no more than 750 words, range from linear narratives to the more unusual: stories based on mathematical forms, a paragraph-length novel, a scientific report on volcanic fireflies that proliferate in nightclubs. Flash has always—and everywhere—been a form of experiment, of possibility. A new entry in the lauded Flash and Sudden Fiction anthologies, this collection includes 86 of the most beautiful, provocative, and moving narratives by authors from six continents, including best-selling writer Etgar Keret, Zimbabwean writer Petina Gappah, Korean screenwriter Kim Young-ha, Nobel Prize winner Czeslaw Milosz, and Argentinian “Queen of the Microstory” Ana María Shua, among many others. These brilliantly chosen stories challenge readers to widen their vision and celebrate both the local and the universal.