May Cobb

Charming, But Insubstantial

This is a flash fiction about the fear of being replaced by a robot housekeeper and forgotten by your family with an extremely explicit 'be careful what you wish for'.

The writing and performance are charming, and this area which, while well-trod, is rife with opportunities to tell interesting stories. But unfortunately, I didn't see anything new or done exquisitely, which are kinda the expectations when approaching a well-established narrative and/ or trope. I suppose it could be argued that stripping it down to the bones in a roughly ten minute micro story, presented almost like a blueprint or standard rules document for others to rework, is something new. But that doesn't appear to be the point of this, which is a standalone story on its own.

I do enjoy the writing style and would still be interested to read more of this author.… (mere)

Kira returns home after many years to attend a celebration for an old frenemy. She left after her mother died, but Kira thinks she was murdered. Her childhood best friend, Jack, is now married, but Kira has always had a crush on him. She confides to Jack that she has been getting disturbing texts which disparage her dead mother. Kira's grandmother is trying to reach Kira to give Kira a memoir written by her mother. In the memoir, her mom admits to having a love affair and wanting to leave Kira's father. She died shortly after writing some entries. As Kira digs into the circumstances surrounding her mom's death, she is putting herself in danger.
The ending was a bit obvious to me, but satisfying.… (mere)