'Troll Bridge' by Birgit K. Gaiser

Troll Bridge, 2 km
Sign outside Tarovia City

Troll Bridge, 1 km
Sign outside Tarovia City

You are entering the area of the Troll Bridge Massacres. We ask you to treat the memory of our loved ones with the appropriate respect and refrain from smoking including vaping, drinking alcohol, eating, shouting, wearing crocs or team colours, playing ball games, playing loud music and running.
Signs around Troll Bridge

Beware of troll.
Faded sign on Troll Bridge

What troll?
Graffiti on Troll Bridge

Dedicated to the victims of the Troll Bridge massacres, April to July 2011.
May they live forever in our hearts, and may our city never have to face such tragedy again.
Troll Bridge Memorial, central engraving.

'Access to the Children' by SJ Warner

Roadworks Ahead

Slow Traffic for 9 miles

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Road Ahead Closed

5 miles

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SLOW

Traffic Enforcement Camera – 1326 Breaches in 2026

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B2695 Eastonbury Plucknett closed 2 miles

Diverted Traffic ↗

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Bridge Repair

Work Starts 26 August 2021

Delays Possible Until 2036

Sorry For Any Inconvenience

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B2695 Eastonbury Plucknett West closed 1 mile

Diverted traffic ↘

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Nook Lane Road Closed

No Vehicles Beyond this Point

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Mill House 200 yards

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Access To Mill House

By Prior Permission Only

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Warning Guard Dogs Patrol Grounds

No Unauthorised Personnel Allowed Beyond This Point

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Mill House

Private Property

No Circulars. No Hawkers

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STOP

Facial Recognition Cameras In Use

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Mill House

No Marriage Guidance Counsellors.

No Divorce Lawyers. No Family Solicitors.

No Psychologists.

Anyone found contravening these rules will lose all rights to personal safety.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

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STOP NOW

Entry Strictly Forbidden

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WARNING:

Guard Dogs can sprint from Mill House to the entry gate in 8 seconds.

Can YOU?

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Mill House

Please ring bell

Do not leave parcels outside or with neighbours (all losses will be claimed for).

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Gone to mother’s with the kids.

You can take them out on Sunday afternoon instead.

'Meeting Room Tables Should Not Be Used For Creating Humorous Shorts' by Katie Willow

Public Notice

Please do not move tables in, into, or out of this room. This area is monitored by CCTV.

Staff Notice

Students have been moving the tables from Meeting Room 1. We have put up signs to warn them not to do this. Please check the tables are in place at regular intervals during your shift. Check tables for damage at the beginning and end of each day.

Folding Table Instruction Manual

Check the Folding Table has been assembled correctly according to figs 1-42. Bolts should be hand- tightened only using the provided Allen Key. Faulty Folding Tables must not be used and should be replaced immediately. Folding Tables are not suitable for repair except by a qualified Folding Table engineer. A list of qualified engineers can be found on page 13 of this manual.

In the event of a time loop occurring due to incorrect deployment of the Folding Table including, but not limited to, a) use of the Folding Table in a non-temporal shielded area b) use of a Folding Table in the Unfolded position c) full body contact to the upper surface of the Folding Table d) use of multiple Folding Tables in an unapproved configuration e) continued use of a damaged Folding Table f) Folding Tables making contact with other objects at high speed or force please turn to page 100 and follow the steps listed in precise order. Please note, Folding Tables are functional items and are not intended for entertainment. They should not be used when producing 'Content' and the warranty will be void if shorts featuring the Folding Tables are discovered on any social media or streaming service.

'Longdale' by Geoff Benn

Something was off in Longdale, California. Sure, the well-watered lawns were perfectly edged

and the only sound louder than the sprinklers was the occasional whir of a Tesla headed off to

the country club or swim lessons. But something was definitely off.

I first noticed the signs:

A huge billboard, just off the freeway, showed a smiling woman holding a test tube, with the

text “Genely Labs – engineering tomorrow, today.”

Outside of a city park, a bus bench read “Genely – passionate about community safety.”

“Genely wrangler positons starting at $20/hr – same day hiring” scrolled across the bottom of

the local news in my hotel room.

I decided I wanted a drink and headed for the Pelican Tavern, which promised “Mixed Drinks”

and “Billiards” in a neon glow just up the street.

Alfred’s Sporting Goods was closed, but a printed sign in the window said “We are sold out of:

croquet mallets, golf clubs, lacrosse sticks, BB guns, and marshmallow roasting sticks. We

apologize for the inconvenience. Good luck!”

After I settled into the vinyl embrace of a stool at the Pelican, I asked the bartender what the

hell was going on in Longdale. He shook his head and pointed to a framed notice behind the

bar:

“By order of the City Council, discussion of the ongoing safety incident is prohibited in the

interest of public order. Violators are subject to fine and / or placement on a wrangler crew.”

On the walk back to the hotel, I saw a business card stapled to a telephone pole. It said

“McTernan Law – have you or loved one been harmed by mutant hamsters? Call 1-800-HAMHARM!”

As I pocketed the card, I thought I heard scurrying in the nearby alley. It was time to get out of

Longdale.

'Sign You Deserve a Drink' by PL Harris

Yellowstone National Park, 10 miles

Eagle Peak, this way

Elevation, 11,000 feet

Caution: Steep incline

Caution: Wildlife 

Caution: Don’t feed the bears

Hospital, this way

Next gas, 100 miles

(empty gas gauge)

Bus stop

Pull cord to signal stop

Emergency room 

Fractures, this way

Cast (plaster) room, this way

Discharge, this way

Rent bikes here

City center, .5 miles

Food and drink, this way

Wine and beer, served here

“Saloon rules: If you’re still standing, you need another drink.”

'The Wymondham 5000 Garden Shed' by Lucienne Cummings

Instructions
Tools required:

• Electric drill & 2x16mm drill bits
• Phillips screwdriver
• Tape measure
• Spirit Level
• The patience of a saint

1. Align all pieces before attempting construction. None of the holes will line up. Kicking the panels is not recommended.
2. Secure panels with the 64x50mm screws provided. Please note that you will only find 63, so you’ll need to drive to the DIY store to rectify this. Please note that these screws only come in packs of 50. Upon completing construction, you will find the missing screw in the grass, embedded in your bare foot.
3. Attach apex sections (whatever an apex is).
4. Attach the roof, using the patented B52 flanges. (May take 8-12 hours depending on wind conditions).
5. Fill the new shed with tools, tattered gloves, and spiders.

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Belton and Middleton Chronicle
15 September 2016

CHURCH LANE RESIDENTS REPORT STRANGE LIGHTS

‘We heard a roar, and a crash, and the dog wouldn’t stop barking,’ said Mr John Smith (42) of Foxglove Crescent, Belton. ‘Bev thought it was joyriders, but then we clocked the big disco ball in the sky.’

After last night’s events, Foxglove Crescent is crowded with UFO spotters, camping out on the pavement, cameras trained on the sky, hoping for more excitement…

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Mr J Hargreaves and Family
15 Foxglove Crescent
Belton
Herefordshire
UK
Earth

14/9/16

Dear Humans,
We write to apologise for annihilating your garden shed with our craft this evening. The accident was the combined result of operator error and the unexpected height of your neighbour’s flagpole. We hope you will find the attached flatpack an acceptable replacement, and that this incident will not affect future relations between our kind and yours.

With many kind regards,
The Extraterrestrials

P.S. This letter will self-destruct in 10 seconds

'Detour' by Elizabeth Thoms Charles

Bridge closed.

Turn around. Don’t drown.

Detour.

Cattle crossing.

Slow.

Workers on highway.

Manure gathering.

Compost making.

Mucking about.

Detour.

Elk crossing.

Slow.

Workers on highway.

Manure gathering.

Compost making.

Detour.

Slow.

5 MPH. 

Baby geese crossing.

Workers on highway.

Manure gathering.

Compost making.

You are here.

Destination.

There.

Estimated time to destination:

Three days, 5 minutes.

Expect delays.

Welcome.

Coffee.

Pastries.

Restrooms.

Scenic route.

Enjoy our wildlife.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #16: Bridge Closed

 

Prompt #16: Bridge Closed

Welcome to The Write-In!  This year, we're celebrating the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of Bridges. Throughout National Flash Fiction Day, we'll be posting one prompt every hours from 00:00 until midnight (BST), for a total of 25 prompts in all.  You have until 23:59 BST on Sunday to submit your responses for possible publication here at the Write-In over the course of the next week.

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Write a story in the form of signs, warnings, notices, announcements, or instructions. The reader should be able to work out what happened from what is being forbidden, redirected, repaired, or apologised for.  

Aim to make the 'what happened' something unusual and specific.  

Bonus points if you can insert some levity and/or humour.  

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 16: Bridge Closed.

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 14 June 2026 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

You can claim the badge for this prompt by visiting our badges page.

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Photograph of Chambers Bridge (Woolwich Township, Ontario) by C Hensley via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).