'Rainessence – On a Rainy Day' by C. Oulens

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MISSING

Rainessence – On a Rainy Day

The first whiff of petrichor, before the downpour subsumes the drizzle

Muddy puddles splashing laughter

A line of sparrows on the electric line shaking off the rain

Couples with folded umbrellas soaking in the rain

Last seen: a few decades ago, by the Good Old River, before the street learnt concrete manners, before rain needed to be drained, before liberty became liberalisation and every puddle needed to generate revenue.

If found, please report/ return to the Office of Historical Recovery by the Good Old River. A reward approximating a year’s subscription to a top Nature channel is assured.

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Found

Rainessence, exactly where it was lost. Perennial. The claimant should prove their credentials to acquire the same by removing paved surfaces and the expressway above the river, restoring the mangrove ecosystem and providing community infrastructure before attempting the collection.

Note: In case of successful claim, a reward shall be awarded to the claimant for a lifetime free membership of nature-pleasures by the Good Old River.

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'Lost Everything' by J. Rob Turner

LOST! TELEPHONE NUMBER of the most perfect person, a gift to me on the Weeks Footbridge near campuson July 4, 2009. The giver is a clerk somewhere at Harvard and I am the one she said was looking the wrong direction, the one who stuttered a little, “No, the fireworks sp-parkle like jewels in your eyes.” You touched my hand. I just lost my mind and can’t remember. It starts with a “7". I have tried several so far.

Please. Muskles@gmail.com

'Subconscioushine' by Kavya Janani. U

Lost: A dream with the word ‘sunshine’. If found, return to the owner’s subconscious. The darkness that has engulfed it needs a lot of sunshine.

Found: A dream with the word ‘sunshine’. It’s not the same dream, but there’s a lot of sunshine. Guess the owner’s subconscious is satisfied for now. Also, newspaper advert charges have skyrocketed.

'Finding Your Way' by By Birgit K. Gaiser

Lost: My way

Found: A brighter future

Have you ever struggled with the direction your Life has been taking? Have you found yourself short-tempered with your Loved ones, or even Without Loved ones? Stuck in a Rut and going “Nowhere” fast at your job or in school? Searching for Something, but unsure what it is? Unable to Find what you Need in the Common Church?

Let the River Heal you. Sign up for your Personal Healing Journey on our Website today. Take our Free Personality Test and let our Professionally Qualified Mediums Jakov and Danijela Guide you on your Path.

Or why not Join Us for our next Spiritual Cleansing Experience with Jakov and Danijela? Meet at the Troll Bridge on Saturday, 7th June 2011, at Midnight. Ticketed Event, Booking essential. Tips Welcome.

'Missing: Fucks Given' by Elisa Dominique Rivera

Last seen during a walk along the River Dee when nae a soul was in sight, quiet blanketing the banks, well, except for the squabbling wrens inside her head, as she was plonking worry rocks into the river bed. If found please leave it be.

'Des Objets Perdus' by Jean Feingold

LOST: My ability to speak French. Until yesterday, I was parlez vousing with the best of them (or at least, the best Americans who only studied French in high school). Now all that’s left is “Pardon, Madame,” “Ou est la bibliothèque?” and a few other phrases I’m pretty sure are pornographic.

Why do I care? So many reasons. The French Film Festival starts next week and the subtitles might be hard to read. I entered a sweepstakes where if I’m really lucky, I’ll win a two week trip to France. There’s a cute waiter at that new French restaurant and he seems to flirt more with women who flirt back en Francais. The labels at my favorite gourmet shop are all in French and I’d like to know what I’m buying before I spend the money.

I had my French with me until two days ago when I visited the river. You know the one, it’s by that converted warehouse that’s now a boutique hotel. I must have dropped the French when I sat down on the stone bench with the gargoyles. It was so light I didn’t feel it leave. I went back later and looked everywhere for it. I found rien (hey, that’s nothing in French!).

Please, if you find my French speaking ability, send it home. Without it, je suis desole.

'Truly Lost' by Scott Macleod

Sign posted at apartment gym:

LOST

All sense of sanity and decorum

If found, please return to the guy at the free weights rack who alternately grunts like he is fully dilated without an epidural and sings like Ryan Seacrest is tabulating his score from the treadmill. 

Generous reward to be enjoyed by all. 

Also missing are the heads of numerous gym members who could find them on their own if they look backward into the mirror while doing squats.

'Found: Decades Later' by Willow Woo

The confidence I chased my entire life, persisting as a Chinese American girl with Autism, ADHD, CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder), and OCD. It came after years of fiddling with my CAPD and rewiring my brain to listen clearly by deciphering audiobooks—like adjusting a radio dial, through the static. It was carved from a lifetime of do-it-yourself and adapting to a world not meant for me. It solidified after working at a public library with a staff who loathed patrons and ate taxpayer dollars rotting for their pensions. It exploded when I learned to value their presence as my worst life role models, a priceless education. It shone after I earned straight A's in my Library Masters. It was forged when I forced myself to speak despite my impediments, especially for storytime. It crystallized when I shunted embarrassment and didn't care what anyone thought. It cemented when I embraced all my quirks, when I finally welcomed myself fully, and it didn't matter that no one else would.

 

 

'Lorca Found and Lost' by Mike Lewis-Beck

I found Lorca, disguised as a turtle, when I went to Atocha station to check the train schedule to Madrid-Barajas. The big red-brick barn-like edifice contains a large palm tree conservatory protecting a stone-filled pond, brimming with goldfish and turtles. There Lorca swam contentedly, returned from Vermont as a turtle, after having been lost for 55 years.

NFFD 2026 Prompt #22: Lost and Found

Prompt #22: Lost and Found 

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 flash in the form of a 'Lost and Found' poster or public advertisement for something intangible (like a lost afternoon, a missed opportunity, or a sudden realization) dropped near a river.

To make this extra challenging, avoid themes involving dementia or general memory loss.  A loss of memory about something very specific and usual (words involving the letter 'r', the colour blue or the existence of insects, say) is fair game!

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If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 22: Lost and Found.

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 by Hawai'i Digital Newspaper Program UH Mānoa via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).