Flicker

Janet Zhang

Janet is too lazy to properly write an about the author... She unfortunately almost spends more time staring at blank pages than actually writing( fyi, that ' s a joke). When she ' s not doing that, Janet loves paddling in dragonboats and outrigger canoes in False Creek or eating salted caramel ice cream at Rain or Shine. This is a short story that follows Flicker, a brain cell navigating the chaotic human mind during a brainstorm( quite literally), where ideas appear as fleeting sparks. It was inspired by emojis that popped up when I typed " brainstorm " into my notes app while struggling to list ideas for my short story assignment. That emoji combination led me to wonder about what it would be like if every brainstorm brought twisting trees, fragile sparks, and winds of doubt, an inner storm that mirrors my own experience with writer ' s block.