Cast in Stone - By Wendy Greeff

Written By: Wendy Greeff

Category: Flash Fiction

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Wendy Greeff presents "Cast in Stone," a poignant piece of flash fiction entered in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This competition, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, celebrates creative expression from around the world. Greeff's narrative unfolds on a solitary Atlantic beach, where the discovery of a fossil leads to reflections on memory and the past. Her work invites readers to ponder the intricate dance between what is remembered and what is lost to time.

About the Work

"Cast in Stone" captures the ephemeral nature of memory through evocative imagery and a reflective tone. The narrative weaves a tale of discovery, both literal and metaphorical, as the protagonist grapples with emotions tied to fleeting moments. The fossil serves as a powerful symbol of the immutable past, juxtaposed against the transient present. Greeff's choice of language and setting enhances the story's mood, creating a vivid tapestry that lingers in the reader's mind.

Cast in Stone

Original Submission by Wendy Greeff

CAST IN STONE

Searching for a strandloper midden for a university project, we come across the fossil on a lonely Atlantic beach. The slate shard has the striations of watered silk. Acid-etched into its sleekness are the outlines of demented spiders: darkly tangled knots, hair-fine legs.

‘Fossilised awns,’ he says, tracing the weird spider shapes with a dust-grained finger. ‘This place was once a savannah, a pasture for dinosaurs.’ And he grins at me, his teeth too white in his wind-battered face.

Is this why I chose a career in palaeontology?

Yes.

No.

Well, maybe.

There’s no grass on this beach now. Just salt-wetness: fragile, segmented seaweed, and strands of bloated, blackened kelp. But up on the road where we left the car, and around that lonely fisherman’s cottage where we stayed last night and which now reverberates with our new and silent secret, the wind shivers the dead blond grass, and brittle brown awns tremble at its touch.

The sunlight catches the gold band on the third finger of his left hand, and I tremble with memory. Last night, his touch, his tenderness - all are destined to become nothing; moments already lost in time, lingering only in the shivering pit of my stomach, in the way I ache. The caustic burn of loss scalds me yet again. He’s not mine, he can never be mine, despite those stolen moments in a place where delicate grass seeds quiver in the wind. I can’t even hold on to the memory. For only the infinite, forgotten past is ever cast in stone: brittle brown awns forever etched on a shard of slate.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a prestigious event that brings together writers and poets from diverse backgrounds to showcase their talents. This competition is renowned for its celebration of artistic excellence and creativity. Participants have the opportunity to share their unique voices with a global audience, contributing to a vibrant literary community.

We extend our gratitude to Wendy Greeff for sharing her evocative piece, "Cast in Stone," with the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her contribution enriches the tapestry of stories that connect us through shared experiences and emotions. We look forward to seeing more of her insightful writing in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.