Super shorts or Flash Fiction

Super Shorts or Flash Fiction is a short story that is often one page or less. 

I discovered Fredric Brown today while reading the introduction to a new book I just started yesterday entitled, "The Best of Connie Willis".  I've enjoyed her historical fiction/time travel novel "The Doomsday Book" about a university student that travels back in time to study the Black Plague and gets stuck in time there. Willis has also won awards for her short story writing and credits many classic Science Fiction authors for their influence on her as a writer. One of the authors she mentioned was Brown. I am the ever curious reader, so I looked him up and found some short story gems to share. Willis' other novels also have a waiting place on my to-be-read shelves.

Brown is a master of the super short story, his writings have been adapted for the original Star Trek series (Captain Kirk fighting the Gorn), and the old show Outer Limits, a few movies were also made.

Answer by Fredric Brown (1950)

Dwan Ev ceremoniously soldered the final connection with gold. The eyes of a dozen television cameras watched him and the subether bore throughout the universe a dozen pictures of what he was doing.
He straightened and nodded to Dwar Reyn, then moved to a position beside the switch that would complete the contact when he threw it. The switch that would connect, all at once, all of the monster computing machines of all the populated planets in the universe -- ninety-six billion planets -- into the supercircuit that would connect them all into one supercalculator, one cybernetics machine that would combine all the knowledge of all the galaxies.
Dwar Reyn spoke briefly to the watching and listening trillions. Then after a moment's silence he said, "Now, Dwar Ev."
Dwar Ev threw the switch. There was a mighty hum, the surge of power from ninety-six billion planets. Lights flashed and quieted along the miles-long panel.
Dwar Ev stepped back and drew a deep breath. "The honor of asking the first question is yours, Dwar Reyn."
"Thank you," said Dwar Reyn. "It shall be a question which no single cybernetics machine has been able to answer."
He turned to face the machine. "Is there a God?"
The mighty voice answered without hesitation, without the clicking of a single relay.
"Yes, now there is a God."
Sudden fear flashed on the face of Dwar Ev. He leaped to grab the switch.
A bolt of lightning from the cloudless sky struck him down and fused the switch shut.

 For another super short shocker titled "Hobbyist" by Fredric Brown see my other blog here http://adarkandstormynightgothicreads.blogspot.com/