Introduction:

A friend pointed me at an anthology being put together of 42-word stories and suggested I give it a go. So I did, but since I’m only allowed to submit one and I wrote a bunch more, I decided to post the others here.

I hope you like them.

1 – If I had to do it all over again, I’m not sure I’d start at the beginning. Not because that isn’t where my problems stem from, or because I don’t think it would help. Mostly because fuck going back to high school.

2 – I distinctly remember people being frustrated whenever I was happy. I could be happy for them, why couldn’t they be happy for me? Now? I know that people are selfish. At the time? I just learned to always be a little sad.

3 – During the war I did things that would have made me vomit a year before, but violence and tolerance have a way of escalating. It’s funny how easy it is to become hard, and how hard it is to become soft again.

4 – With coffee that tasted vaguely of plastic and cancer, Rick crouched down to look at the victim and idly wondered what a younger, less jaded him would have thought. Realising a younger him would have vomited he took a sip of coffee.

5 – A smile changed my life and opened my eyes to a world of happiness I couldn’t have imagined on my own. A smile that shone like a light on my heart, setting me free and blinding me to the rapidly approaching train.

6 – “Is? Is anybody there?”

“No.”

“What?”

“Nothing”

“I can hear you, where are you?”

“Nowhere.”

“Please tell me where you are!”

“I did.”

“Who are you?”

“Nobody.”

“Stop saying that and tell me! … … Hello!”

“Hello.”

“Please, where are you?”

“Nowhere.”

7 – John looked into the empty box and mused that it wasn’t actually his last cigarette, he could buy more, but it was the box’s last cigarette. After a moment’s thought, he put the cigarette back in the box, and never smoked again.

Did you like this story? Would you like to read more of my work? Click here! 

Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments.