Not Many Words Needed

When Flash Fiction gained popularity, I thought many in our society accustomed to tweets and text messages, lost an appetite for long short stories and devised the short-short flash story.

When reading the introduction to Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction I gained some perspective—short shorts aren't new—even when we think of Six-Word stories. Hemingway wrote a six word story: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

According to the introduction by Tara L.Masih —

"We now have 50-word stories ( dribbles),
55-word stories ( sometimes called nanofiction)...
100-word stories (drabbles)
quick fiction,
fast fiction,
sudden and flash fiction,
postcard fiction,
napkin fiction( from Esquire online)
minute-long stories,
smoke-long stories,
skinny stories,
vest pocket stories,
and pill-size stories ( from the forties)
palm-size stories..."

In this time of Lent, this time of forgiveness and repentance, let me try my hand at short short fiction.

He said you're forgiven. Please come home.

The fatted calf is ready, ratatouille is on the stove.

The bread, sweet with raisins, releases its aroma.

Please sit down and let's break bread.

If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.
—Robert Browning