An Adventure in Succinctness: A Four-story Micro Fiction Collection

Introduction to a New Genre 

Once upon a time in the late 90s, I picked up a book that had a profound influence on me. It was a short anthology with a tad over 100 pages. However, within the book there were 101 stories that were 56 words in length, but each carried the impact of a full-length novel. In addition, they ran the gamut of being funny, sad or terrifying.

This was my first introduction to flash and micro fiction. I immediately bought in that a story didn’t need to be hundreds of pages long, nor even a few hundred words.

Surprisingly, this genre has attracted the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Joyce Carol Oates. These two wrote stories that were six and four words in length, respectively. In two other lengthy anthologies, numerous writers such as Isaac Asimov and Doris Lessing wrote stories with 1000 words or less. 

Throughout the years, I’ve come across online contests offering writers a chance to write these extremely short sentences (some contests called for six-word stories). 

The appeal of these stories are varied: 

• They’re lean and to-the-point;

• Succinct enough to write in less than an hour;

• They’re fun to read and/or write; and

• They are often full of surprise endings. 

To illustrate that last entry, one of the first stories I read from the 56-word story (which the editors called short, short stories), incorporated Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes. While this may sound like fan fiction, it gave an interesting twist. Sherlock tells Watson that he knew who the killer was. In response, Watson asks who it might be. Sherlock smiles and states: “Me.”

It should be noted, too, that many of these anthologies (especially the first book I picked up) are made up of amateurs and/or fledgling writers that were more concerned with writing something silly and entertaining. In many cases the writers were not serious and were just out having some fun. 

In addition to that, these anthologies are often printed every year and call for anyone to contribute a story to their publication.

And, yes, this writer has a few of these stories to add to the mix. Years earlier, I explored this topic, even writing several short, short stories with either 56 words,  six words or less. In addition, I copied a “no word” story (or poem?) that was actually used in a high school literature book. 

The following collection emerged after finding and reading numerous flash and micro fiction articles on numerous sites, including The New Yorker. This is where I truly came to realize what micro fiction and its effective use of titles were all about. 

As a result, this compelled me to write four micro fiction stories of my own. No need to continue writing this introduction. Here they are, all totaling a combined 500+words (if you count the titles, which many publications of these stories don’t do). From a one sentence story, to a half-page one, these are the four stories. Enjoy!

#1. The Death and Life of a Legend

He died, and then he was made into a god. 

#2. At a Bus Stop

The well-dressed man showed up at the bus stop as he often did. He didn’t talk to the others there, nor did he give them any reason to talk to him. The cleaning lady and nurse had places to go. The last thing they wanted was to mingle. They merely checked their watches and hoped the bus would arrive on time. 

The bus did, and just like clockwork the two got onto the bus and ignored the well-dressed man as they have always done on numerous mornings. 

Soon, others came. Some new folks, some regulars. Some will see the well-dressed man sitting on the bench, but they’d dismissed him and go along with their business. Even the regulars would merely glance at him and briefly wonder about the strange smile on his face. But, as usual, the curiosity didn't last long when the bus finally arrived. They moved onto the bus and got on with their lives.

Still, the well-dressed man never got on. Morning turned to noon, noon turned to the afternoon. Buses pulled up, opened its doors, then closed it when they realized that the man was not going to step aboard. 

Night arrived, and the bus pulled up. The cleaning lady and the nurse got off. After a quick salutation, they left and walked away in different directions. The same happened to the other regulars and new riders. 

Through it all, the well-dressed man sat there. By now, he was just an invisible man to the hard workers that routinely caught the bus to and from work. They were too tired to notice him. They were too tired to care. Any curiosity or concerns for this man had evaporated a long time ago. 

Soon, the bus ended its day and headed for the depot. The street lights scarred the night as the cars on the busy street stopped roaming while nearby businesses closed up for the night.

Finally, the well-dressed man stood up. His day was over. He picked up his large, battered and weathered suitcase and placed it before him. He unzipped it and peered inside. Another clean suit was waiting for him. No need to venture to the laundry mat, he thought as a big grin widened across his face. 

The city was closing down, and his day was through. He headed to the local park that he always felt was the safest (especially the restrooms within its perimeters).  He found his home in the bushes there and slept until a new day arrived. 

#3. The Earthquake And a True Californian

The jolt woke Dan up. Some things rattled and the metal chains that powered the ceiling fan and line swayed slightly before coming to a stop. 

He briefly looked around. The mirror was still on the wall; the books on the shelf were still in their place; and the rocking, which lasted a second, was gone. 

“Hmm,” he uttered under the duress of sleep. “3.0, 3.5. Who cares?”

And with that, he flipped to his side and went back to sleep. 

#4. Escaping The Ship of Fools

Edward was warned to never sail with a ship of fools. Thus, one day, he discovered that he was literally on a ship that was full of people he believed were fools. Thus realizing this, he leapt from it into the vast ocean. 

Happy and elated that he prevented a disaster, he waded in the ocean and watched that damn ship sail away. After all, he wasn’t a fool. Then, as the ship vanished from sight, Edward had a sudden realization when he looked around him and realized he was miles from shore or another ship. On top of that, he saw the distinctive fins of sharks breaking the surface of the water. 

It was at that moment, he came to realize that the ship just lost its fool. 

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