And the Winner of the Really Short Story Contest is...

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

I really enjoyed this impromptu contest, and I hope you all did too. I'd like to do more mini-exercises in the future, so keep your eyes out for those.

All of the mini-stores were pretty good, but there were several that stood out to me. It was very difficult to pick a winner here. The ones that caught me were the ones that suggested a much bigger story underneath.

The finalists are (in no particular order):

Elaine Stock:

Fists clenches. Belly burns. Eyes widen.
No, no.
Can’t be.
Go away.
Head hurts. Thoughts flying. Helter-skelter.
“Stay back.” Rubs temple. Rubs gooseflesh. Rubs, rubs. “Respect me.”

Barmybex:

He smiled. She blushed. He talked. She listened. He asked. She told. Good Friends. Not enough. She fell. He didn't. Broken Heart. Moving on. Lost chances. Bitter regrets. Lost friendship. Nothing left.

Carradee:

She grinned. He scowled. She pointed. He zipped. She smirked. He sighed.

Marti Parham:

He lied.
She knew.
He recanted.
She listened.
He cried.
She watched.
He apologized.
She left.

And the winner is...

Barmybex!

What pushed this one to the top for me was the sense of scale. It's so short, yet it covers a whole relationship. And it's a tale everyone can relate to.

Barmybex, just contact me at janice (@) janicehardy (dot) com for your critique. 

Great job everyone! I'll be doing these fun contests and exercises again for sure.