The bus was late, the wind was cold, the shelter was useless, but then He arrived. “Hello” was all he said. But this was more than ever before. I fainted inside. The bus arrived. I sat near the back and He just across. He was looking at me I could feel it. I turned my head and met his gaze. One heavy second then He turned away. The bus stopped and up he got. “Please call me.” He handed me his card. The manager of Bistro Eleven. Bistro Eleven! This changed everything. Everything changed by a simple square of paper.

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Micro-fiction (up to 100 words): This very abbreviated short story is often difficult to write, and even harder to write well, but the markets for micro-fiction are becoming increasingly popular in recent times. Publishers love them, as they take up almost no room and don’t cost them their budgets. Pay rates are often low, but for so few words, the rate per word averages quite high. Here’s an example:

6-word micro-story: “For sale: Baby shoes. Never Worn.”
– Attributed to Ernest Hemingway

© 2002 Lee Masterson, http://www.writing-world.com