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| Image by Trung Pham Quoc |
Enjoy these 30- to 75-word creative scenes. Feel free to start here or at the very beginning.
22. It Happens
You are sitting in a five-o'clock traffic jam on an overpass. Ahead, a man with graying hair and a business suit gets out of a red Toyota Civic. He leaves his driver door ajar in the street and calmly walks around the back of his car. As he goes, he unbuckles his pants, gives you
and everyone else a full view of his privates, and then he proceeds
to pee off the side of the overpass onto the honking vehicles far below. Without any expression, he zips
up and gets back in his car. It's been a long day for everyone.
23. Would You Like to Donate?
Your phone rings. Surprise, it is your local college alumni association, begging you for money. You have told them not to call you many times and in many ways. You have even left some of them questioning the actual value of the institution itself. But today, you stop the caller in mid sentence and say, “Hey, I’m gonna have to let you go. There’s a big storm headed for the house.” They hang up without another word. This would have been funnier were you not on your front porch, gazing up at black pine trees creaking and swaying wildly in the wind.
24. Your Zoo Life
You stand in the zoo, wishing you had an exhibit of your own. The label beside the viewing area would say, “Writer. Endangered level: Overpopulated.” Tourists would peer in at you, disappointed and feeling the same as when they see a lion eternally sleeping in the far corner of its enclosure. Someone would dryly mutter, “Still writing,” and a small child might tap on the glass to get your attention before everyone eventually wanders away to see the otter exhibit instead. A nearby sound system disguised as a rock would play soft jungle sounds to drown them out. Ah, for the perfect life!
25. That Sound
The faint tap that you just heard, and barely noticed—that was the sound a single, solitary raindrop. You may never hear such a thing again.
23. Would You Like to Donate?
Your phone rings. Surprise, it is your local college alumni association, begging you for money. You have told them not to call you many times and in many ways. You have even left some of them questioning the actual value of the institution itself. But today, you stop the caller in mid sentence and say, “Hey, I’m gonna have to let you go. There’s a big storm headed for the house.” They hang up without another word. This would have been funnier were you not on your front porch, gazing up at black pine trees creaking and swaying wildly in the wind.
24. Your Zoo Life
You stand in the zoo, wishing you had an exhibit of your own. The label beside the viewing area would say, “Writer. Endangered level: Overpopulated.” Tourists would peer in at you, disappointed and feeling the same as when they see a lion eternally sleeping in the far corner of its enclosure. Someone would dryly mutter, “Still writing,” and a small child might tap on the glass to get your attention before everyone eventually wanders away to see the otter exhibit instead. A nearby sound system disguised as a rock would play soft jungle sounds to drown them out. Ah, for the perfect life!
25. That Sound
The faint tap that you just heard, and barely noticed—that was the sound a single, solitary raindrop. You may never hear such a thing again.
More Succinct Scenes coming soon!
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View the Archives
Succinct Scenes 2013 (1-3)
Succinct Scenes 2014 (4-9)
Succinct Scenes 2015 (10-14)
Like What You See?
Read some short stories or check out a complete novel.
