“When they open up that door, you’re gonna whop ’em on the knees with your shovel, okay, son?”
Little Harley nodded his freckled nose and gripped his shovel as tight as he could.
Jim leveled his shotgun. Wasn’t every year you got to do the surprising on your own birthday.
This story was based on the prompt “when they come” at TypeTrigger.
It’s finally here!
Preorders for Fifty-Word Stories: Volume Two and 50-word story t-shirts are now open.
Volume Two contains 130 stories (compared to 100 in Volume One), and also includes an essay about finding inspiration for your writing.
The preorder period will close on Monday, September 12, at which point the printing and shipping will begin. I will also be reprinting Volume One, so if you missed out on that the first time around, grab it in a bundle with Volume Two, combine the shipping, and save some money!
Volume One and Volume Two each cost $12 on their own, or $3 as ebooks. T-shirts are $20. The various bundles have savings built in, plus shipping is much cheaper per product when items are combined. See the Store page for details.
Since all of the books and shirts are being produced locally this time around, I can sign every book (if you want me to), and I will even write you a personal story, which will never be posted anywhere else, for an added charge of $5.
See all of the product pages for extra details. If you have any questions, check out the Store FAQ page. If you run across any issues with the store, please let me know!
Bradley loved Veronica, and he hated it. He hated his attraction to her arrogance. Mostly, though, he hated that she hated him.
Veronica hated lots of boys: she valued her spitefulness; but she especially hated Bradley.
They circled each other in ever-decreasing orbits, their gravitational forces growing, like doomed planets.
This story is based on a title suggested by Jonas Funk.
We were reading in bed after another busy day. My wife was disappointed: “We’re growing apart. I thought this course would help us!”
I looked up from my book on oration. “Refusing to deny the opposite would make me a liar.”
She switched off the light and started to cry.
Evert Asberg lives and works in Europe.
Micah the mole had always wanted to fly.
One day, he climbed a tree and jumped. For a full second, he was dropping through the air like a dead bird. It was exhilarating, then very painful.
He told his friends he’d do it again, but they knew he was lying.
Jim the Space Rabbit had always wondered what Mars was like.
One day, he flew his space rocket to Mars. He got out and looked around for a bit. It was cold and dry.
He told his friends he’d found diamonds and met aliens, but they knew he was lying.
This story was based on a title suggested by Al Gore.
Butterscotch the cat had always wondered what butterscotch tasted like.
One day, he snuck outside and ran to the candy store. When the storekeeper wasn’t looking, he swiped a butterscotch candy. It was sticky and gross.
He told his friends he had loved it, but they knew he was lying.
This story was based on a title suggested by Medea Ginger Hertz.
Bollenhall is not a nice place. It is hot, dry, and boring. Very few tourists go there on vacation.
Most of Bollenhall’s residents leave when they reach adulthood. The mayor passed a “free cake on Thursdays” bylaw to convince people to stay.
Bollenhall’s residents are hot, dry, bored, and fat.
This story was based on the prompt “but there’s cake” at TypeTrigger. Read other writers’ responses here.
I’ve changed the settings for the “Popular Settings” widget in the sidebar so it only shows stories from the past three months (90 days) now.
Previously, it showed stories posted within the last year. I want to see a bit more turnover, so people get exposed to more recent stories and don’t just see the same high-rated stories in the sidebar constantly. Those stories will still be at the top of the lists on the Top Stories page, which is not time-limited, so this doesn’t make your ratings any less meaningful.
Thank you to everyone who rates stories. It’s a great way to get feedback from you, and I really appreciate it. The Top Stories page is the second-most popular page on the site, after the home page, of course, so your ratings really count on helping new and old readers alike find the best stories to read from FiftyWordStories.com’s large archive.
Klug the caveman grunted happily. Yes, he thought. I’ve got it!
The sand in front of him was littered with physics equations, signifying a lifetime of theoretical contemplation. He’d discovered the mathematical basis of both teleportation and time travel!
Now he just needed a few millenia to invent the equipment.
This story was based on a title suggested by @abapicalTaenia, through his preorder of Feel-Good.