Short Short Stories
Excerpts from Arthur Thormann’s book called Short Short Stories
My short-short stories (twenty-five in all, see above triangle) are all based on some mistakes we make and include some personal reflections, as well as some feasible poetic justice. A.T.
The great thing about a short story is that it doesn’t have to trawl through someone’s whole life; it can come in glancingly from the side. Emma Donoghue
Excerpt a short-short story as an example:
The Coin Toss
Two close friends, Leonard and Richard, fell in love with the same girl, Giselle. They did everything together. They studied together; they went dancing together; they went bowling together; they had beers together; they spent some of their summer holidays together; and they joked, and teased each other together.
Giselle was obviously in love with both of them. She ogled and flirted with each of them, and each time one of them took her home without the other, she gave him an ardent kiss on the mouth.
One day, Leonard and Richard went fishing. “Are you in love with Giselle?” Leonard asked Richard.
“I am,” said Richard.
“Me too,” said Leonard. “How are we going to resolve this dilemma? I don’t want to get into a fight over it!”
“We could ask Giselle whom she prefers as a steady boyfriend,” said Richard.
“I don’t think we should embarrass her like that,” said Leonard.
“We could toss a coin,” said Richard. “Whoever wins gets Giselle, and the loser withdraws.”
“That might work,” said Leonard, “providing the loser honors it.”
Thus, they tossed a coin, and Leonard was the winner.
In the next few days, when Richard paid Giselle no more attention, she asked Leonard what was wrong with him. Leonard reluctantly told her about their coin-toss arrangement. Giselle was very upset!
“You guys tossed a coin to decide who gets me without considering what I want?!” She wanted to know.
Leonard shrugged. “We thought you loved both of us and would be satisfied with either one of us.”
She said, “Well, you thought wrong! The fact is, I can do without both of you! Goodbye!”
Moral: A coin toss does not always determine a winner.
