ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell Literary Society’s September writing contest asked people for their best six-word stories, playing off of Ernest Hemingway’s fabled six-word story: “For sale, Baby Shoes, Never worn.”
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Over 40 short stories were submitted and, with permission from the society, are published below:
Want to try your hand at a six-word story? Post your story in the comments section of our Facebook page!
- Every day, my demons come. Help.
- Riley, jungle king: brush your teeth!
- Serial killer wanted– Captain Crunch MIA.
- “Sorry”, it lamented, “just following orders.”
- click, arousal, climax, regret, click, arousal…
- Two minutes until midnight…one…”Submit.”
- He lost at Russian roulette, again
- Vanilla cone, puppy kisses on top
- snapchat-filtered, insta-filtered, life-filtered
- Bright light, sweaty back, Ithaca heat.
- cherry pie, apple pie, my pi
- Day one, again. Why even try?
- Uris Library’s infestations: ladybugs, graphite, me.
- Isn’t it pretty to think so?
- Please, don’t remember me like this.
- Riley baby, clean smile, jungle dreams
- Amnesia altered adultery into a threesome.
- Selling parachute: used, small blood stain.
- Picnic blanket outside, roast beef sandwich
- Poet is not a profession; servitude
- Sweden Canada Serbia Bhutan Egypt Namibia
- Wake up, sun and soul shine.
- Inside asylum, killer regrets insanity plea
- Tasty morsel; lunging gulp; piercing hook.
- God is my whip, cut me
- Hesitant fingers: “Delete Contact Information?” …Yes.
- She swallowed the pill and died.
- Blood washed out. Guilt did not.
- Seven seas we roam, in chrome
- Steep, perilous trail to wrong summit.
- cracked mirrors stained with your lipstick
- Refrigerator, laser beam on a Sunday.
- “Freedom or death!” reads the headstone
- Daughter and niece; one father: Kentucky
- Just give me the gift card.
- Weep for me, young sleeping lovers
- She opened her eyes, and jumped.
- His last words were his first.
- I came, I failed, I died
- 10 digits. One night. Tomorrow, another.
- Her secret was small—a cell.
- A cock suck, men I fuck
- A long text. A broken heart.
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