Fiction 59
There once was a man who smelled as if death and decay had decided to take up permanent residence on his skin.22 Everywhere he went, people would run away in horror.31 One woman had her eyebrows singed off by the acid in his breath.44 Another man lost his sense of smell completely.52 Now they are the best of friends.59
15 February 2007
Notes:
This short story is an original work that was inspired by a story I once heard. I couldn’t remember too much about the story, or where I had heard it, but I wrote this piece as a junior in high school at HomeTech Charter School during an English class. We were all required to write a story using exactly 59 words – no more, no less – and submit it to the Chico News & Review by the deadline. I missed the deadline by two days that year and haven’t submitted this story to the “Fiction 59 Contest” yet, mostly out of sheer laziness. However, this piece was jotted down on a piece of lined paper in less than five minutes, coming from either mind or memory, so here it is for your enjoyment.
Articulated Jargon 