A Pocketful of Fifties
Five fifty-word stories
Vaughn’s spirit was once broken like the busted bottle he’d held in his hand.
He relived those fifteen seconds thousands of times in his cell: the jagged glass, vicious strikes, instant regret.
Six years of remorse.
He searched inward, found light, and discovered a path forward—a new, precious life.
Where’d my stories get me?
Nowhere.
They began as a single thread, but I wove them into a web, more intricate with every lie.
My wife and kids are gone forever.
Now all I’ve got are these four walls and a lifetime to figure out how I lost the plot.
Lana departed for the mountains, leaving her troubles behind. When she arrived, she popped the trunk and breathed in pine—set up her canvas and easel. But then she realized she’d left her paints behind, too. A small smile surfaced.
"Just be," her mother used to say.
Lana finally listened.
Wyatt spent his life on his phone: emails, scrolling, mindless videos. One day, glancing up, he realized Charlene and the kids had moved out.
He wept. A soothing YouTuber calmed him. He subscribed to her channel and fell in love all over again.
Wyatt never woke from this digital stupor.
Eva walked to the quiet lake—the one place that rejuvenated her soul.
She sat down on the rocks of her childhood. They had always been her favorite place to think.
Eva held her stomach, whispered, “I love you.” She’d find a way.
The lake—and her life—rippled simultaneously.
Thank you so much for reading some of my recent microfiction. These fifty-word stories were written in response to various Fifties by the Fire prompts. To see the specific prompts and to read additional responses from other contributing writers, please click on the story titles.
As always, please feel free to share this post with a fellow fiction reader. And if these stories moved you in any way—or made you feel something— please click the heart icon.
I’ll have a new Fifties by the Fire prompt (and new flash fiction) next Monday.
Take care and have a wonderful week!
These are pretty intense, Justin. You really nailed them.
Genuine emotions!