A Story in 5 Sentences

I'm somewhat enamored with the idea of short short stories. They're fun frustrating challenging to concoct, delightful to read, and even better to ponder as they tell us something about the human experience. About how a few words can evoke emotion sometimes even more effectively than thousands. About the things we, as humans, empathize over, without even saying it. 

Short short stories remind me that the whole world shares that secret language only the best of friends understand...if only we can find the right words.

All this to say–I was recently challenged to write a story in five sentences. This was my result:

It's weird, the way the wind gushes up against the soles of your shoes when you stand on the ledge outside your office window, eyes closed, wondering what a twenty-three story drop would do to you. When I lift my foot, the crowd below coos in response, their twittering–iphoned and audible–freezing the moment.

Today could be the day.

Today–the day of broken excel formulas and circulation audits and office walls the color of dead IBM monitors–could be the day...but it's not.

I duck back through the window, return to my desk, and sigh at the way my feet still feel lifted from below while my fingers reengage the qwerty that glues me to the world.