Was it True?

She has been puzzled not by a calculus problem but an ethical problem. She even knows the answer. She just doesn’t know whether to tell the truth or a lie.

June’s story “The Question” was published in CommuterLit Magazine. The story is a flash fiction story, barely 500 words, short enough for commuters to read while traveling to work or anyone else looking for a piece short on length but long on meaning.

The most famous of all flash stories was a 6-word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway: "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn."

Recent trends in marketing fiction show that short is better than long, that readers (and publishers) are more likely to select a shorter story for their magazine. And so, there are many venues now for stories with a maximum of 1000 words, even 100 words.

June's story is about an awkward question a dying mother asks her daughter. You can read the story for free. Just click here.