Briefly Told

Stories

Microfiction Archive

Discover bite-sized stories where each line counts and every ending lingers longer than it should.

An antique manual typewriter in deep matte black occupies the center of a sturdy oak table, a single sheet of bright white paper rolled into the carriage. On the page, a perfectly formatted 100-word story ends abruptly mid-line, emphasizing the power of brevity. Surrounding the typewriter are scattered, rejected pages with sparse sentences and crossed-out phrases. A small brass desk lamp to the right casts a warm pool of focused light over the keys and paper, while the background recedes into dim, neutral shadow. Captured from a low, slightly angled perspective, the keys loom in crisp detail with a shallow depth of field. The mood is intense and contemplative, rendered in high-contrast photographic realism that feels both timeless and highly professional.
  • Famine Supper | One-Hundred-Word Story

    Famine Supper | One-Hundred-Word Story

    It wasn’t really that big of a deal; all she had to do was not eat. Shelley was at a 30 Hour Famine, where first-world…

  • Hour Seventy-Three | One-Hundred-Word Story

    Hour Seventy-Three | One-Hundred-Word Story

    Three days underground with freeze-dried meatloaf and bland water—all for a surprise waiting back at the house.

  • Oblivious | One-Hundred-Word Story

    Oblivious | One-Hundred-Word Story

    Standing right over a sparkling golden treasure, two women kept talking—never realizing what lay beneath their feet.

  • Reflections

    Reflections

    What looked like neighborhood kids writing on truck mirrors turned out to be something far more human.

  • Dairyman Don’s Defense | One-Hundred-Word Story

    Dairyman Don’s Defense | One-Hundred-Word Story

    When a transplanted matriarch takes aim at a dairy farm, the owner launches the ultimate counter-campaign.

  • The Herd’s Gamble | Short Story

    The Herd’s Gamble | Short Story

    The mama cow bellows from the pasture nearby, lined up at the barbed wire fence with her hungry calf and the others. “Bring us some…

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