Our 16-month-old craned her neck to follow the car passing the edge of the TV frame, causing all of us to laugh.
“Silly girl, it’s just a TV!”
But we sobered when she turned to us with those soulful eyes as if to say, “Hey, at least your illusion is still real for me.”

“Three bouquets please.”
Behind me, I could feel it.
Nudge nudge. Giggle giggle.
Two high-school girls now had their topic of the day to laugh about.
Over-the-hill guy shopping alone for three flower-bouquets.
I laughed silently in my head.
It’s Vidhya’s turn to buy the flowers for our next festival.
—
i also promise, this will be my last 55… for now!

from anna‘s blog entry, i found this year’s 55 Fiction winners.
here is an “a”-class entry:

ALEX AND ADAM
Alex, an aged almsman, articulated an afterthought.
“Always address agnostics amiably and answer atheists affectionately.”
Adam, another aged almsman, addressed Alex’s absurd aphorism, asking, “And after an apocalypse?”
Alex alluringly assumed an agreeable air and answered Adam: “Apocalypse and afflatus are amazingly abstract areas … affection and amiability accomplish ample acquiescence and alleviate anger.”
Adam agreed.

now, as we always do in these tag-gy times, here’s my effort (followed closely by my tags)

game on
the black steed glared angrily at the fair woman standing close to his master’s house.
there was no one else around in a position to save his lord.
however, there was little he could do.
little, that is, until, after careful deliberation, his master finally said, “38. nf6. check.”
the white queen was forked.
-/+

confession: this was inspired by quarantine from the incomparable arthur c clarke.

ok, tag time:
simple rules: write a short story in 55 words or less!
narasimman
karthik
manoj