Let me tell you a story...

I've been going through my fiction writing tonight, sorting the things that I have published, the unpublished but finished things, and the works in progress. This doesn't take long as mine is not an extensive output, mainly because when it comes to writing I have the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD and the willpower of George Best at a free bar staffed only by blonde models.

I came across something that I wrote for a publication called Fusing Horizons. There is a section called Fusing Atoms, for stories under 150 words. Well, I wasn't quite sure how anybody could manage that, but I had a go, given the example that they had on their website, and I came up with something.

They didn't publish it, although I got a very encouraging email saying that he liked it, but that the last line was a bit too much like a punchline, and to try again. Maybe I will. But there are very few markets for a 128 word story, so I thought I might just as well publish it here. A sweet little 128 word tale called:

MINCER

I saw you looking at my hand.

An industrial accident. Well...not quite. I hated my job. A dull, noisy production line, the smell of half-cooked meat clinging to me. Dogs would follow me home. I'd always wanted to work for myself, but lacked the funds to set up in business.

It was easier to pluck up the courage than I thought. A couple of lunchtime pints steadied my nerves. Steadied my hands, you could say.

The mincer was never the safest of machines. More blood than I expected, but less pain. The factory settled out of court, and I was able to pursue other interests. Nine digits are enough for my needs. What do I do now? Well, I have a finger in several pies...