Today’s Micro-Adventure

Question for the gallery…how long is your attention span nowadays? Shorter than it used to be, I’ll bet!

Micro-fiction goes back into antiquity but seems a good choice for modern, highly-distracted readers. And if a momentary story is compelling enough, the reader will continue to think about it. That’s a writer’s payoff, long form or short.

My preferred micro-form is the drabble, a 100-word story. There’s no fat in a drabble, each word must pull a great deal of weight. Sometimes, my micro-stories suggest lengthier tales. My drabble of the day – “Mrs. Bellweather Inquires of Lucy” – is one of the those that I’m re-visiting right now as a short story.

(You may have already guessed it but the illustration that goes with it is one of mine, too.)

Note: if you share this post (or just the illustration) and I hope that you do, please add the following attribution: “Story & picture copyright, Sara Light-Waller, 2017. All Rights Reserved.”

Thank you!

Mrs. Bellweather Inquired of Lucy

Lucy’s current assignment was in 1849.

“You’ve lost your husband, my dear?” Mrs. Bellweather inquired of Lucy.

“I haven’t seen him for a very long time.”

“I’m so sorry. How can you stand it?

Lucy sighed. “Not very well.”

The motto of the Agency sounded so exciting — Time Travel! Preserving the past to secure the future.

Mike and Lucy didn’t find out the truth until it was too late.

“One of you must stay behind as anchor for the other,” the director said. “But don’t worry, it’ll only be for a few thousand years, objective time.”

It seemed far longer.