Six Words

Can you tell a short story in six words?

I recently read a Times article that reminded me of an English class last year. Our teacher asked us to write a short story using six words. Why six? Because Ernest Hemingway once wrote this sentence:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

After reading it, I'd say most people's initial confusion would eventually give way to profound understanding (or supposed profound understanding, as the name 'Hemingway' insitutes a direct correlation between awed admiration and the need to associate oneself with such ingenuity, even when personal opinion might differ).

Either way, this short story is a great representation of his literary creativity. It provokes boundless questions from readers - why is someone selling baby shoes, especially ones that haven't been worn?

Could it be that a baby had passed away? Perhaps a woman had miscarried?

And along it, a sense of nostalgia and insight. Six words, and a world of feelings.

I guess I should contribute personally to this discussion by providing my own six words. I would, but I really haven't been able to come up with something worth posting. When you try it yourself, you'll realize how difficult it is to tell a whole story in such a short number of words.

However, maybe I can take a stab at 8 words:

In winter dreams, down summer lanes, sayonara blue.

Can you guess what I'm trying to say?

- Annie