I stayed within the thresholds of flash fiction this week with 460 words. This week's format is a little different, however. My story is made up entirely of dialogue. I set the scene, conveyed tone, and established conflict without narrative description. In fact, you will notice there aren't even any attributes (he said, Jane asked, etc.). Happy reading.
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| Photo by Jennifer E. Miller |
The Sliced Bagel
By,
Jennifer E. Miller
“Ugh!”
“What is it,
Katherine?”
“I’m putting
the groceries away, and realized I purchased unsliced bagels.”
“What’s wrong
with that?”
“It’s one of
life’s great mysteries, I tell you.”
“Why? Is the
hole in the bagel a portal to another dimension?”
“No, Richard.
It’s a mystery to sell bagels without slicing them first. It’s silly. Who eats
them that way?”
“Well, I don’t
know, somebody must.”
“I don’t
believe so.”
“How are you so
sure, Katherine? Maybe they dip the whole thing into their coffee.”
“You’re
confusing bagels with doughnuts.”
“Toast it with
jam on the top, perhaps?”
“It needs to be
sliced to fit in the toaster slot.”
“A toaster oven, then.”
“Really, Richard.
No one uses those anymore.”
“I beg to
differ; my mother still has one.”
“She doesn’t use it.”
“Fine. But I do
say you are making too much fuss over this issue. And please stop slamming the
refrigerator door when you put the groceries away.”
“Well, I expect the bagels I purchased to be sliced.”
“Katherine, how
much time could it take to slice them yourself?”
“Too long.”
“You’re being a
grouch. A few minutes is all it takes.”
“Would you care
to do it, then?”
“Come now, that’s
not necessary. You are capable of the task.”
“You just don't want to! You want your bagels sliced, just like I do. See? Selling unsliced
bagels makes no sense. They must be sliced for practical convenience.”
“Perhaps the
bakery didn’t have time.”
“They have
machines to do it, Richard.”
“Missed a few?”
“I suppose that’s
possible.”
“Ah, see! It’s
just a mistake.”
“Then, you just
proved my theory. A mistake indicates that the bagels were intended to be sold sliced. If they were, in fact, intentionally
sold unsliced, it brings us back to my original thought: selling unsliced bagels are a
mystery.”
“Alright, well,
I guess the solution to your problem is to take the bagels back to the bakery
and to have them sliced.”
“No, I won’t do
that. It’s not worth my time.”
“But you’ve
spent the last five minutes irritated, and convincing me that bagels should be
sold sliced. How is this whole subject suddenly not worth your time?”
“I’ve vented my frustrations and now it’s over and done. I can move on to other things.”
“That’s
reassuring. Shall we move on to lunch, then?”
“That sounds
fine. What should we have?”
“Sandwiches
sound dandy. I’ll gather and prepare everything since you just sat down.”
“Thank you.”
“Fantastic.
Say, Katherine, I’ve got things lined up here on the counter, but it seems you
forgot bread at the store.”
“Did I? Oh. Well,
use the bagels instead.”
“There is a
problem, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I need them sliced.”
Copyright 2017 Jennifer E. Miller
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